Gaming subscription services battle in South Africa

South African gamers have several subscription services to choose from that provide access to numerous titles at a fraction of the cost of buying them outright. Gaming companies are replicating the subscription model that music and video streaming providers adopted by allowing people to play games from an extensive library for a relatively modest membership fee. That is great news for those who aren’t too bothered about owning games.

It also gives gamers a chance to play a title before deciding whether to buy it or wait for the game to go on discount. By making gaming more affordable, the incentive for piracy is lowered — to the benefit of studios that spend millions of dollars making games. What happens if I say colour here?

Although not the first to offer such a service, Microsoft has pushed the envelope with its Game Pass subscription service for Xbox and PC. After relatively slow uptake in the first few years after launching in June 2017, Game Pass exploded in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and reached roughly 29 million users by November 2022. Microsoft has admitted the service became so popular that it started cannibalizing traditional video game sales on its Xbox Store.

Subscribers can play from a library consisting of over 400 games, including AAA titles from Microsoft-owned studios and third parties.

Popular options in South Africa

MyBroadband recently ran a poll to find out which gaming subscription services our readers used — many of whom are avid gamers. Out of 1,145 responses, it was no surprise that Microsoft Game Pass was the most popular option, with 561 votes. Unlike PlayStation Plus and Nintendo Switch Online, it is also available on PC, extending Microsoft’s potential reach.

In fact, Windows PC gamers have the most options available to them of any platform — with EA Play Pro, Humble Bundle, and Ubisoft+ also on offer. Microsoft also sells the cheapest current-generation console with the Xbox Series S, providing a more affordable entry-point than the Series X or PlayStation 5. The chart below shows the results of a poll on MyBroadband asking what gaming subscription services our readers used.

While Game Pass dominated, Sony’s PlayStation Plus nonetheless amassed a respectable 286 votes. Sony only started offering a game catalogue as part of the two higher-tier revamped PlayStation Plus packages last year.

Previously, subscribers would only get a few games every month, which they had to actively claim to build up their libraries. With over 450 titles to play, PlayStation Plus beats Game Pass in quantity. However, whereas Microsoft makes new premium titles from its in-house game studios available on the service from launch day, PlayStation does not.

In addition, the cheapest PlayStation Plus plan that includes the game catalogue costs R179 per month, a whopping 127% more expensive than the R79 of Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass also includes access to all EA Play titles, which costs R48.50 as a standalone subscription in South Africa. For those who don’t own a console or PC but have a smartphone, Apple and Google also offer gaming subscription services — Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass.

Gaming subscription services often include additional benefits — like online multiplayer, exclusive discounts on game purchases, and free in-game content. For PC gamers, the Humble Choice subscription is another option that takes a slightly different approach, emphasizing digital ownership rather than digital renting. Subscribers get a selection of games they can claim every month, together with access to the Humble Games Collection.

Once you claim a Humble Choice game or download a game in the collection, you can play it forever. Humble Choice also includes a mechanism to skip a month when the selection of games doesn’t tickle your fancy. This allows you to keep your membership but skip paying that month.

However, subscribers get an escalating discount (up to 20%) on the Humble Store to encourage uninterrupted membership, as it resets when you skip a month or cancel. Another option is Humble’s bundles — the “pay what you want” model on which the company was founded. Humble Bundles combine several games with the same theme into one package.

These games can usually be redeemed on Steam and will remain in your library without requiring that you maintain a Humble subscription. At the time of writing, for example, it offered a Humble Heroines Bundle that featured games with strong lead female characters — valued at £234. To access all the games in the bundle, buyers must pay a set minimum value, £15 in this case.

You can then choose to pay more and specify how it is split between the game’s developers, charity organizations, and Humble.

The contents of Humble Bundles change regularly.

The table below provides a breakdown of the library sizes, features, and prices of the major gaming subscription services available in South Africa.