Reconfinement: which on-demand video game service to subscribe to?

During the first confinement, some discovered a passion for homemade bread.

Others took the opportunity to lock their stack of books to read, or their list of Netflix series.

Many have also immersed themselves in video games to clear their minds, as demonstrated by the incredible success of Nintendo's game Animal Crossing New Horizons.

The reconfinement, of a still uncertain duration, is a good opportunity to test the video game subscription services in order to have fun without breaking the bank.

Not all of them require you to own a game console or have an excellent Internet connection.

Le Figaro helps you find your way around.

You own a game console

• Nintendo Switch Online on the Nintendo Switch console

Nintendo Switch Online membership unlocks online multiplayer modes for console games like

or

.

But it also opens access to forty "classics" of video games released in the 1980s and 1990s. We can thus (re) play

or

.

This offer will primarily be of interest to retrogaming fans.

Nintendo Switch Online, 3.99 euros per month.

See the full catalog.

• The Game Pass on the Xbox One console

This Microsoft service allows you to draw from a varied and high-quality catalog of around a hundred video games.

There are also many renowned independent games (

...) as well as blockbusters of recent years (

...).

The Game Pass also includes productions from Microsoft studios (the

sagas

...) and their novelties upon their release.

Each game must be downloaded to the Xbox One hard drive before it can be played.

But part of the catalog is also accessible in streaming on an Android phone.

Game Pass, 13.99 euros per month.

See the full catalog.

• PlayStation Now on PlayStation 4

PlayStation Now provides access to a library of hundreds of video games released over the past ten years.

A certain number is also present on the Game Pass of the Xbox One.

But the service allows you to (re) play old PlayStation exclusives, such as the first three parts of the

saga

,

,

or

.

Unlike Game Pass, PlayStation Now includes few very recent games.

PlayStation Now is a cloud gaming service: all titles are instantly accessible.

But you can also download them for better visual quality if your Internet connection is not strong enough.

PlayStation Now, 9.99 euros per month.

.

You don't have a game console

Nothing is lost !

Services are also available on computer, and even on iPhone and iPad.

But you will have to think about getting a game controller. We recommend the Xbox One controller which is compatible with all these subscriptions.

• The Game Pass on PC or Android smartphone

Microsoft's offer (read above) is also available on PC with a specific catalog.

It features the latest and acclaimed Flight Simulator

,

,

... Better to own a gaming PC to make the most of this service!

Do you only have a smartphone?

The Game Pass has recently become compatible with cloud gaming on Android phones.

You will be able to play almost all of the console catalog without downloading.

A fiber connection is highly recommended.

Game Pass, 13.99 euros per month

.

See the full catalog.

• Apple Arcade or the cream of mobile gaming

As the name suggests, Apple Arcade only works in the ecosystem of Apple devices: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, and Apple TV.

Some games are playable in touch on the screen of the smartphone or tablet.

Others require a controller, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4. All must be downloaded.

This service brings together around a hundred premium mobile games that Apple has co-financed.

Parties are not interrupted by advertisements;

there is no need to spend money to progress in your game.

To avoid spoiling anything, the editorial offer is of high quality.

Apple Arcade, first month free then 4.99 euros per month.

.

• The family and general public Blacknut

This French service works on a large number of devices: connected televisions, computers (Windows, Mac, Linux), Android smartphones.

It allows you to play in cloud gaming, and therefore without downloading, a catalog of 400 video games.

These are not the latest freshness, but the selection is sufficiently varied to appeal to the whole family: sports, car racing, retro games, board games, children's titles ... French independent games are also available. well represented.

Blacknut, 7.49 euros the first month then 14.99 euros.

See the full catalog.

• Offers from telecom operators

SFR and Orange offer paid cloud gaming services to their SFR Gaming and Orange Jeux subscribers.

The catalogs, playable without downloading, are again dated, but of great diversity in genres and media (console and mobile games).

SFR Gaming, 14.99 euros per month.

See the full catalog.

Orange Jeux, two months free then 14.99 euros per month.

See the full catalog.