Amazon has just overhauled its Prime Gaming and Luna services, rolling even more features into your already stuffed Prime subscription.
If you’re currently a member, you’re now sitting on top of a gold mine of gaming goodness. This includes a library of party titles, free access to major AAA experiences like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, plus the chance to claim a monthly selection of titles that you can keep for good.
Whether you’ve never taken advantage of Amazon’s gaming offering before or are a frequent player eager to learn what’s changed, here’s everything that you need to know.
Game without a console
Access to Amazon is included with your Prime subscription, but what does that actually mean?
Well, Luna is a cloud gaming service that lets you dive into a whole host of games without the need for expensive hardware or long downloads. The only real requirement is a fast internet connection, as the games are streamed directly to you from high-spec servers.
Think of it as the gaming equivalent of Netflix (or should I say Prime Video) as you can access it directly from your web browser on your phone, Smart TV, or laptop with just your Amazon login. Luna has been around for a few years now, but a recent library update has made the service even more compelling than ever. Prime members can now play some of the year’s biggest hits like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 at no additional cost.
This is just scratching the surface of what’s on offer too, with everything from older favorites to hidden gem indie games. Now that Halloween is just around the corner I’d highly recommend checking out Alien: Isolation for some serious space scares, or dive into a mega role-playing game like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous – Enhanced Edition.
If you need even more games you can always upgrade to Luna Premium (which replaces the old Luna Plus service) for an additional $9.99 / £8.99 a month, though honestly I think the base offering is so generous you won’t feel the need to subscribe any time soon.
Try new and exclusive party games
The flagship new addition of Luna’s relaunch is its new GameNight feature, designed to offer a selection of easy to pick-up-and-play titles for your next gathering of friends or impromptu family game night.
While most Luna games are best controlled with a keyboard and mouse, or a compatible controller like the Luna Wireless Controller, the GameNight ones are designed to be played entirely from your phone. I had the chance to go hands-on with a bunch of games pre-launch, at an Amazon preview event with a group of press and influencers and can confirm that, with the right group, they can absolutely be a great time.
Familiar franchises like Angry Birds appear alongside popular adaptations of traditional board games Clue and Ticket to Ride (the latter leading my guide to the best digital board games right now). If you’re after something a little different, the exclusive Courtroom Chaos – Starring Snoop Dogg game is a weird and wacky diversion. Themed around a Judge Judy style TV court room led by the famous rapper, it has you split up into teams of defence and prosecution and run a wholly improvised court case by speaking directly into your phone.
Generative AI tech allows Snoop to respond in an impressive variety of ways, interrupting to seek clarification or dish out some roasts before coming to a final verdict. It’s the kind of experience that AI gaming seems best suited for, allowing for new and interesting gameplay possibilities that wouldn’t otherwise be possible rather than replacing the creativity of human developers.
You can still get free games to keep
I always shout about Prime Gaming, Amazon’s monthly roster of free PC games for platforms like GOG and the Epic Games Store. It’s one of the most underappreciated Amazon Prime perks, but it seems the company wants to make it a little more prominent by combining it with Luna.
You’ll now find all your freebies in a new ‘Claim’ section of the Amazon Luna website and the current line-up is not one that you’ll want to miss. You can grab Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition and Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition, two belting role-playing games and the perfect supplement to the upcoming second season of Amazon’s Fallout TV show.
Brilliant strategy title XCOM 2 is also worth claiming, as is Sid Meier’s Civilization 4: The Complete Edition. There’s no limit to how many games you can claim, so I’d consider taking a few moments to collect them all if you have the time.
Not yet an Amazon Prime subscriber? Check out the best prices in your region below, or keep reading for some top PC game recommendations.
The best PC games
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dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
