Amazon Luna vs Xbox Game Pass: Which gaming platform is worth it?

With the accessibility of gaming platforms growing more each year, we wanted to see which gaming service trumps the rest, so you can decide which service is worth your money.

Cloud gaming is becoming more attainable each year for gamers all around the world. Combine cloud streaming with gaming subscription services and it looks like the possibilities are almost endless, with PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and even Amazon having their own cloud services for dedicated gamers.

We want to take a closer look at Xbox Game Pass and Amazon Luna specifically, to see which service offers up the best experience. We’re going to be breaking down the pricing, game offerings and more to decide which service is really worth your time. Read on to find out more.

Pricing

Amazon Luna and Xbox Game Pass have different pricing models, making it hard to determine if one is substantially cheaper than the other while still offering up a similar service.

Starting with Xbox Game Pass, there are three options: Console, PC and Ultimate, with the price breakdown for each month found below:

• Console: £7.99/$9.99
• PC: £7.99/$9.99
• Ultimate: £10.99/$14.99

The PC and Console bundles are the same, other than the fact one works on an Xbox console and one on a PC. New games are added frequently, with Xbox Game Studio titles becoming available on launch days. The PC membership also comes with EA Play, which includes access to a library of top Electronic Arts titles on PC and member-only content.

The Ultimate membership allows you to game on both PC and console, while also offering access to cloud gaming. This allows you to stream games on low-powered hardware such as tablets and smartphones, as long as you have a fast enough internet connection.

Game Pass Ultimate comes with the same game library and the same-day release for Xbox Game Studio’s titles, with free perks including in-game content and partner offers. Moreover, it comes with EA Play access as well as Xbox Game Pass Gold, which has a £6.99/$9.99 per month value and includes deals with Gold Games with Gold and allows for console multiplayer.

Amazon Luna users will need to pay for Luna Plus in order to access its game library. There are two other game libraries which you can subscribe to, which are detailed below.

• Amazon Luna Plus: £8.99/$9.99 per month
• Jackbox Games: £3.99/$4.99 per month
• Ubisoft Plus: £14.99/$17.99 per month

Luna Plus offers games from a range of different developers. Ubisoft Plus includes access to some of Ubisoft’s most popular franchises, such as Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and Far Cry. Finally, the Jackbox membership comes with its own selection of games, giving users even more choices.

Games Library

The game selection on Xbox Game Pass and Luna differ quite a lot. Namely, Xbox Game Pass features a lot of AAA Xbox titles, such as Forza, Halo and Gears of War, among many others. PC or Ultimate members will also have access to a range of EA games, including popular franchises such as The Sims, FIFA, Madden NFL and Battlefield.

There are also lots of games published by Bethesda, as well as numerous third-party titles. There are currently over 400 games on Game Pass, with many of them being available to stream via the cloud, and all available for download.

Since Amazon does not publish as many games as Microsoft, Luna Plus does not have as many exclusive titles. However, it has managed to source some very well-known games, such as Resident Evil 3, Metro Exodus, Team Sonic Racing and Control. Smaller games such as Overcooked and Furi are also on the platform.

Right now, Luna Plus only offers 116 games, and so is a long way off equalling Game Pass. It’s also worth pointing out that you can only stream the games on Luna Plus, and so are not able to download games like you can with Game Pass.

The Ubisoft Plus Multi Access and Jackbox Games subscriptions are add-ons that need to be purchased, but give Luna players the chance to further diversify their games library.

Device support

Amazon Luna Plus is available on a multitude of devices including Windows, macOS, Fire TV, Fire tablets, Chromebook, iOS, iPadOS, Android and select Samsung Smart TVs. Gamers can purchase the Luna controller (£59.99/$69.99) to take them directly to the cloud with no setup needed, although there is also support for controllers like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controller as well as a mouse and keyboard.

The Xbox Game Pass app is available on Windows, Android and Xbox consoles. Technically, users can use Xbox Game Pass on devices that run on macOS and iOS too, but it is through the browser and not the dedicated Xbox Game Pass app.

Verdict

There are many similarities between the two services, with a Games Pass Ultimate and Luna Plus subscription giving you access to a game library as well as the cloud-streaming capabilities, so you won’t need a high-powered console or PC. Microsoft charges a little extra for the cloud-streaming technology, but Amazon also ups the cost if you want to expand the library to include Ubisoft and Jackbox Game titles.

But in terms of game libraries, Game Pass is the clear winner. Microsoft currently offers over 400 games, which is made up of all the latest Xbox exclusives, as well as modern third-party games. Luna Plus only offers 116 games, most of which are fairly old now.

It’s always worth checking both game libraries out for yourself to see what you prefer, but it’s unlikely that many people will find Luna Plus to offer greater value than Game Pass right now.