Subscription gaming is a relatively new development, and one that's progressing quickly, too. Sure, subscription gaming might not be taking the world by storm, but it's an insanely versatile tool in our ever-growing library of games. Today, we're going to go over three major subscription gaming services we've got available here at 2Game, explain their features and offerings, and try to figure out who, exactly, might they be for.

It's important to note that, as of today, this kind of gaming is hardly a competitor to core PC gaming. Quite the opposite! Subscription gaming comes as a bit of a side-grade in most respects. It has even increased core game sales, in the case of the Xbox Game Pass. Funny how that worked out, right? Either way, this whole thingamajig is clearly here to stay. Might as well make good use of it, if you ask us!

What is Subscription Gaming, exactly?

Though we're sure it's obvious by now, Subscription gaming is kind of like Netflix, in the sense that you don't permanently own licenses for the media you entertain yourself with. Remember the days of borrowing VCR tapes? That wasn't that long ago, right? Anyway, the system is pretty darn similar: users subscribe to a service they're interested in, and then get access to the content said service provides. In the case of, say, Antstream Arcade, you get to stream arcade classics directly via the Internet. On the other hand, EA Play simply lets you download games and play them while your subscription is active.

In both cases, the caveat is obvious: once your subscription is up, you lose access to the content you might've enjoyed up until that point. Whereas your Steam library is bound to stick around... well, effectively permanently, this is not the case at all with games you play via some subscription service. This might sound like a lose-lose situation, but that's very incorrect. In fact, in some cases, subscription gaming may well be superior to classic game purchasing. Especially if you're looking to maximize your bang-for-buck.

Who is Subscription Gaming for?

It may be worth pointing out that, as of October 2020, over 1/3rd of gamers had some kind of subscription service active. A full third! Clearly, gamers at large are well aware of the pros and cons of subscription services for video games. In case you can't imagine why anyone would like to have timed access to the games they play, here's a handy list of reasons to consider:

• single-player narrative-heavy titles might not warrant multiple playthroughs
• the person might not be interested in replaying old games
• casual gaming without any fuss with deal-hunting and discount-chasing
• subscribers might only game during the holidays or while on a break: in that case, they probably don't need access to games all-year-'round
• subscribers might want to try games out before outright purchasing them "for real"

Of course, the flip side of the coin comes into play as well. Game collectors probably hate the idea of having timed access to games. There's also the fact that you might need a fast Internet connection for the subscription service to work at all. This goes doubly so for stuff like GeForce Now or Google Stadia.

This whole system simply isn't for everyone, and that's perfectly fine. Some of us prefer "owning" contemporary media - troubled as the term might be - while others simply want to play around with it and be done afterward. It's a qualitative difference in how we approach media consumption in general, and chances are that if you're not keen on timed access to much of anything, these services won't be a good fit.

What are the best Subscription Services in 2021?

Finally, this brings us to the stars of the show: the three major subscription services we'd like to recommend if you're in the market for one today. We've got EA Play, Xbox Game Pass, and Antstream Arcade on offer. Some of these we've explained before, but we'll give you a short overview down below.

EA Play

EA Play essentially warrants full and unrestricted access to large batches of Electronic Arts' substantial game library. Being limited to just one game publisher might sound pretty bad at first, but consider the franchises EA has in store. FIFA, Battlefield, Mass Effect, Dead Space, and The Sims barely scratch the surface. All of these - and heaps more - can be yours to play for no more than €3,99 a month. There's also the even better Pro version of the subscription, though it is a bit more expensive to boot.

• EA Play Basic - 1 Month
• EA Play Pro - 1 Month

Antstream Arcade

Though we've pointed this out before, it's important to reiterate that Antstream Arcade literally streams old arcade classics via Internet to your PC. This means that, if you're interested, you may want to confirm that your connection can support the kind of bandwidth this service requires. If you pass that check, though, you're looking at hundreds of awesome games that might've made your childhood memories! What's really intriguing is that Antstream also offers achievement, leaderboard, and community progression milestone integration. A phenomenal step forward when it comes to arcade modernization, if you ask us. It's got a bit less of a mainstream appeal than the other two subscription services mentioned here, but we're sure the audience exists.

• Antstream 30-days access
• Antstream 6 months access

Xbox Game Pass

The Xbox Game Pass needs no introduction. Microsoft's flagship gaming service is hands-down one of the best deals in gaming, offering a huge library of games that the company's console division just keeps adding more stuff to. It's publisher-agnostic for the most part, and certain tiers even extend from your Xbox console to your PC, or vice-versa, depending on what your daily driver might be. A bit of a downside is that you do need to use the Microsoft Store to access your games, which is famously wonky at times. Given that you can play stuff like Forza, Gears, and Halo, though, that's a sacrifice we can certainly live with.

• Xbox Game Pass - 3 Months Subscription
• Xbox Game Pass - 6 Months Subscription

Will these Gaming Subscriptions be a good fit for You?

This is really the only question you should be concerned with when it comes to the topic of subscription gaming. Will Antstream Arcade offer what you want for the asking price? Are you going to use your EA Play subscription to play Star Wars: Squadrons and be done with it afterward? Is Forza Horizon 4 the right racing game for you, and will you be okay with losing access to it once your subscription to Xbox Game Pass wraps up?

As we said before, gaming subscriptions aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they're a great way to temporarily bolster your game library, if that's what you want and need. Of course, you can always get a longer subscription at once and not need to worry about it for a long while. If none of these catch your fancy, you can always fall back to our game sales. It just so happens that we've got a big one running right now, so give it a whirl when you catch the time. Happy gaming, subscription or not!