Like Xbox, PlayStation and Ubisoft, Electronic Arts has its own games subscription service which provides access to much of its vast back catalogue of titles and more.

It is a paid service that's available across PlayStation, Xbox and Windows PC. However, owners of the latter two can also access it for free if they are Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members.

So, what is EA Play, how much does it cost, and what are the differences on each platform?

We answer those questions and many more below.

What is EA Play?

Previously called EA Access on Xbox One and PS4, and Origin Access on PC, EA Play is a subscription service that offers "all-you-can-eat" access to Electronic Arts' back catalogue of games, plus timed trials and early access for new games. You also get 10 per cent off the purchase of new or future games.

It works slightly different on PC to console, with an additional EA Play Pro membership available for Windows PC owners that adds the ability to play games as they are released as part of an increased fee.

EA Play is available for one monthly fee on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. It is available standalone or as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no extra cost.

What platforms is EA Play available on?

As we said above, EA Play is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

You have to download an EA Play application on PlayStation consoles, which serves as a portal to the games. Xbox owners can now access all the games through the Game Pass channel.

How much is EA Play?

You can pay for EA Play either monthly or annually. Paying for an entire year's membership works out a lot cheaper - around 50 per cent cheaper, in fact - but you might prefer a smaller monthly payment.

It works slightly differently depending on the platform.

EA Play on PS4 / PS5

EA Play on PlayStation is £3.99 / $4.99 / €3.99 per month or £19.99 / $29.99 / €24.99 for 12 months. It's a simple proposition and can be purchased through the PS4 or PS5 itself - via a dedicated EA Play app.

EA Play on Xbox One / Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S

It is exactly the same price for standalone EA Play membership on an Xbox console as it is on PlayStation - £3.99 / $4.99 / €3.99 per month or £19.99 / $29.99 / €24.99 for 12 months. However, the most cost-effective solution might be to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

This costs £10.99 / $14.99 / €14.99 per month and, for that, you also get access to more than 300 Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, 200 games for PC, Xbox Live Gold (required for online play on an Xbox machine), and Microsoft's cloud gaming platform.

EA Play games on both Xbox and Windows can be downloaded at no extra cost as part of Ultimate - ideal for owners of both systems.

EA Play on Windows PC

PC owners can subscribe to EA Play either through Electronic Arts' own Origin game store or Steam. It also costs £3.99 / $4.99 / €3.99 per month or £19.99 / $29.99 / €24.99 for 12 months and offers the same benefits as both the PlayStation and Xbox versions.

A further membership plan is available for PC owners too, however - EA Play Pro. As previously mentioned, it adds access to brand new games as they are released in the shops, not just time-limited versions. They are often available earlier than the general release date too.

EA Play Pro costs £14.99 / $14.99 / €14.99 per month or £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 annually.

What games and benefits are available as part of EA Play membership?

EA Play gives unrestricted access to a stack of back catalogue games, called The Play List. They can all be downloaded to your console or PC and played as many times as you like as long as you continue to subscribe.

Gam saves will be stored on your respective machine or in the cloud, exactly as if you bought each game outright. So, if you decide to stop subscribing and purchase one of the games at a later date, you can carry on from where you left off.

In addition, early access trials of brand new games - such as the latest FIFA - give you 10 hours to play each full game. After this time, you will have to purchase the full game or wait several months for it to be added to The Play List.

In our experience, some games are added to the back catalogue after a few months, other, bigger games can take almost a year to be added.

Finally, all EA Play members get 10 per cent off digital game purchases.

EA Play Pro membership for PC owners (through Origin) adds "pro-level rewards and content" and early, unrestricted access to the deluxe versions of new games.

Here are the games currently available as part of The Play List