Subscription or buy? How to decide, with the UK maths worked through

Quick wins

1. List the library games you'd really play before subscribing.
2. Compare against sale prices, not launch RRPs.
3. Use the 12-month price only if you'll keep the plan most of the year.
4. Cancel overlapping subscriptions (for example separate EA Play alongside Game Pass Ultimate).
5. Review all gaming subscriptions every three months.

The one question that decides it

Ask: over the next 12 months, what would I actually spend buying the games I'd play from this subscription? Not the RRP of everything in the library, only the games you'd realistically play, at the price you'd realistically pay (often a sale price). If that number is higher than the subscription's cost for the time you'll keep it, subscribing wins. If it's lower, buying wins, and you keep the games.

Two things often get left out. First, ownership: bought games stay playable after you stop paying, and physical copies can be resold. Second, overlap: if a game is already in a subscription you keep for other reasons, its extra cost to you is zero. Put both into the comparison before deciding.

Five steps to run your own numbers

1. List the games. Write down the library games you'd genuinely play in the period.
2. Price them honestly. Use the price you'd pay to buy each one, ideally a sale price, not the launch RRP.
3. Price the subscription for the right period. Monthly × months used, or the 12-month price if you'll keep it all year.
4. Subtract what you already have. Remove anything you already own or get through another subscription.
5. Compare, then check per hour. Divide each option's cost by your estimated hours to see the pounds per hour.

Be strict at step 1. A library of hundreds of games looks generous, but only the games you'd actually play count. Many people find their honest list is shorter than expected, and that is what makes buying win in some years and subscribing win in others.

Worked example: PS Plus Extra for a year

Prices from playstation.com/en-gb on 3 November 2026: PS Plus Essential is £59.99 for 12 months; Extra is £99.99 for 12 months. Suppose you already need Essential for online play. The real cost of the Game Catalogue is the difference: £40.00 a year.

Now suppose you'd otherwise buy two catalogue games a year at £20 each in a sale. That's £40, exactly the upgrade cost: break-even. One game you'd play at £20? Buying wins by £20. Three games at £20? Extra wins by £20, but you won't own them when you leave.

Worked example: one month vs one game

Short bursts change the maths. Ubisoft's UK store listed Ubisoft+ Premium at £14.99 a month on 3 November 2026. If a game you want is in Premium and you'd finish it in a month, the comparison is £14.99 against that game's current price. If you'd need two months, it's £29.98. The longer you need, the more buying catches up, and buying means you keep it.

Game Pass works the same way. At £16.99 a month for Ultimate (xbox.com, 3 Nov 2026), three months costs £50.97. Compare that with buying the specific games you'd play in those three months.

The pattern to notice: short subscriptions favour players who finish games quickly and move on. If you tend to take months over a single game, buying it (ideally in a sale) usually beats paying a monthly fee for the whole time.

Pounds per hour: the tiebreaker

When the totals are close, look at cost per hour. Divide the option's total by your estimated hours, using a range rather than a single number:

• Game Pass Ultimate, one month (£16.99), 15–30 hours of play: about £0.57–£1.13 per hour.
• Nintendo Switch Online individual, 12 months (£17.99), if it unlocks 50–100 hours of online play over the year: about £0.18–£0.36 per hour.
• Apple Arcade yearly (£49.99) shared by a family that plays 100–200 hours in total: about £0.25–£0.50 per hour.

These are illustrations of the method with stated assumptions, not predictions about how much anyone plays.

For bought games, do the same: a game you buy for £30 and play for 60 hours costs £0.50 per hour, and you keep it. If a subscription comes out at a similar or higher per-hour cost for the games you play, owning is the better deal.

When buying beats subscribing

• You play a few games, deeply, and replay them for years.
• You want games that aren't in any subscription library.
• You're a light or seasonal player who would leave a subscription idle for months.
• You can resell or trade in physical copies after finishing.
• You like to wait for sales; see our UK game sale calendar.

When subscribing beats buying

• You try lots of different games and drop most of them.
• Several people in one household play, and the plan covers them (for example Nintendo Switch Online family, up to eight accounts for £31.49 a year).
• You'd buy new releases that are included on day one with your plan.
• You'll keep the subscription most of the year and can use the 12-month price.

Compare plans on our PS Plus and Game Pass price pages.

Worked example: a family of four on Nintendo

Nintendo's UK site listed the family Switch Online membership at £31.49 a year and the family Expansion Pack at £59.99 (checked 3 Nov 2026). For four players who all want online play, the alternative is four individual memberships at £17.99 each, or £71.96. The family plan saves £40.47 a year, and the family Expansion Pack still costs £11.97 less than four standard individual plans. Here, subscribing is less a question of "subscription vs buying" and more one of picking the cheapest way to unlock a feature everyone needs.

Avoiding the subscription traps

The biggest losses come from subscriptions nobody uses. Review every gaming subscription once a quarter; turn off auto-renew if you want to make an active decision at renewal; and check for overlaps, since EA Play is part of Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, and a Ubisoft+ Classics selection is included with PS Plus Extra and Game Pass Ultimate. Paying twice for the same library is money for nothing.

A quick decision checklist

1. Do I need the subscription for something I can't buy, such as online play? If yes, start from the cheapest tier that provides it.
2. Have I listed the specific games I'd play from the library, at the price I'd otherwise pay?
3. Is the total higher than the subscription for the months I'll keep it?
4. Am I comfortable not owning those games afterwards?
5. Do I already get this library through another plan?

Two or more "no" answers usually point to buying the games you want, ideally in a sale.