It feels like any video game console you pick up is going to need to come with an online subscription service these days. With so many big games having online multiplayer and other online features tied to their experiences, not being subscribed to a service like PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass seems like a big omission. Gamers who end up getting multiple consoles for their household often find themselves at odds with choosing the right services to enjoy the consoles without breaking their bank accounts. Having every subscription might solve the dilemma in the moment, but some people might not be getting the most out of the services for the type of gamer they are. It can lead to players paying more for something they will hardly ever use in the best way possible.

This is something I've often found myself thinking about as a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S owner who plays multiple games and spends a lot of time online. Both Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus enable you to have a large library of titles available when you want to play something, but that might not always be enough for me at a given moment. Sometimes, what's there isn't what I feel like exploring, nor are the perks of the service intriguing enough to entice me to spend time on it. It's a constant back and forth between platforms and services that keeps me, and other gamers like me, spinning our heads at what is the best service to have in the long run. And after spending lots of time with both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, this is how I came to decide which was the better choice to stick with more.

The kinds of games to play

A difference of new releases and unplayed games

The biggest perk of both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass is the library of titles that one can access on either platform. This is something that Nintendo fans have only recently gotten a taste of with the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Switch Online service, but to a far lesser degree. Being a PS Plus Premium member not only gives you monthly downloads of a variety of games but also access to a large listing of titles that range from recent releases to classics from throughout PlayStation's history. If I never picked up something like God of War: Ragnarök or Ghost of Tsushima when they first dropped, I'm able to download them while having an active membership at any time.

The same goes for classic PlayStation titles from platforms like the PS1, PS2, and PS3 that get added to the classics catalog periodically. I've never played certain games that were released on the original PlayStation back in the day, but having the chance to explore them now on my new console is a convenient perk that can go far in some cases. A bunch of games that were available on PlayStation 3 before can be streamed directly to consoles, but not everybody uses this ability on their console.

What I have on Xbox Game Pass is similar, but so different in big ways. The amount of games available to download is definitely comparable, but the service stands out because of the access I have to brand-new titles on the first day of their release, giving me a reason to try out newer games that drop within a given year. I might not always get to play the latest Call of Duty title released that year, but I had more than enough reason to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 when it was released on Xbox Game Pass, especially since I could play itat no additional cost to my subscription. The same goes for games I may not have been interested in at first, but can be convinced to download and try them out without having to spend the full retail price for my curiosity. This works to the advantage of new original games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that ended up finding a massive audience, most likely due to many people giving it a chance through Xbox Game Pass.

What it comes down to is the type of games one often plays and feels like getting into on a month-to-month basis. Are you someone who likes to explore brand-new titles that can be played at launch, or do you like going back to games later when you have more time to play or a desire to explore? There are definitely nuanced differences between both PS Plus and Game Pass that make that decision more complicated, but most players will find themselves coming back to the same question. Not every new game release comes to Xbox Game Pass, but a good number of them do, especially most Xbox first-party titles that are major releases. But even then, PlayStation games that were big hits are eventually added to the PlayStation Plus catalog, just not immediately at launch. I find that exploring big games later has its benefits, like updates and patches, even though I'm not always part of the hype wave everyone jumps on at the beginning.

Rewards make a big difference

What we get from them

Another aspect of both services that doesn't get enough attention are the rewards and bonuses from using each one frequently. This has changed significantly recently, with updates to PS Plus, making comparisons with Xbox Game Pass challenging. For a time, PlayStation had the PlayStation Stars program that rewarded players with coins for completing challenges, which could be spent on digital display items and gift cards to use on the PlayStation Network. I could play a variety of games and get points to spend on $20 PSN gift cards to buy new games or extend my PS Plus Premium subscription, which helps when big games get added to the catalog. This was something that worked well for those who spent a lot of time playing PS5 titles and more, especially if they bought games on PlayStation Network with an active PS Plus subscription. Unfortunately, the service came to an end for users in May 2025, with a complete shutdown planned for November 2026.

Luckily for those on Xbox consoles, the rewards program has been active for a long time and continues to yield perks for active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Playing any games on Game Pass for a period of time, or even playing multiple games within a given month, can net someone a lot of points to spend on extra rewards. Gift cards, Game Pass subscriptions, and other goodies can be redeemed when you have enough points. At the same time, using the Xbox mobile app and tying it to a Game Pass subscription also rewards more points to users, even if it's through very mild use of the app itself.

With everything compiling, someone can end up walking away with some good rewards if they spend a lot of time playing games through Game Pass. I often found myself playing quick games on my console, or even revisiting classics like Gears of War Ultimate Edition, just to make sure I picked up the daily and monthly points to spend later, which became part of my routine over time. As the service is now, it's a great setup for Xbox console owners who want to feel like they're getting something on top of the money and time they spend in the ecosystem.

But does this automatically make Xbox Game Pass a better service for rewards? Not really, especially if someone isn't playing games on their Xbox constantly. The benefit of PlayStation Stars on PS Plus was that the challenges could be accomplished over a longer period and didn't always require a daily login, while Xbox Game Pass rewards often do. While someone like me is able to do so without an issue, it really comes down to the individual and the lifestyle they have currently. If you can't really play video games every day, then you shouldn't focus too much on Xbox Game Pass rewards, since you might not maximize the points that can be obtained. But with PlayStation Stars all but ceasing to be now, there's really no other option. PlayStation did state that they were revising what PlayStation Stars is for a future date, but until that solidifies, there's only one service to get rewards for spending time with your games.

Online gaming necessity

The truth about playing on both

No matter what console you find yourself on, you're going to need a subscription to play games online. And at this point in time, the quality of online gaming for both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live is nearly identical, with a few minor occasional differences. Getting Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus Premium gives access to online functions in all games, even if you get the services at the more basic levels they offer. If you end up playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 online through Xbox Game Pass, you're probably going to have a similar experience to playing it on PS5 with PlayStation Plus. Having done something like this for both platforms and used both services extensively, there's very little difference in the type of experience I got. I would jump between both platforms often to get a different pool of players for the games I was diving into, but I never felt that one side had a completely better online gaming experience over the other.

Some people might find small things like the quality of matches, party chat, and other aspects that might make one service better than the other, but at that point, it comes down to individual personal preference. Most people who have been playing games online for years through Xbox Live are most likely always going to prefer the Xbox service, and that's OK. Others who find themselves playing games on PlayStation consoles more often might feel the complete opposite, and that's OK too. But when you really get down to which service has the better overall experience, it's almost impossible to tell nowadays.

The better choice

Both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass have their own unique benefits and perks for sticking with them. The better choice between which service is better will come down to what is a person's biggest priority when playing games they enjoy. Do you like to play new games right away and get rewards over time, or is access to fantastic new games later on and a wide variety of classics something more valuable? It's a question that will come up often. For me, I like having the option to explore brand-new games that I'm curious about with Xbox Game Pass and the small rewards I get for enjoying them. But I can't discount how convenient it is to have access to major games I might've missed beforehand, and the goodies I can pick up monthly with PlayStation Plus. Thank goodness, we can choose to have both when we want to.