Which is the best games subscription for you?

JANUARY can be the bleakest of months, and this year could be the bleakest ever. On top of the lockdown, there’s divorce day, Blue Monday, and after being paid early in December – payday feels like a lifetime away.

But for gamers on a budget, there’s a small light in the darkness.

Following in the footsteps of movie streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, there are now subscription services which give you instant access to thousands of the biggest games – for a small fee.

As you might imagine Sony and Microsoft are leading the way with this, but with several different services each, what subscription is best suited for you?

Let’s dig under the surface and see what you’re actually getting for your money.

XBOX LIVE GOLD, OR GAME PASS, OR GAME PASS ULTIMATE

STRAIGHT off the bat Microsoft’s offering causes confusion, as some of its three services have separate tiers and bundle different subscriptions with them.

Let’s start with Live Gold, Microsoft’s online multiplayer service, it lets you get online to play games with your friends, or settle scores with sworn enemies.

For £6.99 a month (£17.99 quarterly), you also get two free games every month, as well as exclusive discounts and deals at the Microsoft Store.

Eagle-eyed readers will have noted I didn’t give an annual price there, and that’s because Microsoft recently halted sales of 12 month subscriptions to the service, pouring fuel on the rumours that Live Gold is not long for this world.

And if so, as sad as it will be to see it go, its natural successor is Game Pass.

For £7.99 a month you get access to more than 100 games, which you can download and play at leisure.

Xbox exclusive titles developed by Xbox Game Studios show up fairly quickly, meaning you can play them pretty much from launch, but it may take longer for games by third-party developers to appear.

If you’re a PC gamer, then you can get the same service – aptly titled Game Pass for PC – for the same £7.99 a month. But now, the PC service includes EA Play, meaning subscribers get instant access to a collection of EA’S most popular titles, exclusive in-game challenges and rewards, special member-only content, and early trials of selected new games.

But then there’s Game Pass Ultimate, the daddy of subscription services. This is basically a combination of all of Microsoft’s services in one place – for the princely sum of just £10.99 a month.

You get access to the entire Game Pass and EA Play libraries, along with the option to play multiplayer online.

Ultimate also gives you access to xcloud, Microsoft’s new game streaming service (currently in beta) which will let you stream games to your Android phone.

If you subscribe to this service, With so many subscription options the choice might seem overwhelming... but there is definitely one that’s ideal for you and whatever gadget you play on then you don’t need to worry about paying for any of Microsoft’s other offerings, as it’s all included. So what you go for, is really down to what your gaming needs are.

PLAYSTATION PLUS, OR PLAYSTATION NOW

WHILE Microsoft’s subscriptions services are a little muddied, Sony’s offering is much more simplified. Whether you own a PS4, or have been lucky enough to bag a PS5, both services are going to save you cash – depending on what your gaming needs are.

If you love playing multiplayer online, then Plus is for you. For £6.99 a month (£49.99 for the year), you can access Sony’s multiplayer service, which allows you to play online with friends, or frenemies. Without the service, you’ll only be able to play single player games offline.

On top of that, you’ll also get a few free games a month which are yours to access as long as you remain a Plus member.

You’ll also get exclusive offers, and member discounts on titles – often on top of the regular PS Store promotional prices – as well as getting early access to game demos and pre-orders of highly anticipated new titles.

And a top tip – if you scout around a little, there are plenty of reputable sellers online where you can get a Plus subscription much cheaper.

PS Now is Sony’s game streaming service, which for £8.99 a month (£49.99 for the year) gives you instant access to hundreds of titles.

There are more than 800 PS2, PS3, and PS4 games you can stream to your console or your PC, or if you’d rather take the action offline, then there’s a choice of 400 PS4 games you can download to play at your disconnected leisure.

Now is also the only way that you’ll be able to play PS2, and PS3 games on your next generation consoles – which will finally consign the last few physical copies of my PS3 favourites to the loft.

It’s worth noting that these are two separate subscription services, so if you want the multiplayer element of Plus, with the game streaming power of Now, you’ll have to fork out for both.