Google Stadia users received quite a shock towards the end of September when the service announced that it was shutting down. On the same day, it also announced that it would do right by customers and offer refunds for most purchases that were made directly from Google. Now, the refunds are starting to roll out, so keep an eye out on your inbox.

According to the official Stadia support page, refunds are now automatically being processed, with the company starting with game purchases, add-on content, and any subscription fees purchased through the Stadia Store. The company is asking its customers to be patient as it goes through its process and states that it will not accept any requests at this time to expedite a refund. Furthermore, it stated that most of the refunds should be processed by January 18, 2023.

As for the details, the company will start automatically refunding each transaction starting today to the original form of payment used. If the payment cannot be refunded, Google will send out an email with instructions on how to get it refunded in an alternative form. In this case, you might see an email from Payoneer, a company that Google has partnered with to process these types of refunds. For those that have 20 or fewer transactions, Google will be sending out one email per transaction that is refunded. For those that have 21 or more transactions, your refund activity will come in a single email.

For those that have deleted their account, Google will still attempt to perform a refund. If you deleted your Stadia account and have concerns, contact Stadia Customer Service to get things clarified. They will require some information about your account but will get refunds processed. As for hardware refunds, Google states that it will eventually get to these but does not have a timeline of when only stating that they will be processed by January 18. In its original statement, Google offered refunds on the Founders Edition, Premiere Edition, Play and Watch with Google TV packages and the Stadia Controller.

It's important to note that hardware refunds of any kind are only eligible if you purchased directly from Google. So if you purchased your product from a physical retailer like Best Buy, you cannot go to the store to return it. In addition, in most cases, users will not be required to send their product back to Google but may have to provide "proof of the device" to get a refund. If this is necessary, you will be contacted with the details.

As of now, Stadia owners will need to wait and keep a lookout in their inboxes. Those that have games on Stadia from major publishers might be able to transfer them, so that is also worth looking into before the service shuts down for good on January 18, 2023.

Source: Google Stadia Help