EA (Electronic Arts) is one of the world’s most well-known video game companies. The company is responsible for some of the most beloved game franchises of all time, such as The Sims, EA Sports FIFA, Apex Legends, Need For Speed and many more. With over a hundred million active players, EA’s loyal fanbase continues to grow and raise revenue for the company.
In 2018, EA launched its Origin Access Premier membership, giving members exclusive access to the latest PC games. Launched in 2018, EA Origin Access Premier has since been rebranded to EA Play Pro. It provided players access to EA’s ever-evolving collection of over 100 popular video games. So, is EA Play Pro worth it?
If you are a gaming addict or even a casual gamer, chances are you have enjoyed playing EA’s popular games such as EA Cricket, Need For Speed, Apex Legends and more. The realistic graphics and immersive gameplay of EA games give them their signature touch, making them stand out from other video games. With EA’s Play Pro subscription service, you get access to all these and much more. So, it should be a no-brainer to purchase the Play Pro membership, right?
But what about the price, and what are the alternatives? Are there better options available? Is the membership worth the features its offers? If you are looking for answers to these questions, you are in the right place. In this article, we will explore the EA Play Pro subscription service, evaluate its pros and cons and try to answer the question: Is EA Play Pro worth it?
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What Is EA Play Pro?
Priced at $14.99/month or $99.99/year, EA Play Pro promises to make the players the centre of attention by offering early access to in-game challenges and monthly rewards such as Ultimate Team Packs and exclusive vanity items and cosmetics. Along with this, members will also get a 10 per cent discount on EA digital purchases and unlimited access to select EA games with EA Play Pro.
While you are subscribed to EA Play Pro, any progress you make in the games will remain on your platform. Even if you opt for EA Play(Basic) instead of EA Play Pro(Premier), you get early access to the games that can act as a type of “demo” for games that don’t offer one separately. For example: If you are wondering if the latest FIFA game is worth paying $60 for, you could play it for a month for $5 instead with EA Play and decide for yourself.
EA Play vs EA Play Pro
There are some notable differences between EA Play(Basic) and EA Play Pro(Premier) besides the prices. With EA Play, subscribers only get 10-hour trials in early access. However, EA Play Pro gives subscribers unrestricted access to the full game. This means that subscribers can enjoy the game before the floodgates open to the non-subscribing masses. Considering games like Battlefield, Need for Speed, FIFA, and Madden often retail for as much as $60 on release, the Play Pro subscription seems to be well worth it, even if it is for these flagship games.
EA Play Pro: The Upside
In our attempt to answer the question: ‘Is EA Play Pro worth it?’, we need to understand the benefits it offers. With EA Play Pro, you can access many games for as little as $15 a month. Moreover, if you subscribe to EA Play Pro on an Xbox console, you will have access to more EA games than any other platform. Timeless classics such as the popular dragon game “Dragon Age: Origins”, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Dead Space are some of the games you will find.
If you are a fan of simulators, you can enjoy The Sims 4 on PC. You also get access to a wealth of first-person shooters in the Battlefield and Titanfall series.
The best part of EA Play Pro is that all saved progress in these games will carry over. In case you decide to temporarily or permanently cancel your EA Play Pro subscription, it will not affect your access to games bought with the included savings. Moreover, you can enjoy online multiplayer games like Madden with your friends from across the globe. As big titles like Madden and FIFA are usually priced at $60 if you were to purchase them upfront, EA Play Pro saves you a lot of money as its annual membership price is just $99.99 a year.
- Save money: Get access to over a hundred video games for the price of a couple of them.
- Early access: Get your hands on the most-awaited and most-popular games before your friends.
- Vast library: Access to everything from FPS, sports games, simulators, and racing games.
EA Play Pro: The Downside
We cannot answer the question: ‘Is EA Play Pro worth it?’ without discussing some of its negatives. Fortunately, the list of negatives when it comes to EA Play Pro is slim as the service leaves little to no room to complain about. You get a massive bang for your back, but some improvements could be made to the application, especially on the PC. Visually, EA Play Pro is not much different from any other storefront like the Microsoft Store or Steam. Also, it seems to crash far too often, and random hangs add to this problem. The launcher seems to consume more memory than necessary, leading to some players disabling it from automatically starting.
Another downside of Play Pro is slow downloads. Some games, like Battlefield 2042, take an eternity to download, while games on Steam would take a fraction of the time to download and install. The download seems to pick up the pace at times before crashing back down to a snail’s place. This can be quite frustrating for hardcore gamers who are looking to access their favourite games before everyone else. Afterall, that’s one of Play Pro’s selling points, right? Another pitfall of subscription services is that the library is often changing. Seeing some of your favourite games, like Titanfall leave the platform can be quite painful and mess with your schedule if you had them on your game list. Also, older sports titles often get removed due to licensing issues. This can be a case of concern for players that love to revisit the old titles for nostalgia.
- Bugs and glitches: Random hangs and crashes ruin the experience.
- Slow download: Downloading large games is slow compared to platforms like Steam.
EA Play Pro: Worth It?
Coming back to the million.. or in this case, the hundred-dollar question: ‘Is EA Play Pro worth it?’. Considering all the pros and cons of EA Play Pro, we’d say the Play Pro subscription is well worth it. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, as you can access over a hundred popular games for a reasonable price. We recommend players go for the monthly subscription for the first couple of moments, and if you enjoy the service, you should strongly consider the annual subscription.
A year of gaming for $100 is an absolute steal, as you would just get access to 1-2 games if you bought them upfront. Not to mention the other upsides of Play Pro, such as your progress being saved, discounts, extra vanity items and much more. To sum it up, if you are a casual gamer who only purchases 1 or 2 EA games every year, then it’s up to you if you want to opt for Play Pro. However, for hardcore gamers, Play Pro is a must-have!
That concludes our discussion of the topic: ‘Is EA Play Pro worth it?’. We explored the Play Pro, its features, advantages, disadvantages and if it is worth the price. Are you considering purchasing the EA Play Pro subscription? What are your favourite EA games? Let us know in the comments below.