Google has started to bring 4K game streaming to Stadia users on the web.
9to5Google first spotted the rollout and shortly after, several reddit users also mentioned that they’d received the update.
Since revealing Stadia last March, Google has touted 4K streaming as one of the platform’s most defining features. However, 4K support has been limited to TVs (via Chromecast Ultra) since Stadia launched in November.
It’s important to note that you need an $11.99 CAD/month Stadia Pro subscription in order to stream in 4K. Additionally, you’ll need to enable 4K streaming through the Stadia app on Android and iOS; this currently can’t be done via Stadia.com.
As pointed out by 9t05Google, you can check your streaming resolution by opening the in-game menu, clicking ‘Connection’ and looking for a ‘4K’ icon under ‘Data usage.’
Interestingly, while Google says “excellent” 4K streaming requires a minimum connection of 35mbps, 9to5Google reports that it’s gotten 4K running at lower speeds that were deemed “Good” or “Ok.” You can check your connection speed here.
That said, keep in mind that not all games on Stadia actually support 4K — a fact that Google hasn’t communicated all that well to users. Key Stadia games, like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Destiny 2, don’t actually support 4K. Meanwhile, titles that actually do support 4K seemingly output at a lower resolution than their counterparts running natively on a PC.
It’s unclear how widely 4K web support has been rolled out so far, but given the increasing number of reports popping up, it’s likely that an official announcement from Google is on the way.
Source: 9to5Google
