Google's Stadia now comes pre-installed on new Chromebooks

What you need to know

• All Chromebooks now come with Stadia pre-installed.
• To start playing games on your new Chromebook, all you have to do is click on the Stadia icon in the app menu.
• Unsurprisingly, it is the Stadia Progressive Web App (PWA) that will come pre-installed on new Chromebooks, not the Android app.

Last year, a Chromium code change had revealed that Google was planning to pre-install the Stadia app on Chromebooks. A tweet from the Made By Google Twitter account has confirmed that new Chromebooks now come with Stadia pre-installed. This means you can start streaming your favorite games on your new Chromebook just by clicking the Stadia icon in the app menu.

As noted by XDA Developers, it isn't the Stadia Android app that will come pre-installed on Chromebooks. Instead, you'll find the Progressive Web App (PWA) on your new Chromebook. The Stadia PWA is basically just a shortcut to the Stadia website. That said, the move should translate to at least a slight boost in popularity for Stadia. Demand for Chromebooks has grown significantly over the last year or so, as working and studying at home has become the new normal due to the pandemic.

Google also offers three months of free Stadia Pro subscription with new Chromebooks, which should further encourage more Chromebook owners to try the game streaming service. Since you'll just be streaming games, you can look forward to an enjoyable experience even if you don't get the best Chromebook on the market. As our very own David Jagneaux noted in his recent review of Stadia, the cloud gaming service has finally matured and offers a fantastic experience for games like Cyberpunk 2077.

However, the future of the gaming platform remains uncertain. Google announced earlier this month that it was shutting down the first-party Stadia Games and Entertainment wing. The company says it will now focus on working with third-party developers to bring new content to the platform.