Much like TV, music, and movies, subscription services are quickly becoming the new standard for consuming video games in the year 2024.
Along with major gaming companies like Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo, Electronic Arts has its own dedicated gaming subscription designed to entice players and bring them into the EA ecosystem.
In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know before signing up for an EA Play subscription, including the cost, benefits, and library of games included.
We encourage you to check back in the future as the service continues to evolve and new benefits, games, and price models are added to EA Play.
Let’s jump right into the guide!
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What Is EA Play?
Similar to services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, EA Play provides users with easy access to an array of titles, specifically EA-published games included in the EA Play List.
This includes sports franchises such as FIFA and Madden along with series like Need for Speed, Star Wars, Dragon Age, The Sims, Titanfall, Dead Space, and several smaller indie games.
Rather than streaming games over a stable internet connection, players can download each title to their console or PC, with EA Play currently supporting PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, Origin, and the EA App.
In addition to gaining access to the EA Play List, members receive a suite of benefits which we’ll explain in further detail down below.
What Benefits Are Included With EA Play?
An EA Play subscription includes four main benefits: Game Trials, Member Rewards, The Play List, and a 10% Store Discount.
Putting aside the Play List for a moment, let’s explore the three remaining benefits and what they have to offer:
Game Trials
With EA Play Game Trials, players can access up to 10-hours of content from the latest EA games releasing.
The great part about this is that any progress carries over to the full version of the game with the caveat of having to wait for newer games to first be added to the Play List.
EA Play Pro members get the added benefit of unlocking the deluxe versions of EA’s titles for the 10-hour Game Trial period.
Member Rewards
The next notable benefit included with EA Play is its Member Rewards, which covers a wide array of digital goodies and add-ons from EA’s newest releases.
These can range from cosmetic items like outfits and weapon skins to XP-boosting tokens and in-game currency packs.
Furthermore, EA Play Pro members can unlock additional “Pro-Level” rewards that are typically more useful, expensive, or harder to obtain by other means.
10% Discount
Speaking of expensive, the final feather in EA Play’s cap is its store-wide 10% discount on all digital EA purchases.
Aside from the library itself, this is arguably the best part of the service considering players can sign up for EA Play, check out a new game for a few hours, and then use their discount to buy it from the store.
The same goes for add-on content for all of EA’s games, including those that offer optional premium currencies, cosmetics, and XP tokens.
What Games Are Included With EA Play?
The EA Play library continues to change over time as more titles are released for each supported platform and older titles get retired from the service.
Depending on whether you play on PC or console, signing up means gaining access to upwards of 100 games with a Pro membership or slightly less with a basic membership.
Unfortunately, many titles are not available day-one, so subscribers may find themselves having to wait several months for new games to come to the library.
If you want to learn more about which titles are included with the service, we suggest checking out our curated list of the best games on EA Play.
How Much Does EA Play Cost?
By now, you’re probably asking yourself, “how much is this all going to cost me?” Allow us to break it down:
EA Play
The standard or “basic” EA Play membership costs £3.99 / $4.99 per month or £19.99 / $29.99 per year if you sign up to be charged annually.
This tier includes up to 10 hours of access to new releases, unlimited access to The Play List library, and a 10% discount on all EA digital content purchases.
For many players, the basic membership offers more than enough to justify the monthly or annual cost of a subscription.
EA Play Pro
On the other hand, those who play almost exclusively EA-published titles may want to consider signing up for the more expensive EA Play Pro membership.
This higher-tiered subscription costs £14.99 / $14.99 monthly or £89.99 / $99.99 annually and includes every benefit from the basic package along with some bonuses.
Pro subscribers are treated to deluxe versions for their Game Trials, unlimited access to an even wider selection of Play List titles, Pro-level rewards, and a 10% store-wide discount.
Is EA Play Worth It?
Using the above price model as a basis, one could argue that an annual EA Play membership will end up saving you money in the long run, especially if you’re the type to buy multiple EA games in a single year.
This is less true for players who do most of their gaming outside of the EA ecosystem or have little to no interest in annual franchises like FIFA or Madden.
Additionally, since each EA Play subscription is limited to a single platform, players won’t be able to explore the full Play List library and may miss out on certain platform-exclusive rewards.
While the cost of EA Play is quite reasonable when compared to similar services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, being restricted to just a single publisher’s titles may be a non-starter for some.
Instead, maybe consider signing up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes an EA Play membership at no additional cost along with access to the entire Game Pass Library.
