Paying monthly for games has become ordinary. The console makers, several big publishers and some PC shops all offer something along these lines. The marketing makes them sound alike. They are not, and the difference that matters most is simple: do you keep the games, or do you only borrow them?
Three broad types
Library subscriptions. You pay for access to a catalogue of games and can play any of them while you subscribe. Xbox Game Pass and the higher tiers of PlayStation Plus work like this, as do publisher services such as EA Play and Ubisoft+. Stop paying and you lose access, though your save files usually remain if you return or buy the game later.
Monthly-claim subscriptions. Each month a handful of games become available to add to your account. With some services, those games stay playable only while you keep subscribing. Read the terms carefully: "claim" does not always mean "own".
Monthly bundles you keep. Some PC shops sell a monthly selection of games, typically as store keys you redeem and keep permanently. Humble Choice is the best-known example. The catch is that you don't pick the games; you take the month's selection or skip it.
Online multiplayer on consoles is a separate matter. On the major consoles, playing most paid-for games online requires the platform's base subscription, whatever else you own. On PC, online play is generally free.
The rotating catalogue
Library services add and remove games regularly. Licences end, and a game you are halfway through can leave the catalogue. Services usually announce departures a little in advance, and some offer a member discount if you want to buy a game before it goes. If you are playing something long, check whether it is marked as leaving soon.
When a subscription makes sense
- You play widely and finish little. Trying ten games for a few hours each is exactly what a library is good at.
- You want to sample a genre. Curious about management sims or survival games without committing? A catalogue is a cheap way to find out.
- Big new releases come to the service. Some publishers put their own new games straight into their subscription. If you would have bought several of them anyway, the maths changes quickly.
- A short, focused burst. Subscribing for a month or two to clear a specific list, then cancelling, is perfectly reasonable.
When owning is better
- You replay favourites. Games you return to every year, such as Terraria or Valheim, are better owned.
- You play slowly. A long role-playing game such as Baldur's Gate 3 can take months at a relaxed pace, which adds up on a monthly fee.
- You like mods. Subscription versions of PC games sometimes have limits on modding that store versions don't.
- Short gems. A two-evening game like Viewfinder or Unpacking is often cheaper to buy outright in a sale than to subscribe for.
A simple test
Look at your last three months honestly. Count the games you actually played for more than a couple of hours. Then check how many were, or are, in the catalogue you are considering. If the answer is most of them, a subscription is probably good value. If it is one, it probably isn't.
Habits that keep it fair
- Note your renewal date and check whether the subscription renews automatically.
- Be wary of long-term prepayments for a service you haven't tried.
- Review your subscriptions every few months. If you haven't opened one in weeks, cancel it; you can always come back.
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