Access Advantages Analysis: Game Pass Versus PlayStation Essentials

Both the PlayStation and Xbox platforms offer great games and plenty of features out of the box. But to get the most out of your PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, or Xbox One, you need to sign up for their premium services: PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, respectively.

If you’re considering buying a new console, its premium service could help you decide which one to get. Let’s compare PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass to see what they offer you.

PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold Have Changed

In September 2023,Microsoft retired the long-running Xbox Live Gold name for the Xbox’s online service. In its place is a new tier of Xbox Game Pass, called Game Pass Core. Similarly, in June 2022,PlayStation Plus expanded to include three different tiers .

The base tier of PlayStation Plus (Essential) is most similar to Game Pass Core. As a result, we’ll spend most of this comparison on PS Plus Essential and Game Pass Core, then briefly cover the other tiers at the end.

PlayStation Plus Essential and Game Pass Core: Basics

Neither PlayStation Plus nor Game Pass Core are required for the basic functionality of your console. You can enjoy media apps like Netflix and Spotify, buy digital games, and play single-player titles without subscribing.

The PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S consoles all allow you to share certain benefits of one subscription with every user on the console. As long as you designate your console as your primary system and keep your subscription active, anyone using it can play games online without having to pay for their own subscription. For more, we’ve shown how to gameshare on PS5 and how to gameshare on Xbox Series consoles .

Let’s walk through the primary benefits of both services.

Access to Online Multiplayer (for Paid Titles)

The key benefit to both PS Plus and Game Pass Core is online multiplayer. On the PS4 and PS5, as well as the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, the relevant service is required for all online multiplayer in paid games, whether competitive or cooperative.

Thankfully, PlayStation and Xbox both let you enjoy free-to-play multiplayer games like Fortnite and Rocket League online without a subscription. Only paid games require a membership for online play.

“Free” Games Are Included

Both PlayStation Plus and Game Pass Core offer “free” games (included as part of the cost) with your subscription. However, these work differently across the two services.

PlayStation Plus Free Games

Each month, PlayStation Plus subscribers get to add a few free games to their library. Since the PlayStation 5’s launch, there have been three games per month. Generally, two of them are PS4 games, with at least one PS5 title that may also have a PS4 version.

The new PS Plus games arrive on the first Tuesday of each month and stay available until the first Tuesday of the following month. As long as you add the games to your library when they’re free, they’re yours to keep as long as your Plus subscription stays active.

If you let your subscription lapse, you’ll lose access to any free Plus games you grabbed. However, should you ever re-subscribe, you’ll get access to those games again.

Game Pass Core’s Included Catalog

Under Xbox Live Gold, Microsoft offered a similar setup, called Games with Gold, that provided you with “free” titles every month. This isn’t the case under Game Pass Core; instead, there is a small catalog of titles you can enjoy with your subscription.

Game Pass Core includes “more than 25 titles” across a range of genres. Microsoft has stated that these may vary across regions, and more titles will be added a few times per year. At launch in September 2023, some highlights include:

• Doom Eternal
• Fallout 4
• Forza Horizon 4
• Ori & The Will of the Wisps
• Psychonauts 2

If you previously subscribed to Xbox Live Gold, any Xbox 360 titles you claimed through Games With Gold are yours to keep. You can still access Xbox One titles as long as you stay subscribed to Game Pass Core (or Ultimate).

Digital Game Discounts

In addition to the free games, PlayStation Plus and Game Pass Core both offer a variety of discounts on their respective digital stores.

Of course, there are differences in the frequency and volume of what’s available. It’s hard to compare the services directly in this area, as the sales vary in frequency and value. You might find a Game Pass-exclusive sale on the Microsoft Store, or deeper discounts with PlayStation Plus than non-members get.

These discounts extend to DLC and consumable items, so it’s not just full titles. With PS Plus, you’ll also sometimes get exclusive access to betas, plus some freebies like add-ons for various games or profile avatars.

Other Subscription Features

We’ve covered the main features above, but PlayStation Plus and Game Pass Core both have a few other considerations to keep in mind.

Cloud Save Storage

PlayStation Plus gives you space to store your game saves in the cloud. Subscribers get 100GB for PS4 saves and another 100GB for PS5 saves. This space allows you to back up your precious save data , as well as easily transfer your saves to another console.

However, both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S provide cloud storage without a subscription. Microsoft says “as your game library grows, so does your cloud storage,” so the exact amount isn’t known.

Party Chat and Share Play

On both PS4 and PS5, even without PS Plus, you can create parties to chat with your friends no matter what game you’re playing. Xbox consoles also allow you to do this; you don’t need Xbox Game Pass to join a party and chat with friends.

PlayStation also offers a pair of features called Share Screen and Share Play. Share Screen lets friends watch you play games, while Share Play lets someone else take control of a game—they can either take over from you or join as a second player in local play.

You need PlayStation Plus to host a Share Play session. Both people need PS Plus to use the “play a game together” feature.

PlayStation Game Help

The PS5 has a feature called Game Help that lets you see tips and tricks for supported games. It works without leaving your current game, so you don’t have to pull up a separate walkthrough in the browser.

This isn’t available on PS4, and requires a PS Plus subscription to use on PS5.

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Automatic Updates and Other Perks

Finally, PS Plus enables some convenient features on PS4 and PS5, such as automatically downloading game updates in Rest mode. It also gives you priority shipping if you order physical goods from Sony’s online store.

The Cost of PS Plus and Game Pass Core

For a long time, the retail price of Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus Essential was the same: $60 per year. However, this has changed as of 2023.PlayStation Plus’s pricing has seen a major hike across all its tiers.

As of this writing, PlayStation Plus Essential costs $80/year when you subscribe annually. Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass Core has the same $60/year price as Xbox Live Gold did.

If you’re patient, you can likely spot deals on either service that let you save $10 or more on a yearly subscription. As a result, you shouldn’t ever have to pay full price, especially if you wait to renew your subscription until Black Friday or other seasonal sales.

You can join either service on a monthly basis, but this ends up costing a lot more. Both services cost $10/month when paid monthly, while PS Plus Essential also offers a 3-month plan for $25. Unless you’re only looking to play online for a short time, paying yearly makes much more sense.

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Other Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Plans

As mentioned above, we’ve looked at PlayStation Plus Essential and Xbox Game Pass Core here, but there are other plans available for each service.

PlayStation Plus Extra ($135/year) includes access to hundreds of PS4 and PS5 games via the Game Catalog, while PS Plus Premium ($160/year) tacks on a library of classic titles from every PlayStation generation. Both include the same online multiplayer benefits.

On the Xbox side, you can sign up for Game Pass for Console ($11/month) or PC Game Pass ($10/month). While both of these include access to hundreds of games, neither lets you play online on Xbox. If you want the full Game Pass catalog as well as access to online play, you’ll need an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription ($17/month). This includes full Game Pass access on both Xbox and PC, plus access to online multiplayer on console.

See our overview of Xbox Game Pass and comparison of the PlayStation Plus tiers for full details about each of them.

Depending on what you’re interested in, both of these options can provide more value than the base subscription. If you’re interested in even a few of the games available on the service for your console, it’s cheaper to play them through this service than to buy them outright.

We’ve compared Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus for a deeper look at both, including how their streaming offerings differ.

Premium Gaming With PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass

Now you know what PlayStation Plus and Game Pass Core each offer, and can decide whether they’re worthwhile for you.

There’s no real “winner” between the two services, but they do have some small differences. Either one is required for online multiplayer, and the free games and discounts are effectively a wash. With free-to-play games and party chat now available at no cost on either system, there are fewer differences than ever.

Xbox including cloud saves without a subscription is nice, though PlayStation Plus does offer a few perks that Xbox doesn’t match. It’s up to your preferences whether PlayStation’s hit-or-miss monthly “free” games beat out a small but solid selection of titles with Game Pass Core.

Whichever system you play on, you’ll get a lot of value out of either service.