What is Crowd Play for Stadia?

Best answer: Crowd Play is a built-in feature for Stadia that allows players to jump into a multiplayer game with their favorite streamers and YouTubers.

• Play on your TV: Chromecast Ultra (opens in new tab) ($69 at Amazon)
• Start streaming: Stadia Premiere Edition (opens in new tab) ($130 at Google Store)

How does Crowd Play work?

Say you're watching your favorite streamer play a game on YouTube and want to join in. With Crowd Play, there will be a button that you can click that allows you to join in the game with the live streamer. Because there may be a high influx of players, you won't be able to immediately join the game. Instead, you'll be placed into a lobby and wait your turn for the next available match.

The button on-screen in the demo appears to indicate which number you are in line, with the person in the demo's case being third in line to play. It will continually update to display your number as you move forward in line and are on deck to jump into the game.

How will they combat online toxicity and harassment?

This is a giant question mark currently. Google has not stated what measures will be in place to mitigate online harassment, and going from YouTube's less-than-stellar approach, it's a valid concern. The company plans to reveal more information on Crowd Play in the coming months, at which point they will hopefully address this glaring unanswered question.

Will Crowd Play be available on Twitch?

Google made no mention of its potential availability on Twitch at this time.

Is Crowd Play available right now?

No, Stadia does not currently support Crowd Play. This feature is coming at some point in the future. While Stadia is technically out and available to the public, Google is rolling out its features gradually. We'll be sure to update you when we have an exact date.