Nowadays, more and more companies are creating gaming subscription services, for unlimited access to hundreds of titles - a "Netflix of games", if you will. We already saw Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass, and Sony has PlayStation Now. Electronic Arts, wanting a piece of this action, created Origin Access. More recently, it launched the more expensive Premier version. Let's see what Origin Access Premier has to offer and if it is worth the subscription.
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The origin of Origin Access Premier
In 2014, Electronic Arts created the EA Access service. Originally, the subscription allowed Xbox One users to play some of the company's games for free.
Today, EA Access is available to both Xbox One and PS4 owners and costs $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. However, the subscribers only have access to a few dozens of EA games, plus a 10% discount on EA's digital products.
As an additional perk, this subscription allows access to a few select game titles before release.
With the strong sales of EA Access and the increasing interest in PC gaming, in 2016 Electronic Arts presented a new subscription.
The name of it was Origin Access. Back then, it gave us access to a collection of EA games (the so-called Vault), and a 10% discount on Origin purchases.
In March 2018, EA introduced some improvements to Origin Access. It added more of its titles to the Vault, started including games from other publishers, and added the early access feature for select titles.
This move has proven successful. The next step for EA was to create a new premium tier, Origin Access Premier, which became available in July 2018. The original subscription was renamed to Origin Access Basic.
Origin Access Premier vs. Basic
Both subscriptions provide free access to more than 100 games, both from EA and other publishers. One key difference is that Origin Access Premier gives us access to the entire EA games library.
While our subscription is active, we have unlimited access to each and every one of the games. Also, most of the titles support cloud back-up. So, if we cancel our Origin Access subscription, and re-activate it later, we will still have access to our original saved games.
Both Origin Access Premier and basic retain the 10% discount on any purchase made on the Origin platform.
A significant difference between the two subscriptions is that with the Basic, we have a 10-hour trial for any upcoming EA titles. Meanwhile, with Origin Access Premier, we get unlimited access to EA games five days before their official release.
As for the cost, the basic membership will set us back $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Origin Access Premier is a bit pricier, at $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
Available Games
Both the basic and the Origin Access Premier subscription give unlimited access to the games shown midway on this page, under the "enjoy an ever-evolving collection of games" title.
Origin Access Premier subscribers can additionally play the following games:
- The Sims 4 Dine Out Game Pack
- The Sims 4 Kids Room Stuff Pack
- FIFA 18
- Star Wars Battlefront II
- Fe
- A Way Out
- Unravel Two
- Madden NFL 19
- FIFA 19 (Will release on 9/25, will be available from 9/20/2018)
- Battlefield V (Will release on 11/20, will be available from 11/15/2018)
- Anthem (Will release on 2/22/2019, will be available from 2/17/2019)
Is Origin Access Premier worth our money?
Origin Access is definitely worth our money. If we think about it an AAA game today usually costs from $50 to $80, the Basic subscription costs $30 a year.
So, by paying less than half a game's of money for the subscription, we get over a hundred of them.
If we happen to be EA fans, then it's worth paying for Origin Access Premier. With $100 a year, usually less than the price of two games, we have access to all of EA's library.
Now, if we are someone who mostly plays FIFA and Battlefield, then an Origin Access Premier membership is not for us. We should opt for the basic subscription.
Moreover, with both subscriptions, we have a 10% discount on future purchases. So, if we decide to pay for an EA game, we will have to spend less.
Looking for more ways to enjoy games?
Beyond Origin Access Premiere and the Xbox Game Pass, check out the following guides to get access to additional games.
Have you tried Origin Access Premier?
If the gaming industry had a villain, Electronic Arts would probably be it. Despite that, Origin Access Basic and Origin Access Premier are pretty competitive, as gaming subscriptions go.
Have you tried Origin Access Basic or Origin Access Premier? Would you consider such a gaming service subscription? Let us know in the comments below.
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