Bethesda and Zenimax’s MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online is now available on a new platform – Google Stadia. ESO Creative Director Rich Lambert announced the news on social media earlier this month.
The Elder Scrolls Online was previously only available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and the Stadia version allows cross-play with all previously released platforms. The game was initially released in April 2014 as a new adventure within Tamriel. Although ESO had a rough launch, the team continued to develop it but has been significantly improved over the years.
ESO is free-to-play after the initial purchase of the base game. Players can continue to play it for free without a subscription. A subscription is available and offers significant upgrades such as access to all of the DLC content, bottomless crafting bag, access to the paid in-game currency Crowns for use in the in-game store, and more.
The ESO team has also announced that in limited territories, the game is available for free right now with a Stadia Pro account. After signing up for an account, games are immediately available to play with more added monthly.
#ESO is now available on @GoogleStadia*
Start playing for free on #StadiaPro right now! https://t.co/NDMY6r4NOx
*Available only in limited territories. pic.twitter.com/6leWK6hCjx— The Elder Scrolls Online (@TESOnline) June 16, 2020
New players will have to create and link an ESO account to start playing. There is no additional fee to create an account on the ESO website. Players can also manage their ESO accounts easily online to connect other sites, such as Twitch, where they can watch livestreams from Bethesda to earn in-game loot. Twitch also occasionally has Twitch Prime awards for ESO, such as pets and mounts, for those who have connected their accounts.
ESO is not to be confused with The Elder Scrolls: Blades, which is a free-to-play FPS game available on mobile and the Nintendo Switch. The game focuses on the Blades faction and rebuilding the player’s hometown, which was destroyed.
The newest expansion to come to ESO is the Greymoor chapter, which has to be purchased separately at this time to enjoy. It’s not included with a subscription, but after its release, players can often purchase the expansions separately to access for life from the in-game store.
Greymoor brings players into the Western region of Skyrim, almost 1,000 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The EP was released earlier this month and is available now.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available on Google Stadia now.
