Buying vs renting

When you buy a game, you keep it. A catalogue subscription like Game Pass, PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium, or the extra tiers of Nintendo Switch Online works more like a library card: you pay every month, you can play a large rotating selection, and when you stop paying, the access stops with it.

Neither is better in general. It depends on how many games you actually play and how many of them you would have paid for anyway. That is a sum you can do yourself with the calculator below.

Subscription cost per month New games you play per month through it Of those, how many would you have bought? Typical price of a game you would buy

Months per year you keep the subscription:

12

Subscribing

Buying those games instead

How to read the result

The key number is the break-even point: the subscription cost divided by the price of a game you would buy. If a game costs twice what the subscription costs per month, you only need to play one such game every two months to break even. The cheaper the subscription and the pricier your games, the sooner it pays for itself.

Count only games you would have really bought. A game you only tried because it was there, and would never have paid for, is not a saving. It might be a good discovery, but that is a bonus, not a discount.

Day-one releases

Some tiers offer new releases on launch day. Microsoft lists this for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, while lower Game Pass tiers get a smaller or later selection. If a service has the big games you want in the month they come out, it can be worth more in that month than in a quiet one. Check which games are coming before you sign up.

The rental catch

• Games leave. Catalogues rotate. Xbox shows lists of games that leave in the next two weeks and offers members a discount if they want to buy one first.
• You keep nothing. Stop paying and the games you played are no longer yours to play. Your saves are usually kept so you can pick up later if you come back, but check the service's rules first.
• Not every tier is a library. On PlayStation, the base tier gives monthly games and online play, while the game catalogue starts at the next tier up. On Nintendo Switch Online, the basic tier covers online play and older classic games. The Expansion Pack tier adds more consoles' classics and extras.

Cancelling, pausing and rotating

Most services let you cancel at any time and rejoin later. Many people subscribe for a month or two when something they want arrives, finish it, cancel and come back later. The slider in the calculator shows how much the fee drops when you only keep it for a few months, as long as you play what you want in those months. Check the service's cancellation page, since rules about unused time and refunds differ by service and country.

Unused time can matter too: Xbox, for example, says prepaid time on your account is kept when you cancel, but you should confirm that for your own region and plan.

Quick rules of thumb

You are...	Then...
Playing lots	A catalogue usually wins.
Playing one game	Buying it is simpler and you keep it.
Between	Join for a month, then cancel.