Xbox Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus: what’s the better deal?
Xbox Game Pass has risen to the top of the subscription gaming services heap. Starting at just $9.99 a month, Xbox gamers have access to more than 400 titles — some of which are included in the system’s initial release. Because of this, Microsoft’s game subscription service may be the finest offer in gaming..
Sony will soon merge its long-running PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services into a new PlayStation Plus in order to keep up with its competitor, Microsoft.
PS Plus, similar to Xbox Game Pass, will offer a large number of titles per month for a low monthly fee when it launches in various regions at the end of May or beginning of June. Are there any real differences between the new PlayStation Plus and the existing Xbox Game Pass?
Below we’ll compare and contrast the features of PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass to see which one is best. See how the various services compare in the next paragraphs.
Xbox Game Pass vs. PlayStation Plus: Price
Three tiers will be available for PlayStation Plus in the upcoming update. This is the cheapest PlayStation Plus membership tier available. If you live in the U.S., it costs $9.99 per month; in the UK, it costs £6.99 per month; and if you live in the UK, it costs £49.99 a year.
PlayStation Store discounts, cloud storage for saved games, and online multiplayer are all included with this tier. The current PlayStation Plus service, accessible on the PS5 and PS4, will not be altered by this new one. For current PlayStation Plus subscribers, you’ll be instantly enrolled in this level.
PlayStation Plus Extra is the most similar to Xbox Game Pass, and the following tier up. You may get it for $14.99 monthly / $39.99 quarterly / $99.99 annually in the United States and £10.99 monthly / £31.94 quarterly or $899.99 annually in the United Kingdom, depending on your location.
Access to up to 400 greatest PS4 and finest PS5 titles and countless third-party developers is included in the Extra tier, which has all the benefits of the Essential tier. All of the games in this tier are available for download.
PlayStation Plus Premium is the most expensive tier, but it has the most to offer in terms of content and features. This new tier is essentially a PlayStation-centric version of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, as we noted in our initial coverage of this topic.
There are two pricing options for Premium: $17.99 monthly in the U.S. and $13.49 monthly / £39.99 quarterly in the U.K. In addition to the previous tier’s content, this one comes with an additional 340 titles. In addition to titles from the PS3, PS2, and PSP eras, cloud streaming will be accessible for PS3 games. Both streaming and download options will be provided for non-PS3 classics. With this tier, you’ll additionally get time-limited game demos (demo games).
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Demon’s Souls, and Marvel’s Spider-Man are among the highlights of the PlayStation Plus Premium game roster, which was unveiled by Sony. Relaunched content includes 105 titles, both original and from third parties.
These titles will also be available to PlayStation Plus Deluxe and Premium users. Members of PlayStation Plus Essential will enjoy similar benefits to those of PS Plus, such as a few free games each month rather than access to the entire library. For additional information, see our complete PS Plus tier comparison.
There are two main tiers of Xbox Game Pass. Only the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles are supported. You’ll be able to play all of the Game Pass titles. Xbox Game Pass is also available for $9.99 or £7.99 a month on Windows PCs. A subscription to this service allows you access to a library of over 400 PC games.
The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier, as the name implies, is the most expensive. Xbox One and PC titles are included in the $14.99 or £10.99 a month subscription, along with cloud streaming and save syncing across all three platforms.
As part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you also get access to Xbox Live Gold. You’ll be able to use Xbox Live services and get two free games each month. Additional benefits include a subscription to EA’s online gaming subscription service as part of the Xbox and PC Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus: Games
More than 400 games are now available on Xbox Game Pass, and Microsoft plans to add more in the future. This comprises games from every iteration of the Xbox, from the original 2001 machine to the current Xbox Series X/S. “
The Halo, Gears of War, and Forza franchises are just a few of the first-party options. Xbox Game Pass includes (and will soon have) franchises including The Elder Scrolls, Doom, Wolfenstein, Redfall, and many more thanks to Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision and Bethesda.
The Hitman Trilogy and Rainbow Six Extraction are two examples of the third-party games included in Xbox Game Pass. EA Play games like Star Wars Squadrons and Battlefield 1 are included with the Game Pass Ultimate subscription. While we could go on, we’ll stop here and just say that Xbox Game Pass offers a large variety of titles from both Microsoft and third parties.
Over 700 titles from the original PlayStation, PS3, PS3, PSP, PS4, and PS5 will be available for download and streaming via PlayStation Plus Premium’s high-priced service. It’s unclear from Sony’s statement whether or not any Vita games will be supported.
More first-party games are available on PlayStation because the console is older (more than 25 years). Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, Jak & Daxter, God of War, and Metal Gear Solid are all likely to be playable on PlayStation Plus Premium. Horizon, The Last of Us, Uncharted, and more newer series are also available.
PlayStation Plus Premium, like Game Pass, has a wide range of third-party titles. Other games on the list include Red Dead Redemption, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Mortal Kombat X, and the Batman Arkham saga. LittleBigPlanet and many others are among the lesser-known gems you’ll find in this collection.
Xbox Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus: Play anywhere
Playing Xbox games on several platforms is now available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming. Android phones can use the Xbox Game Pass app, as can iOS and Mac computers using the Safari browser, Chromebooks can use the Chrome browser, and Xbox consoles and Windows PCs can use the Xbox Game Pass and Xbox apps, as can all of these other devices. With a decent internet connection, you can play Xbox games on a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
You can play games on your PS4 and PS5 consoles, as well as your PC, thanks to PlayStation Plus, which is similar to PlayStation Now. However, Sony made no mention of a mobile software similar to Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Xbox Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus: Day one games
Xbox Game Pass is attractive due to the fact that all first-party Xbox titles are included at the time of release. Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, and Gears of War 5 can all be yours for $15 a month if you sign up for Game Pass Ultimate. At some point in the future, Xbox Game Pass customers will be able to download games like Starfield and the next Elder Scrolls and Fallout titles.
At launch, none of the PlayStation Plus tiers appear to include any exclusive first-party titles from Sony. In response to a question from GamesIndustry.biz, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan stated: “This is not a road that we have gone down in the past. It’s not a path we’ll be taking with this new service,” he says.
“We believe that if we were to do that with the games that we develop at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous loop will be disrupted,” Ryan continued. We can’t afford the degree of investment in our studios that we need to make, and we believe that this will have an adverse influence on the quality of the games we develop.”
It’s possible that Sony will modify their position in the future. However, don’t expect first-party exclusives on PlayStation Plus to be available as soon as they’re released.
How do you decide between Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus?
PlayStation Plus Premium appears to be a better value than Xbox Game Pass at first glance. As a bonus, Xbox Cloud Gaming allows you to play Xbox games on your mobile devices and web browsers for just $2 per month! First and third-party titles are available at launch with Xbox Game Pass. That alone may be enough to sway some gamers away from the PlayStation Now in favour of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. But there are other things to keep in mind, as well..
While God of War: Ragnarok and other PlayStation exclusives may not be available at launch, they may be available in the future as part of the PlayStation Plus membership programme. A patient player who doesn’t need to play new games right away will likely acquire the latest and greatest releases.
As a bonus, PlayStation Plus Premium members get access to hundreds of games that span the entire lifespan of PlayStation platforms. Even if you have to stream some games, you can’t complain about having access to classic PlayStation games.. PlayStation Plus Premium’s collection of games will continue to expand, with both new and previously released titles. And it could be argued that the Game Pass is less appealing now that Starfield and Redfall have been postponed until 2023.
Only PlayStation or Xbox owners need apply, as they will be able to use the service on their own console. If you have both consoles in your home, you may wish to subscribe to both services if you can afford it. As of right now, gamers should be able to take use of excellent content regardless of which subscription they choose.