Both Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus have evolved greatly in recent years, with the services absorbing the likes of Xbox Live and PlayStation Now to become something more.
Whether you’ve got a PS5 or an Xbox Series X (or a Series S), you’ll either have or will have pondered taking up a subscription service from the relevant console maker. Despite being in the same game, the services differ is many ways, with Sony and Microsoft clearly have different priorities here. Let’s dive into the key differences.
The prices are similar but feature wildly different benefits
If you’re considering an Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus subscription, both come with three separate tiers. Here’s a simple explanation:
| Tier | Price | What’s Included |
| Xbox Game Pass Core | £6.99/month ($9.99/month) | Online console multiplayer, Catalogue of over 25 high-quality games on console, Member deals & discounts |
| Xbox Game Pass for PC | £7.99/month ($9.99/month) | Hundreds of high-quality games on PC, New games on day one, Member deals & discounts, EA Play membership |
| Xbox Game Pass for Console | £8.99/month ($10.99/month) | Hundreds of high-quality games on console, New games on day one, Member deals & discounts |
| Xbox Game Pass Ultimate | £12.99/month ($16.99/month) | Hundreds of high-quality games on console, PC and cloud, New games on day one, Member deals, discounts and Perks, Online console multiplayer, EA Play membership |
| PlayStation Plus Essential | £6.99/month, £19.99/3 months, £59.99/12 months ($9.99/month, $24.99/3 months, $79.99/12 months) | Monthly games, Online multiplayer, Exclusive discounts, Exclusive content, Cloud storage, Share Play, Game Help (PS5) |
| PlayStation Plus Extra | £10.99/month, £31.99/3 months, £99.99/12 months ($14.99/month, $39.99/3 months, $134.99/12 months) | Monthly games, Online multiplayer, Exclusive discounts, Exclusive content, Cloud storage, Share Play, Game Help (PS5), Game Catalogue, Ubisoft+ Classics |
| PlayStation Plus Premium | £13.49/month, £39.99/3 months, £119.99/12 months ($17.99/month, $49.99/3 months, $159.99/12 months) | Monthly games, Online multiplayer, Exclusive discounts, Exclusive content, Cloud storage, Share Play, Game Help (PS5), Game Catalogue, Ubisoft+ Classics, Classics Catalogue, Game trials |
As you can see, the differences between the PlayStation tiers are slightly more significant with the “Extra” tier added access to a library of games to play, then the “Premium” tier adding streaming of classic titles as well as access to game trials.
By comparison, Xbox offers access to 25 games right from the off, then expanding that to “hundred” of games in all tiers above “Core”. EA Play membership and online membership also features on some memberships but not others, and it’s not always evident by a rise in price.
Xbox has more games across more platforms
If you’re looking for a service with as many games as possible, you’ll find them on Xbox. Both Xbox and PlayStation require to venture beyond their lowest tiers for full access to their game catalogues. Once you do, PlayStation claims it offers “up to 400 titles” while Xbox claims “more than 400 titles“, and both are adding new games regularly.
The difference is there but it isn’t huge so will likely come to down to which library is to your taste. This is also highlighted by the additional services both of these offer. Some Xbox tiers come with EA Play included while some PlayStation options come with Ubisoft+.
Looking beyond game streaming, only Xbox offers a native PC experience, with up to 100 games available on the platform.
Xbox has Day One exclusives, PlayStation doesn’t
PlayStation puts a lot of value in offering luxury AAA gaming experiences and, as such, isn’t keen to somewhat diminished that by offering them at a cheaper price on a subscription service.
However, Xbox is all in on Game Pass and that means we’ve gotten used to getting some exclusive titles for on the service as soon as they release, with Starfield being the biggest title yet.
Xbox has better game streaming
Cloud gaming is far from perfect in any sense but Xbox’s offering shows plenty of signs that it’s been investing in the area for longer. Both Xbox and PlayStation require you shell out for the top tier subscription to get access to game streaming.
In our full reviews of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PlayStation Plus Premium, we weren’t wowed by the performance of either but Xbox has the big benefit of offering an experience across PC, tablet, mobile and some smart TVs. PlayStation only offers streaming direct to your Sony console.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
