Google Stadia is shutting down soon, so transfer your games and saves while you can

Google Stadia, the company’s not-long-for-this-world cloud gaming service, will be shutting down for good on January 18th. (Specifically, January 18th at 11:59PM PT, Google spokesperson Patrick Seybold confirmed to The Verge.) While the shutdown means that you’re about to lose access to all of your titles and saves on Stadia, many publishers have shared ways to bring your purchases and progress to other platforms so you can keep playing your games.

We’ve rounded up some of those options below; if you want to carry over what you can, you might want to start those processes soon. (If I forgot any, email me, and I can add them.)

• Borderlands 3: Gearbox has outlined a way to bring your Stadia save to PC using Google Takeout and Gearbox’s special Borderlands 3 Stadia Save Utility. Gearbox has spelled out the process on the Borderlands website.
• Cyberpunk 2077: Developer CD Projekt Red will let you bring your data to PC by manually downloading it using Google Takeout. The studio has a guide on its website spelling out the process. You won’t be able to retrieve your save after Stadia shuts down.
• Destiny 2: To bring over your Destiny 2 characters from Stadia to other platforms, you’ll need to turn on cross-save before January 18th. Bungie has details on its support site. The company has already turned off the game’s Stadia servers to give players a “head start” on activating cross-save. (Destiny 2 stats may also indicate the dearth of players on Stadia, as reported by 9to5Google.)
• Hitman 3: Developer IO Interactive is letting players do a one-time “Stadia Progression Carryover” to bring their progress to PC (Windows, Steam, or Epic), Xbox, or PlayStation. You’ll need to link your IOI Account to your Stadia account before Stadia’s servers shut down. IO Interactive expects to open up the carryover tool on January 11th, according to a support page, but you can link your accounts now to prepare. The actual carryover will happen beginning January 26th or 27th. The Stadia Progression Portal is set to be shut down on February 17th.
• The Elder Scrolls Online: If you played Bethesda’s fantasy MMO on Stadia (like my colleague Makena Kelly), you can log into your Elder Scrolls Online account on Bethesda’s website and then download and play the game on PC and Mac to continue your adventures right where you left off. Here’s Bethesda’s support page if you want to learn more.
• Ubisoft games: Ubisoft is giving out free PC copies of Ubisoft games you own on Stadia (with five exceptions, and three of them are Just Dance titles). To get the free games, you’ll need to link your Ubisoft and Stadia accounts before the January 18th shutdown. And for any games that support cross-progression, your progress will carry over to PC, too. Check out Ubisoft’s support page for more details.

PS: Google is also refunding all Stadia software purchases from the Stadia Store and hardware purchases from the Google Store. The company began processing refunds in November and expects to process the “majority” of refunds by January 18th, so keep an eye on your email for confirmation.

PPS: If you have other questions about Stadia’s shutdown, it’s worth checking out Google’s extensive shutdown FAQ.

Update January 12th, 1:59PM ET: Added details about transferring your Borderlands 3 save.

Update January 11th, 1:43PM ET: Added more details about transferring Destiny 2 and Hitman 3 progress.

Update January 8th, 1:14PM ET: Added details about carrying over your Destiny 2 characters.