Which online subscription is better - PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold - Android

PS Plus vs. Xbox Live Gold: The big debate

A few years ago, the debate between PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold might have been raging on across the internet. In 2021, though, the two services are nearly identical in what they offer to players. Both services are vital if you play a ton of online games on either the PlayStation or Xbox side, and both give out free games, discounts, and cloud storage to players who subscribe. For that reason, one is not definitively better than the other. However, Xbox Live Gold does offer something that PlayStation Plus doesn't, and that's a pathway into the best service in gaming.

The two services are incredibly similar, but only on allows you to join Xbox Game Pass.

While Xbox Live Gold doesn't offer too much that PlayStation Plus doesn't, it does give players the ability to upgrade their Xbox Live Gold account into an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate account. This adds on the Xbox Game Pass service an extra $5 per month, giving players both Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass. PlayStation Plus, on the other hand, has no such service as of yet, and while they do have a history of giving out some of the best PlayStation games for free each month, that doesn't cut it for many.

PS Plus vs. Xbox Live Gold: Which should you buy?

For those who might not know, Xbox Game Pass is essentially Xbox's answer to Netflix for games. The service hosts a ton of games in its rotating library, and one of the bigger selling points for it is that Xbox exclusive games launch onto the service the same day they launch at retail. That means titles like Gears 5, Halo: Infinite (when it releases), and many others all drop on the service free of charge to subscribers. PlayStation Plus does have the PlayStation Plus Collection, but that is currently reserved strictly for PlayStation 5 owners, and doesn't really boast the value and collection that Xbox Game Pass does.

Xbox Game Pass isn't exactly the same thing as Xbox Live Gold, but Microsoft is clearly trying to get players into its ecosystem by offering bundles for the services. For just $15 per month, players can have access to the benefits of Xbox Live Gold while also getting access to a ton of old and literally brand new games via Xbox Game Pass. For those wondering what service is better in the hopes of picking up a new console, the value that Xbox Game Pass provides at the moment is just too good to not reccomend Xbox Live Gold.

New games every month

PlayStation Plus

From $9.99/mo. at PlayStation

Free games every month

PlayStation Plus offers players the chance to play games online while also benefitting from some great games given out for free every month. PlayStation Plus also gives you 100GB of cloud storage, discounts across the PlayStation Store, and more.

No consoles required

Xbox Live Gold

From $9.99/mo. at Xbox

The gold standard

Xbox Live Gold offers many of the same perks that PlayStation Plus does, including two free games every month, cloud storage options, and the ability to earn some discounts on the Microsoft Store.