Troubleshooting your Stadia experience

If you experience slow game responses or degraded visual quality in your Stadia game streams, you may have a weak internet connection, a network issue, or a problem with one of your devices. These issues might result in problems with Stadia Pro features like 4K, HDR, or 5.1 surround sound.

Before you troubleshoot, test your internet connection to make sure your connection speed is 10 megabits per second (Mbps) or greater. Even if you're signed up for an internet plan of 10 Mbps or greater, we recommend that you test your connection on the device you'll use in the location where you want to play.

You can resolve your issue in one of two ways:

 Use our interactive troubleshooter  or follow the steps below.

Troubleshoot network issues

Follow these steps if you experience issues with game response or visual quality when playing on your network.

On a TV using Chromecast Ultra

1. Plug your device (such as a Chromecast) into a wired Ethernet connection, if possible.
   • Note: Chromecast Ultra has an Ethernet port on the power adapter. You can also purchase an adapter if you don't have one.
2. If you use Wi-Fi, move your Chromecast or Android TV device closer to your Wi-Fi router. This will increase signal strength. Keep your Chromecast or Android TV device at least 2 feet from your Wi-Fi router to prevent interference.
3. Turn on "Game Mode" in your TV's settings, if available. It can reduce latency. Check with your TV's manufacturer for instructions.
4. Don't stream music or video on the same Wi-Fi network when you're playing Stadia, even if the stream is on a different device in your home.
5. If you have a dual-band router, use the 5 Ghz Wi-Fi band instead of the 2.4 Ghz band. Also, make sure the encryption method on your router is AES or "Mixed." To learn how to make these changes, check your Wi-Fi router's instructions, or contact the router's manufacturer.
6. Stop or pause any downloads or backups on the same Wi-Fi network.
7. If you still experience issues, lower your Performance settings.

On stadia.com (Google Chrome)

1. Plug your computer into a wired Ethernet connection, if possible.
2. If you use Wi-Fi, move your computer closer to your router to increase signal strength. Keep your computer and router at least 2 feet apart to prevent interference.
3. Don't stream music or video on the same Wi-Fi network, even if the stream is on a different device in your home.
4. If you have a dual-band router, use the 5 Ghz Wi-Fi band instead of the 2.4 Ghz band. Also, make sure the encryption method on your router is AES or "Mixed." To learn how to make these changes, check your Wi-Fi router's instructions, or contact the router's manufacturer.
5. If your router supports Quality of Service (QoS), enable or disable it in your router's settings. Check with your router's manufacturer for instructions.
6. To free up bandwidth, stop or pause any downloads or online backups.
7. If you use a firewall or VPN, make sure your rules don't restrict traffic on ports in the range 44700 - 44899 (TCP and UDP). These ports are required to play games on Stadia. Please note that this range might change in the future.
   • Note: If you use a work or school network, your network administrator may have blocked ports in this range.
8. Disable any Chrome extensions, such as VPN extensions, that block the WebRTC protocol.
   • Note: If the WebRTC protocol is blocked, Stadia won't work properly. Check the Chrome Web Store for information about your extensions.
9. If you still experience issues, lower your Performance settings.

In the Stadia app (mobile device)

1. Make sure your mobile device is connected to your Wi-Fi network.
   • Note: If you use your mobile data plan to play Stadia on your mobile device, you won't be able to play wirelessly with your Stadia Controller. To play wirelessly, connect your mobile device and Stadia Controller to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Move your mobile device closer to your Wi-Fi router. This will increase signal strength. Keep them at least 2 feet apart to prevent interference.
3. If you have a dual-band router, connect your mobile device to the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band instead of the 2.4 Hz band.
   • Note: To learn how to switch, check your Wi-Fi router's instructions, or contact your router's manufacturer.
4. Don't stream music or video on the same Wi-Fi network when you're playing Stadia, even if the stream is on a different device in your home.
5. Stop or pause any downloads or backups on the same Wi-Fi network.
6. If you enable mobile data usage on your mobile device, your cellular internet connection might not be strong enough. Enable Wi-Fi in your device's settings and connect it to your Wi-Fi network.
7. If you still experience issues, lower your Performance settings.

Stadia Controller connectivity

If your Stadia Controller is unresponsive or you experience missing or delayed button presses, try the following tips:

1. Use a functional charger and USB-C® cable to plug your Stadia Controller into a power source and charge it for 30 minutes.
2. Hardware reset your Stadia Controller.
3. With the controller off, hold down the Y button press the Stadia button until the controller rumbles and the status light turns on.
4. Set up your controller on your Wi-Fi network with the Stadia app on your mobile device.
5. Turn off any Virtual Private Network (VPN) services you have enabled on your network.
6. Go into your Wi-Fi router's settings and make sure Access Point (AP) Isolation is disabled. This is also known as "client mode" or "guest mode". For more information, check with your router's manufacturer.
   • Note: AP Isolation is often enabled on public networks in places like hospitals, hotels, student dorms, or corporate networks. This setting can prevent your Stadia Controller and Chromecast from communicating with each other. If you're on a public network, check with your network administrator for more information.
7. Unplug your Wi-Fi router from a power outlet, then wait at least 30 seconds and plug it back in.
8. Turn off "Airtime Fairness," "Airtime Quality," or "Multimedia Quality of Service (WMM)," settings on your router. The name of this setting varies depending on your router manufacturer.

If you still have trouble with your connection, turn off or reset your controller.

Troubleshoot device issues

Follow these steps if you experience issues with game response or visual quality when you play Stadia on your TV, computer, or mobile device:

TV with Chromecast Ultra

1. Install your Chromecast Ultra in a well-ventilated area.
2. Plug your Chromecast Ultra into an HDMI 2.0 (or greater) port on your TV.
3. Turn on "Game Mode" in your TV's settings, if available. Check with your TV's manufacturer for instructions.
4. Turn off 50Hz HDMI mode:
   1. On your mobile device, open the Google Home app .
   2. Tap the display your Chromecast Ultra is connected to.
   3. Tap Settings .
   4. Under "Display", turn off 50Hz HDMI mode.
5. Disable overscan in your TV's settings and set your picture size to fit the screen, especially if your screen seems stretched or out of bounds, or Stadia notifications appear cut off.
   • On some TVs, the "16:9" picture size implies overscan. For more information, check with your TV's manufacturer.
6. If you still experience issues with your device, lower your Performance settings.

Google TV or Android TV

1. If you use Stadia with a separate Google TV or Android TV device, plug the device into an HDMI 2.0 (or greater) port on your TV. If possible, add an HDMI extender cable to create distance between the device and your TV.
2. Turn on "Game Mode" in your TV's settings, if available. Check with your TV's manufacturer for instructions.
3. Turn on the "Game Mode" setting on your Google TV or Android TV device, if it has one. For example, turn on the Allow game mode setting on Chromecast with Google TV.
4. Turn off any setting on your Google TV or Android TV device that upscales content to 4K or modifies the dynamic range (like the Match content setting).
5. Verify that your Google TV or Android TV device is set up for a 60Hz display refresh rate. You can check your refresh rate in your device's display settings.
6. If you have a Bluetooth® controller, pair it to your Google TV or Android TV device to play games on Stadia. If you experience connectivity issues with your controller, follow these steps:
   1. If you use a Chromecast, follow the steps in Troubleshoot your Chromecast connection. Important: Before you factory reset your Chromecast or Android TV device, follow the steps below.
   2. Check that your Wi-Fi router is more than 2-3 feet from your Chromecast or Android TV device. If the router is too close to your device, it can cause issues with wireless signals.
   3. If your router supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, make sure your Chromecast or Android TV device is on the 5 GHz band.
   4. If you're more than 8-10 feet away from your TV and experience latency or dropout issues during gameplay, move closer to your TV.
   5. Remove any objects between your controller and your Chromecast or Android TV device. These objects may block the signal.
   6. If possible, connect your device to the internet with an Ethernet cable. For example, if you have a Chromecast, use the Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast with Google TV.
   7. Add an HDMI extender cable to your Chromecast or Android TV device to create more distance between your TV and the device. More distance can help with wireless connection problems.

Computer with Google Chrome

1. Make sure JavaScript is enabled in Google Chrome for stadia.com.
2. Sign into Stadia in an Incognito window if you experience issues with game response or visuals, or if a keyboard command doesn't work properly. If this resolves your issue, one of your browser extensions might be incompatible with Stadia. Disable some of your browser extensions, then try again.
3. Set your Google Chrome zoom settings to 100%.
4. Make sure the HDMI cable you use to connect your computer to your display supports HDMI 2.0 or greater, and is plugged into an HDMI 2.0 or greater port on both ends.
5. If you use Windows 10, go to your display settings. Next, select Advanced scaling settings turn off the feature that lets Windows try to fix apps so they're not blurry.
6. Connect your computer to a single display. If your computer is connected to multiple displays in extended mode, performance may be degraded.
7. Enable or disable hardware acceleration in Google Chrome.
8. If you still experience issues with your device, lower your Performance settings.

Mac® and iOS® troubleshooting

1. If you use a Mac to play games on Stadia and experience performance issues, try these steps on your computer:
   1. Turn off Location Services:
      1. Go to System Preferences Security & Privacy Privacy.
      2. Uncheck "Enable Location Services".
      3. If you always play in the same location, turn this back on after you're finished playing.
   2. Turn off Wireless Direct Link (AWDL):
      1. In your Applications Utilities folder, open the Terminal program.
      2. Type this text into the Terminal: sudo ifconfig awdl0 down
      3. Press Enter. Note that this will affect related continuity features such as Airdrop and Airprint.
      4. When you're finished playing, type the following text into the Terminal: sudo ifconfig awdl0 up press Enter.
2. If you use iCloud® on your iOS mobile device and have issues with stability, performance, casting to your screen, or linking a controller, try disabling the iCloud Private Relay setting.
   1. On your iOS device, open the Settings app.
   2. Tap your name iCloud Private relay.
3. Turn off the Private Relay setting.
4. If you still experience issues with your computer, lower your Performance settings.

Mobile device with the Stadia app

1. Close any open apps on your mobile device that you aren't using.
2. Stop any downloads on your mobile device, such as app updates.
3. Restart your mobile device.
4. If you still experience issues on your mobile device, lower your Performance settings.

How to play on iPhone or iPad

To play games on your iPhone or iPad, just create a Safari® web app on your device.

Play on non-supported Android devices

To try Stadia on an Android device that is not currently supported, sign into the Stadia app on the device you want to try, open your Stadia settings, tap Experiments, then turn on Play on this device. This setting will only affect the device you set it on, and you can turn it off at any time. Note that your play experience may vary, depending on your mobile device and network speed.

 

More mobile devices will be made compatible with Stadia over time, even if they’re not in the above list.

Troubleshoot 4K, 5.1 Surround Sound, or HDR

Note: Before you troubleshoot 4K, HDR, or 5.1 surround sound, make sure you have an active Stadia Pro subscription, and that your device meets the hardware requirements for each feature you want to use.

4K troubleshooting

1. Verify that you have an active subscription to Stadia Pro. Up to 4K is only available to Stadia Pro subscribers.
2. In the Performance settings of the device you use, set your resolution to Up to 4K. Also, check your connection status to verify you're playing at up to 4K resolution.
   • Note: Not all games support 4K resolution.
3. Make sure your TV or computer display supports 4K.
   • Note: If you play on a TV, enable 4K in your TV's and receiver's settings. This is sometimes referred to as "4K HDMI pass-through mode."
4. Connect your device to your display with an HDMI 2.0 (or greater) cable.
   • Note: If you have an Android TV device, make sure it supports 4K output.
5. Exit the game, then launch it again.

If you resume a game session on your TV or computer from another device that does not support 4K, you'll need to restart the session to get up to 4K resolution. To do this, exit the game, then launch it again.

Confirm you're playing in 4K

1. On your Stadia Controller, press the Stadia button .
   • On a computer keyboard, press Shift + Tab.
   • On Google TV or Android TV, you can press the Home button on a connected Bluetooth controller.
2. Select Connection .
3. Look for the "4K" icon to verify that you're playing at up to 4K resolution.

5.1 Surround Sound troubleshooting

Note: If your system is compatible with 5.1 surround sound but the "5.1" icon still doesn't appear, go into your Stadia options menu and choose the "Automatic" or "5.1 surround sound" setting. If you're still experiencing issues with 5.1 surround sound playback, check if your system supports the uncompressed 5.1 PCM audio format. You can force Stadia to stream stereo audio by going into your Stadia options menu and choosing the "Stereo (off)" setting.

Plug your Chromecast Ultra, TV, compatible streaming device, or computer into a sound system that supports 5.1 surround sound using HDMI eARC.

Confirm you're playing with 5.1 Surround Sound

1. On your Stadia Controller, press the Stadia button .
   • On a computer keyboard, press Shift + Tab.
   • On Google TV or Android TV, you can press the Home button on a connected Bluetooth controller.
2. Select Connection .
3. Look for the "5.1" icon to verify that you're playing with 5.1 surround sound.

 

HDR troubleshooting

Note: HDR is currently supported on Chromecast Ultra, Chromecast with Google TV, and some Android TV devices. We're working to enable support for HDR on stadia.com and on more devices. Stay tuned!

Options to enable HDR go by different names depending on the TV manufacturer, model, and firmware. These names include, but are not limited to: "HDR", "HDR 10", "HDR 10+", "Dolby® Vision", "Deep Color", "Ultra HD Color", "UHD Color", "Ultra HD Premium", "UHD Premium", "Enhanced Format", "BT 2020", "ST 2084", and "PQ".

To troubleshoot HDR:

1. Make sure your TV supports the HDR10 standard.
2. Enable HDR in your TV's and receiver's settings. If you plug a Chromecast or HDR-compatible Android TV streaming device into your TV, plug it into a port that supports HDR.
   • You might have to enable HDR for the specific HDMI port you plug your device into, if that port supports it. Some ports do not.
3. If you have a Chromecast or a separate Android TV streaming device, connect it directly to your TV. Devices that are plugged in between your Stadia device and the TV (such as audio/video receivers) may interfere with HDR, depending on the device.
4. Update your TV's firmware. This can usually be done from the TV's menu.

Confirm you're playing in HDR

1. On your Stadia Controller, press the Stadia button .
   • On a computer keyboard, press Shift + Tab.
   • On Google TV or Android TV, you can press the Home button on a connected Bluetooth controller.
2. Select Connection .
3. Look for the "HDR" icon to verify if you're playing in HDR.

Learn more about how to stream and troubleshoot HDR on Chromecast.

I got an error message. What does it mean?

"Please check your connection"

What it means:

• If you get this message before you start your game: While your game launched, Stadia tested your connection and determined that it wasn't strong enough to play a game.
• If you get this message because your game stopped: Your connection wasn't strong enough to continue playing. For the next 10 minutes, you'll be able to return to where you left off in the game if you improve your internet connection.

"The game may stop because your connection isn't stable"

What it means:

Your internet connection might not be strong enough, or there could be an issue with your device. This might cause your game to stop while you play.

For more information about the error message, open your connection panel during gameplay:

1. On your Stadia Controller, press the Stadia button .
   • On your computer keyboard, press Shift + Tab.
   • On Google TV or Android TV, you can press the Home button on a connected Bluetooth controller.
2. Select Connection .

"No internet connection"

What it means:

Your device lost its internet connection.

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