Google Stadia Finally Gains Direct YouTube Live Streaming

It isn't yet its usual time for weekly announcements but Google's game streaming service is already rolling out a few big changes ahead of that official post. Perhaps it is trying to sync with the excitement over Cyberpunk 2077 that's just around the corner but even those not interested in the open-world cyberpunk RPG will appreciate Stadia's new features, especially the ability to finally live stream on YouTube just like Google promised before Stadia even launched last year.

Given it's all under one company, you'd think that Stadia and YouTube would be a perfect combo, one that could ultimately topple Twitch, now owned by rival Amazon. At least that was the idea Google itself floated around, making it super easy for YouTubers to start streaming Stadia games and then stream their gameplay live on YouTube. Apparently, it wasn't that straightforward and it took more than a year for Google to actually make that happen.

A few Stadia users have reported seeing the option to Stream Directly to YouTube instead of some using some other software to indirectly stream to YouTube. The process, at least for those who have this option already active, isn't as instant as initially promised. You still need to set a few things up, like the Title of the stream, privacy options, and audience age group, before finally starting. Pretty much like setting up a standard YouTube live stream.

There are, however, still a few catches to this feature, like limitations on which Stadia platforms it works. There also seems to be still some rough edges when it comes to the UI, some of which, like chat, requires a second device to even access. These could probably be polished later on but Google seems to be in a hurry to rush out a feature that was promised last year.

That rush is undoubtedly due to Stadia's biggest release yet, Cyberpunk 2077, which gamers will surely want to live stream. Stadia has also expanded its coverage to more countries in Europe, again in time for the game's launch this week.