Xbox Game Pass vs. PlayStation Plus: Games
Horizon Forbidden West / Sony
The main selling points of Game Pass and PlayStation Plus are their Netflix-style libraries of downloadable games. Both platforms include access to hundreds of titles, but they each take different approaches with their catalogs, especially when it comes to new releases.
Microsoft has committed to adding every new Xbox Studios game to Game Pass the same day they’re released in stores, while Sony waits several months to add its own high-profile releases, like Horizon: Forbidden West, to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium.
Xbox Game Pass also offers day-one availability for highly anticipated indie titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and online multiplayer games like Outriders. PlayStation Plus has started to add a few indie games to its catalog the same day they’re released, like Stray and Tchia, but there are less brand-new titles coming to the service.
Because Game Pass is also available on Windows PCs, certain games offer cross-platform play and shared cloud saves. That said, there are a handful of Game Pass titles that are only available on console or PC, not both.
Both PlayStation Plus and Game Pass have partnerships with other industry publishers. Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass PC subscribers get access to EA Play, a subscription from Electronic Arts that includes franchises like Madden 23, Need for Speed, The Sims, and Star Wars. Game Pass also gives benefits to fans of Riot Games, like unlocking all of the champions in the popular PC game League of Legends.
Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus members have access to the Ubisoft+ Classics catalog, a subscription service that includes games from the Assassin’s Creed series, Far Cry, and the Tom Clancy franchise.
Games will occasionally leave the Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus catalog, but the amount of time they’re available depends on the publisher. First-party games published by Microsoft and PlayStation tend to remain in the subscription library permanently, while games published by third-party developers, like Square Enix and 2K Games, are more likely to rotate out.
Classic titles from older consoles are rarely removed from either collection, while newer releases usually have a set timeframe before they leave. In general, most games will be on Game Pass for at least six months before you have to worry about them being removed. PlayStation Plus hasn’t had many games leave the collection so far, but Sony only launched the full library in 2022.
Game Pass members get a 10% discount when buying games that are already on Game Pass, so you can always get a deal before a game leaves the service entirely. That 10% discount also applies to downloadable content and add-ons for Game Pass games, which aren’t always included with the base version.