The Maxi-Geek Subscription Christmas Gift Guide
The holidays are fast approaching and that means that you will have to brave either the in person stores, or fight the frustration of an online checkout, in order to secure those important presents.
This year, we decided to throw our hat into the ring on the gift guide front, to suggest what we think are some of the best games, gear and goodies, available. This time we are talking about subscriptions, gifts that can last for a month, three or even a full year, making them the gift that literally keeps on giving.
There are a host of subscriptions out there, from video games to underwear and just about everything in between, but we wanted to keep things on the fun side, so these will be around entertainment. While there are countless places to buy the memberships from, including directly from the companies, we won’t be including links to them here, because there are so many, but for most of them, if a store sells gift cards, there is a fair chance you can pick up these there as well.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Perhaps the best value in gaming, on any platform, Game Pass Ultimate offers you access to hundreds of games on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as PC. Think of this like Netflix for games, you jump into the listing on the platform of choice, or use the app, find a game you want to play and download it.
Games will rotate in an out, meaning that what is here the day you sign up, might not be here 30 days later, giving you plenty of options to keep playing. Also included in it now is EA Play, meaning that hundreds of EA games are included, if you want to enjoy some sports or racing games, or maybe head to a galaxy far, far away. The best news though is that xCloud, the game streaming service is currently in beta here, meaning that you might be able to play Halo Infinite, on your phone next year, no matter where you are.
1 month - $15.95 | 3 months - $47.95
PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus is a bit of an odd duck, it offers up the ability to play games online, in fact should you wish to play games online with your PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, it is required. But unlike Xbox Game Pass, it only offers up a few select titles each month, which stay free for you, as long as you keep the subscription active.
What it does provide as well though are discounts on digital titles, so you can save an extra 10% or more on a lot of games when they go on sale. For those on PlayStation 5, there is a massive bonus in that 20 of the best PlayStation 4 games are available to be redeemed.
1 month - $11.95 | 3 months - $33.95 | 12 months - $59.95
Nintendo Switch Online
Nintendo finally put their toe into the digital subscription with Nintendo Switch Online, which as the name suggests, allows you to play Switch games online, funny how that works. While there are not a lot of games that have massive online components, there are enough to justify it, especially if you want to play the games with friends online.
The big upside are the Nintendo and Super Nintendo apps that can be downloaded from the store, they will add around 100 games from both the original Nintendo Entertainment System and its sequel to your library. With games like the original Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Country and more, there is a lot of nostalgia to enjoy here, plus a few exclusive games like Tetris 99
1 month - $5.95 | 3 months - $11.95 | 12 months - $29.95 | 12 month Family Plan - $54.95
ubisoft+
Much like EA Play, Ubisoft+ (formally known as uPlay+) offers access to the vast library of titles developed by Ubisoft and if the game has them, expansions and DLC as well. The service is only available on PC though, so console gamers are not going to get anything by subscribing.
The service does provide you access to the new titles from Ubisoft, so things like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or Watch_Dogs: Legion are available to you via it, which if you consider the price, buying two Ubisoft games on PC is the same as a year’s membership.
1 month - $19.95
EA Play
For those on PC and the bigger consoles, sorry Switch, EA Play is another service you might want to look into, as it covers them all, and recently came to support Steam, so you can keep your PC library together. The service, much like Ubisoft+ provides access to the vast library of EA titles and provides early access to the new games on console.
For those that want to get in, there are two levels, the first is for all platforms, but the second is only on PC and only available through Origin, EA’s mainline PC platform. Either way, both give you access to a large library of games, some by other publishers on PC. The early access also allows you to try games before you buy them, but if you choose to, you get 10% off the full price.
1 month - $6.99 | 12 months - $39.95 | 1 month EA Play Pro - $19.99 | 12 months EA Play Pro - $129.99
Humble CHoice
Humble is a company that has been around for quite a number of years and are most well known for their bundles, where you can pay any amount you choose and be rewarded with more games, the more that you pay. A few years ago, they launched their Monthly service, now called Choice, which takes that concept and annualised it. For a set fee, you get access to almost 20 titles, 9 of which you get to choose to keep, forever, no catch there. The games you don’t choose are gone, so you have to choose wisely.
The smallest plan grants you access to the Humble Trove, which is just like the other PC subs, the middle plan gives you the access and 3 permanent titles and then finally the big level is where you can get your 9 games. You can choose to pay for the big plan monthly and have it renew each month, cancelling at anytime, or do it a year at a time. They do allow for discounts from time to time, if you choose to just buy one at a time. The best news, you can actually choose to buy these as a gift, giving you a link you can provide to your giftee.
Monthly - Humble Monthly Lite - $7.99 | Humble Monthly Basic - $19.99 | Humble Monthly Premium - $29.99
Yearly - Humble Monthly Lite - $69.99 | Humble Monthly Basic - $179.99 | Humble Monthly Premium - $269.99
Audible
All the above are games related, which given what we talk about here, is kind of expected, but the one thing great games have in common is that they all have stories and lore that pull you in, this is where Audible shines. If you are not aware of what it is, Audible is a book club, but the book is read to you, sometimes by the author, but the result is that you can enjoy books on the go.
You can buy the books piecemeal, ie as you decide you want more, but if you are buying something for someone that loves books, then the monthly subscription might just be for you. Each month, active members get a credit to obtain any book they want, which is kept, even with the subscription is cancelled, which is kind of worth it, as some books can be upwards of $30. In addition, there is a bonus book selected by the editors of Audible, as well as access to exclusive podcasts and more.
1 month - $16.45
Apple Arcade/Google Play Pass
Both Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass offer the same thing, a set access fee each month, to play hundreds of mobile games, without the need to buy them, very much like Xbox Game Pass. Both services have some exclusive games, so it is really just going to come down to the platforms your giftee is playing on.
Both services offer a monthly and a yearly subscription, with a free trial to sample it as well, the upside comes from platform variety. The Google Play Pass will work on all supported Android devices, meaning phones and tablets alike, where as the Apple Arcade adds support in for Apple TV and Mac OS, meaning that you can get four platforms for one fee.
1 month - $7.99 | 12 months - $49.99 for Google Play Pass / $79.99 for Apple Arcade
So there you go, the best subscriptions around for your dollar, of course there are countless other options, Apple Music and Spotify are there for the music lovers. Disney+, Stan, Netflix, Apple TV+ and more for those that love movies and tv shows and heck, Kayo for your sport fix.
Subscriptions can be a great way to access a lot of content for very little money, and as I said at the top, given that a lot of these can be bought from the gift card section of your Coles or Woolworths, there are plenty of ways to get into things.
