Sony’s PlayStation Plus service has recently come under some criticism from fans that suggest the quality of games coming to the service’s Instant Games Collection has declined in recent months. With Phil Spencer now steering the Xbox ship and providing a multitude of options to gamers on Microsoft’s platform, the Games with Gold service for Xbox One has upped its game too. Therefore, it only seemed right to put the two up against one another and see how they stack up.
After a year since we last made this comparison, which saw the PlayStation 4 narrowly beat Xbox One in its free offerings, we worked out the total value and average Metacritic score for each selection of games to see what’s changed. Of course, personal preference will play a large part in whether or not each collection offers good value to you. But to give you an idea of exactly which service is offering the best when looking at cold, hard figures, we’ve made a comprehensive list of the games on offer for each service for the past year.
It’s important to note here that this only takes into account the games that are playable on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This includes Xbox 360 games that are backward compatible with the Xbox One, and cross-buy games that play on PS4.
Please keep in mind that these lists only reflect the North American offerings and prices. The prices were taken from Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN Store at the time of writing.
Games With Gold Xbox One Offerings June 2015- May 2016
Massive Chalice – $19.99, Metacritic 72
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – $29.99, Metacritic (Not rated enough on Xbox One, but largely highly rated)
So Many Me – $14.99, Metacritic 82
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – $19.99, Metacritic 76
How To Survive: Storm Warning Edition – $19.99, Metacritic 71
The Deer God – $14.99, Metacritic 59
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition – $29.99, Metacritic 86
Valiant Hearts: The Great War – $14.99, Metacritic 81
The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season – $24.99, Metacritic (Not rated on Xbox One)
Pneuma: Breath of Life – $19.99, Metacritic 63
Knight Squad – $14.99, Metacritic 71
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing – $14.99, Metacritic 59
Thief – $29.99, Metacritic 69
Killer Instinct Season 1 Ultra Edition – Formerly $39.99 (now only available as part of the Supreme Edition), Metacritic (No rating available on Metacritic)
Hand of Fate – $19.99, Metacritic 80
Styx: Master of Shadows – $29.99, Metacritic 69
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments – $29.99, Metacritic 72
Lords of the Fallen – $39.99, Metacritic 71
The Wolf Among Us – $24.99, Metacritic (Not rated enough on Metacritic for average score. Two scores available average 86)
Sunset Overdrive – $29.99, Metacritic 81
Defense Grid 2 – $14.99, Metacritic 78
Costume Quest 2 – $14.99, Metacritic 65
Just Cause 2 (Backward Compatible) – $14.99, Metacritic 81
Plants vs. Zombies (Backward Compatible) – $19.99, Metacritic 69
Gears of War 3 (Backward Compatible) – $6.59, Metacritic 91
DiRT 3 (Backward Compatible) – $24.99, Metacritic 87
Dungeon Siege III (Backward Compatible) – $19.99, Metacritic 72
CastleStorm (Backward Compatible) – $4.99, Metacritic 79
Sacred 3 (Backward Compatible) – $19.99, Metacritic 51
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (Backward Compatible) – $9.99, Metacritic 77
DiRT Showdown (Backward Compatible) – $14.99, Metacritic 75
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Backward Compatible) – $14.99, Metacritic 89
Sacred Citadel (Backward Compatible) – $9.99, Metacritic 63
Gears of War 2 (Backward Compatible) – $6.59, Metacritic 93
Supreme Commander 2 (Backward Compatible) – $29.99, Metacritic 75
Borderlands (Backward Compatible) – $19.99, Metacritic 84
Dead Space (Backward Compatible) – $14.99, Metacritic 89
Saints Row IV (Backward Compatible) – $34.99, Metacritic 81
Grid 2 (Backward Compatible) – $24.99, Metacritic 78
Peggle (Backward Compatible) – $9.99, Metacritic 89
Games 40
Total Value $817.80 ($514.78 excluding backward compatible Xbox 360 games)
Average Metacritic Score= 75 (Based on complete Metacritic scores only)
Yearly Subscription Cost= $60
PS+ Free PlayStation 4 Offerings June 2015-May-2016
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes – $19.99, Metacritic 75
Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide Edition – $9.99, Metacritic 80
Super Exploding Zoo – $10.99, Metacritic 69
Futuridium EP Deluxe – $9.99, Metacritic 73
Rocket League – $19.99, Metacritic 85
Styx: Master of Shadows – $29.99, Metacritic 70
MouseCraft – $9.99, Metacritic 72
Entwined – $9.99, Metacritic 59
Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones – $9.99, Metacritic 74
Sound Shapes – $9.99, Metacritic 84
Limbo – $9.99, Metacritic (Not rated enough on Metacritic for score. One review listed scores it at 80.)
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris – $19.99, Metacritic 74
Grow Home – $7.99, Metacritic 74
Super Time Force Ultra – $14.99, Metacritic 82
Xeodrifter – $9.99, Metacritic 77
Teslagrad – $14.99, Metacritic 78
Super Meat Boy – $14.99, Metacritic 85
Broken Age – $24.99, Metacritic 81
Unmechanical: Extended – $9.99, Metacritic 75
Dragon Fin Soup – $19.99, Metacritic (Not rated enough for Metacritic score. Most review scores sit around the 7 mark, however.)
The Walking Dead: Season Two – $24.99, Metacritic 81
Magicka 2 – $14.99, Metacritic 72
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition – $19.99, Metacritic 71
King’s Quest – Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember – $9.99, Metacritic 77
Grim Fandango Remastered – $14.99, Metacritic 80
Hardware: Rivals – $19.99, Metacritic 56
Nom Nom Galaxy – $14.99, Metacritic 70
Helldivers – $19.99, Metacritic 81
Nova-111 – $14.99, Metacritic 73
Broforce – $14.99, Metacritic 67
Galak-Z – $19.99, Metacritic 82
Zombi – $19.99, Metacritic 71
Dead Star – $19.99, Metacritic 72
Shutshimi – $9.99, Metacritic (Not rated enough to received a Metacritic score. Average score from three reviews is 83)
Tropico 5 – $59.99, Metacritic 76
Table Top Racing: World Tour – $19.99, Metacritic 58
Switch Galaxy Ultra – $11.99, Metacritic 70
Games 37
Total Value $640.62
Average Metacritic Score= 74
Yearly Subscription Cost= $50
And so it turns out that since we compared the two last year, Games with Gold has turned it around and come out ahead of the Instant Game Collection. It should be noted, however, that had it not been for Xbox One’s backward compatibility, PS+ would have just nabbed it from Games with Gold once again. In fact, backwards compatibility added an extra 18 games, $300, and 3 average Metacritic points to the average score for the Xbox One service.
Just like a year ago, though, the level of quality for both Games with Gold and PS+ is pretty similar, with there being just one point difference in the average Metacritic score for each of them.
What PlayStation fans might find most interesting, however, is the difference in value compared to last year. With last year’s offerings, PS+ brought 36 games to PlayStation 4 with a total value of $516.67. The average Metacritic score for the games was 76, just two points higher than the average Metacritic score for this year’s offerings. So while it may be true that the quality may have somewhat declined, it’s not as huge as some may believe it to be.
It’ll be interesting to see how things heat up between the two services in the coming year. What do you think of these stats? Do you think the offerings on both services are good value for the customer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
