Subscription or buy: how to decide

Game Pass, PlayStation Plus and EA Play let you play a library of games for a recurring fee. Buying a game costs more up front and keeps it. Neither is always better. Here is a way to choose.

Access is not ownership

A subscription game is yours only while it stays in the catalogue and you keep paying. Games leave libraries, sometimes with little warning. Saves and progress may stay, but you cannot launch the game without the subscription or a purchase. A bought game keeps working for as long as the store lets you download it.

Compare the cost over the time you will actually play

Do not compare a subscription's monthly fee with a game's full price. Compare what you would pay over the months you will actually play it. A game you finish in one month costs roughly one month of the subscription, which is often far less than buying. A game you will return to for years is usually cheaper to own, especially when it drops to a low sale price.

Three questions settle most cases:

• How many hours will I play it? The game page shows Time to Beat for the main story and for main plus extras.
• Will I come back to it later? If yes, ownership is worth more.
• Is the price close to its historic low? If so, buying costs little and keeps the game.

Use the subscription pages first

Before buying anything, check whether you already have access. The Game Pass, PS Plus and EA Play pages list what is included right now. Game pages also carry a note when a game is included, so you will see it even if you arrived from a search.

Xbox Play Anywhere is a third option

Some games are bought once and playable on both Xbox and Windows PC, with progress shared. If you play on both, that single purchase covers two devices. The Xbox Play Anywhere page lists them.

A simple rule of thumb

• Subscription: you want to try many games, you finish games quickly, or a game is big but you are unsure about it.
• Buy: you know you will replay it, you want it available whatever the catalogue does, or the price is near a record low.
• Both: try it through the subscription, then buy it on sale if you love it.

Let LootPick watch the price

If a game you love is not in a subscription, add it to your Picks and set a target price. Subscription fees and catalogues change, so check the provider for current details. LootPick shows what is included and what the game costs, and the decision stays yours.