PlayStation Now vs Xbox Game Pass: Who Won October 2020?
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As subscription-based, on-demand gaming services have gained popularity in recent years, both PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass have established their positions at the top of the market by offering a variety of content and great value for subscribers. There’s just one burning question demands to be answered: Which one is better?
It’s a tough one. Each has advantages over the other – PS Now has more attractive pricing plus its library of 700+ titles makes Game Pass’ library of around 200 look paltry in comparison, whereas Xbox Game Pass tends to offer more recent games as well as including first party titles on the day of release.
It’s hard to say which one is better overall, but taken one month at a time, we may get our answer. So join us as we look at what’s been added and what was removed from each service and declare which one came out on top in October 2020.
Sidebar: If you’d like to find out more about before venturing on a subscription to either PS Now or Xbox Game Pass, check out our feature examining the pros and cons of PS Now where we investigate how it stands up against its biggest competitors.
PS Now
New Games
It’s time to don the leathers, prep your guns and take down an army of Freakers as Days Gone enters the arena as PlayStation Now’s champion for October 2020. In its corner we have the 2019 remake of PS1 classic Medievil and Jason Voorhes’ latest blood-drenched scare-fest Friday the 13th: The Game. A trio of offerings perfect for this time of year.
Also joining PS Now this month are Trine 4: The Nightmare Princess, MX vs. ATV All Out and 80s-styled rogue-like Rad.
Farewells
The collective world housed inside PS Now’s library became noticeably smaller with the loss of two open-world destructathons in the form of Just Cause 4 and Watch Dogs 2.
Xbox Game Pass
New Games
Heading the pack this month is frantic FPS Doom Eternal along with racing sim Forza Motorsport 7 and highly acclaimed squad shooter Rainbow Six Siege.
Elsewhere Brutal Legend, Ikenfell, Katana Zero, Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, Scourgebringer, Supraland, Gonner 2 and Cricket 19 have all joined the Game Pass Library already in October, while Grim Fandango Remastered, Day of the Tentacle Remastered and Full Throttle Remastered are set to join by the end of the month
Farewells
Game Pass bids adieu to properties big and small this month as Metro 2033 Redux, Felix the Reaper and MINIT have already left the library and before Halloween greets us, we’ll also have seen the last of Rise & Shine, LEGO Star Wars III, The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game – Definitive Edition, Afterparty and Tacoma.
Winner – PlayStation Now
There was just no beating Days Gone. This is a title that ticks almost every box that we look for in a great addition – a console exclusive AAA so huge and packed with content that it can take months for invested players to complete, overlooked due to bugs present at launch affecting reviews from critics, but these initial problems have been addressed and those who have plunged into the game will sing its praises relentlessly, calling it one of the most underappreciated gems of the generation.
Add in the fact that this game has been cited as the most wanted addition to PlayStation Now across countless online forums for a long time and it’s hard to think of a better addition to the PS Now platform. With support from another recent and beloved exclusive in Medievil and Friday the 13th: The Game – an online gore-party ideal for friends looking to celebrate Halloween together while unable to meet up in person, this headlining trio just formed too tough a beast to topple.
Xbox Game Pass’ update for October was strong overall but it was also well…odd. When the service is touted as being a one-stop shop for first party releases with all such titles included on day one, it made us wonder why Forza Motorsport 7 is only now joining the service three years after release.
Likewise, with Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Bethesda, it would have been reasonable to think that October would see a parade of the developer’s back catalogue pack out the line-up but instead Doom Eternal (a great addition in itself and with the exception of Rainbow Six Siege, the strongest of the month) was the only Bethesda representative.
Then there’s the addition of Brutal Legend – a very good game, but one that’s 11 years old and has been a bargain bin mainstay for at least 10 of those, so could have been picked up for peanuts by anyone with an interest. The same can be said for the remasters of The Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango and Full Throttle, except as 90s point and click adventures, their appeal is even more niche while the games feel more outdated.
As for the rest of the Game Pass lineup, there’s some good, some bad, but all in all, just not persuasive enough to snatch the win from the monsters at PS Now’s helm for the spookiest month of the year.
That’s our wrap-up, but if you happen to be a subscriber to either service and are wondering what to play next, check out our list of the best hidden games on PlayStation Now and the best hidden games on Xbox Game Pass and find your next favourite game!
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