Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers instantly get access to a huge library available not only on the Xbox One console but also on PC. The selection of games is diverse: there are shooters, action games, role-playing games, casual platformers, multiplayer projects. There are games for children, like the eternal Minecraft or a fresh hit Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and for more hardcore players, NieR: Automata, Metro Exodus, and others. The catalog is updated regularly. Perhaps, the best feature of Xbox Game Pass is that full versions of games from Xbox Game Studios become available to subscribers on the day of release at no additional cost. In other words, future parts of Gears and Halo, Forza Horizon, and Forza Motorsport, as well as any other novelty from 15 subsidiary studios of the company will appear in the service at once. Besides, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership includes Xbox Live Gold, which provides access to multiplayer modes of games on the console and extra free games from the “Games with Gold status” selection: 4 games per month for the Xbox One. Finally, subscribers have access to numerous game discounts and bonuses in the form of additional content and in-game gifts.
Origin Access / EA Access
Almost all of the new games in the catalog are released by EA, and about half of the list consists of niche indie projects and retro hits. Subscribers also get early access to EA news and a 10% discount on the purchase of digital versions of EA games. It is important to keep in mind that subscriptions for different platforms are paid separately. Many gamers have found an original use for the service: they sign up for a one-month subscription to play a particular game (or several) within that time frame and cancel the auto-renewal. This is often cheaper than buying the full version of individual EA games, especially on consoles.
Nintendo Switch Online
The newest subscription console service offers a growing selection of classic games from the 80s and 90s, originally released for NES and SNES consoles. Membership benefits include cloud-based saving and exclusive merchandise offers in the official Nintendo store. The main feature of the subscription is access to the online features of Nintendo Switch games. A strange feature of the service is access to the mobile voice chat app. On other consoles, chat rooms are available for free, but here they have become a premium feature, in addition to requiring the use of an additional device.
Uplay+
The updated selection consists exclusively of Ubisoft games, but even includes new titles that have just been released. Sometimes subscribers are given early access to upcoming games. Among other extra benefits, only special content in individual games. Keep in mind that games with a subscription Uplay + will run only through its own launcher publisher, and not through the usual for many gamers Steam.
Humble Choice
A key feature of Humble Choice is that 5% of the service’s revenue is donated to various charities. At the same time, owners of any level of subscription get access to an updated catalog of games, which can be used after downloading forever. Besides, each month users are given a choice of more than 10 games, of which you can get from 3 to 9 forever, depending on your subscription level. The service guarantees that the monthly selection of games is valued at a minimum of $200. The subscription includes both big hits from past years and budget indie projects, but in general the curators choose fairly well-known and desirable releases for players.
GeForce Now
Unlike other services in the list, the essence of GeForce Now is not a subscription catalog, but the ability to run a variety of games on any PC, even with very low specs. All you need is a stable and fast network connection. The principle of the service is to broadcast the video stream to your device. In fact, the user plays remotely on a powerful computer located in the company’s data center. Subscribers are not provided with free games; they have to buy them themselves for the full cost. In this case, the user saves not on games, but on the expensive components needed for a comfortable game. It is likely that in the future the service will also run on mobile devices, but so far there were no specific announcements about this possibility.
PlayStation Plus
PS Plus is a paid subscription that extends the privileges of your PlayStation Network account. Payments for the service are made monthly. The subscription is designed to maximize the potential of PS5 and PS4 consoles and give the user the opportunity to try a variety of games. And there’s a nice golden plus sign next to the subscriber’s nickname to help you stand out from the crowd. As a nice bonus for subscribers, there are numerous discounts on games and additional content. During sales, PlayStation Plus users usually get even better deals.
Apple Arcade
Apple’s attempt to revolutionize the mobile gaming market: all applications in the Apple Arcade subscription are free of in-game purchases and advertising. Besides, they are exclusive to subscribers – you can’t get them anywhere else. The catalog is full of high-quality projects, including both story-driven adventures and addictive puzzles and arcades. One of the main advantages of the service is the beautiful and informative catalog with many thematic selections, which are curated by Apple itself. A nice feature of the Apple Arcade subscription is that the main user and five other members of his family can play at no extra cost.
Vortex
A popular cloud service with a built-in catalog of games, some of which are available to subscribers for free. The rest require a pre-purchased license. You can play both on computers with Windows and macOS, as well as on mobile devices with Android, including virtual reality helmets and TVs. By the way, it has all the popular games, and it is regularly updated. Vortex has three tariffs, which differ in broadcast quality, the amount of playing time and the number of games in the library.
