Gaming Subscription Comparison 2026 — Which Ones to Keep and Cancel

Updated March 2026 • 8 min read

If you're a gamer in 2026, you could easily be paying for Xbox Game Pass + PS Plus + Nintendo Switch Online + EA Play + Apple Arcade — that's $45-75/month ($540-900/year) in gaming subscriptions alone. Most people only need one or two. Here's the comparison to help you decide.

🚨 The subscription stack problem: A typical gamer paying for Game Pass Ultimate ($17) + PS Plus Premium ($18) + Nintendo Online ($4) + EA Play ($5) + Apple Arcade ($7) = $51/month or $612/year. That's more than buying 10 full-price games outright.

Every Gaming Subscription Ranked

🏆 1. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — Best Value

Cost: $16.99/month ($204/year)
What you get: 400+ games, day-one Xbox exclusives, cloud gaming on any device, EA Play included, online multiplayer
Verdict: If you own an Xbox or PC, this is the single best value in gaming. Period.
Cancel if: You only play 1-2 specific games (buy them instead)

2. PlayStation Plus Essential — Keep If You Play Online

Cost: $59.99/year (Essential) | $99.99/year (Extra) | $159.99/year (Premium)
What you get: Essential = online play + 2 monthly games. Extra = 400+ game catalog. Premium = streaming classics
Verdict: Essential is required for PS5 online play. Extra is decent. Premium is rarely worth the premium.
Cancel if: You only play single-player games (online multiplayer requires Essential)

3. Nintendo Switch Online — Cheapest, But Basic

Cost: $3.99/month | $19.99/year | $49.99/year (+ Expansion Pack)
What you get: Online play, NES/SNES games, cloud saves. Expansion adds N64, GBA, Genesis
Verdict: At $20/year, it's cheap enough to keep if you play any Nintendo games online
Cancel if: You don't play online and don't care about retro games

4. EA Play — Only If Not Bundled

Cost: $4.99/month | $29.99/year (Basic) | $14.99/month (Pro)
What you get: EA's game library (FIFA, Madden, Battlefield, Sims, etc.)
Verdict: Already included in Game Pass Ultimate — don't pay separately if you have Game Pass
Cancel if: You have Game Pass Ultimate (EA Play is included) or don't play EA games

5. Apple Arcade — Niche

Cost: $6.99/month ($84/year)
What you get: 200+ mobile/Apple TV games, no ads, no IAP
Verdict: Only worth it if you primarily game on iPhone/iPad and play 3+ Arcade-exclusive games
Cancel if: You play 1-2 games (buy them individually) or have a console/PC

6. Cloud Gaming (GeForce NOW / Luna)

Cost: $10-20/month
What you get: Stream PC games to any device
Verdict: Only if you don't own a gaming PC. If you do, pointless.
Cancel if: You own a gaming PC, PS5, or Xbox

The Smart Gamer Setup (Maximum Value)

Xbox/PC gamer: Game Pass Ultimate only ($17/month) — includes EA Play + cloud gaming
PlayStation gamer: PS Plus Essential ($60/year) + buy games on sale
Nintendo gamer: Switch Online ($20/year) + buy games when discounted
Mobile gamer: Play free games. Buy specific premium games ($5-10 each)
Multi-platform: Game Pass Ultimate + PS Plus Essential = $22/month for everything you need

The "Buy Games Instead" Math

The average gamer plays 5-8 games per year seriously. At $30-60 per game (or $15-30 on sale), that's $150-240/year buying games outright. Most subscription stacks cost $300-600+/year. Unless you're a variety gamer who tries 20+ games/year, buying is often cheaper.

💡 The one exception: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at $17/month is genuinely hard to beat if you play even 3-4 Game Pass titles per year. Day-one releases alone can justify the cost. This is the one gaming subscription that makes mathematical sense for most gamers.

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