PlayStation Plus vs Xbox Game Pass gaming subscription battle in South Africa

South African gamers with a PlayStation or Xbox console can subscribe to gaming subscription services that offer online multiplayer and hundreds of titles at a fraction of the cost of buying current popular games.

The latest gaming consoles from these brands will already set you back at least R7,000. That will only be enough to get you an entry-level option — the Xbox Series S.

For the more capable PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, prices currently range between around R10,000 and R13,000, depending on your choice of bundled games and accessories.

Most new console games are priced from around R1,299.

While these still typically provide numerous hours of playtime that offer good value for money compared to other forms of entertainment, those hefty prices can be a bitter pill to swallow after spending thousands on a console.

For around a 10th of the price, PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass offer hundreds of games to play from numerous publishers and studios.

Xbox Game Pass has been around for the longest time and has built up a reputation as the “Netflix of gaming subscriptions”.

Its success forced Sony to offer improved versions of its PS Plus subscriptions with prepopulated libraries.

The most affordable PS Plus subscription — Essential — is still effectively the same as the original PS Plus.

It provides full access to online multiplayer features and discounts on the PS Store, while a handful of games are offered each month that can be added to the subscriber’s library.

These titles will be playable whenever the user has an active subscription.

Microsoft’s answer to this is Game Pass Core, which is effectively the evolution of Xbox Live in that it also provides access to online multiplayer as its main feature.

In addition, it comes with a modest library of 38 games from the larger Game Pass selection, exclusive discounts on games in the Microsoft Store and in-game bonuses.

However, Game Pass Core is substantially cheaper than PS Plus Essential at R79 versus R119.

For those who want a vast selection of games, there are the PS Plus Extra, PS Plus Deluxe (Premium in certain overseas markets), and Game Pass Ultimate plans.

In addition to multiplayer and exclusive discounts, all three plans boast over 450 games in their catalogues.

Ultimate has the edge here, however, as it boasts the latest high-profile first-party releases from Microsoft-owned studios on their launch day.

Sony only offers limited-time game trials of its latest first-party releases on the Deluxe tier, which costs R209 per month.

This is R80 more expensive than Game Pass Ultimate, which also includes the ability to play nearly all the same titles in its Xbox library on a PC.

Aside from first-party and negotiated third-party games, Game Pass Ultimate provides access to 79 games in the EA Play library, while the Plus Extra and Deluxe plans feature the Ubisoft Classics catalogue.

If you primarily fancy EA’s games, you can get the standalone EA Play subscription for R48.50 per month on PlayStation or Xbox.

While the PlayStation library on this service is quite a bit smaller than the Xbox version’s, it will still be more affordable than buying the games.

Another standalone option is the Ubisoft+ Premium package, which offers hit games from franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Prince of Persia, Anno, and the Tom Clancy series.

While it costs a hefty €17.99 (R373) per month, this plan includes new Ubisoft releases from day 1.

These are not available on either the Game Pass or PS Plus plans.

Recent major additions to Ubisoft Premium include Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and Skull & Bones.

The table below summarises the features and pricing of console gaming subscription services in South Africa.