Prime Gaming Buyer’s Guide: Is it worth it?
Amazon Prime subscribers have incredible benefits, from exclusive Prime Day deals to free two-day shipping. Additionally, your Amazon Prime subscription also includes free access to Prime Gaming.
If you are a Twitch user, you should definitely know about it. Prime Gaming is essentially Amazon's way of building loyalty with gamers by giving you a ton of free stuff. Originally named Twitch Prime, the rebranded Prime Gaming gives you access to:
- In-game loot
- Free game downloads
- A free monthly Twitch channel subscription
So, is it worth it? In this guide, we'll outline what Prime Gaming is, what it offers and whether it's worth signing up for. But first, let's take a closer look at what Prime Gaming is.
What is Prime Gaming?
Prime Gaming comes bundled with every Amazon Prime membership and aims to enhance your gaming experience. Every month, at no extra cost, subscribers get access to exclusive in-game items, free games, and a free Twitch subscription.
Prime Gaming is not its own streaming service like Xbox Game Pass. Instead, it gives you extra perks for your favorite titles and free games on top of your Prime membership. Just link your Amazon and Twitch accounts, and you'll be golden.
Check Amazon Prime's official site to learn more.
What do you get with Prime Gaming?
With Prime Gaming, you get four main benefits:
1) Free in-game items and content
You receive exclusive in-game loot that changes and rotates often. This loot for PC, Xbox, Switch, and PlayStation can include:
- Unique Skins and Characters: unlock looks and gear for your game characters. Get Apex Legends skins, rare Madden NFL 22 players, or special Rainbow Six Extraction uniforms.
- Bonus XP and Currency: Giving you an edge in the game over rivals. League of Legends RP points or FIFA 22 rare consumables.
Offers change or expire frequently. So, check weekly to see the new exclusive in-game content that Amazon Prime offers. Or follow Prime Gaming's Twitter.
2) Free Games to Play
You can download free PC games to play on your computer as part of your subscription. These games can be new indie releases or older classics that you may have missed out on before. The titles will rotate monthly, but they're yours to keep once you download them.
July 2022 releases include around 30 titles, including:
- Far Cry 4
- WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship
- Escape from Monkey Island
- Metal Slug 2
Most games are only available through the Windows Amazon Games App. Still, others are downloaded through the game developer's websites.
3) Monthly Twitch channel subscription
You get a free Twitch subscription to any Twitch channel each month (a $4.99 value) that helps support your favorite streamer. You'll receive exclusive channel-specific Subscriber perks, including:
- Ad-free viewing
- Exclusive subscriber content
- A Twitch crown chat badge
- Unique Twitch Emoticons
- Chat privileges to the broadcaster
4) Extended Twitch Broadcast Storage
If you are a Twitch broadcaster, you can save your past broadcasts for 60 days instead of the usual 14. This can help improve viewership.
How much does Prime Gaming cost?
Prime Gaming is free. However, it's not a standalone service to buy. So, there are two ways to access it:
1) Amazon Prime Membership
With an Amazon Prime subscription, you'll gain access to:
- Free two-day shipping
- Prime Video
- Prime Music
- Prime Gaming
Amazon Prime costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year. As Prime Gaming is included in your Amazon Prime subscription, there's no additional cost.
2) Prime Video Membership:
Skip the books, music, or shipping perks of Amazon Prime, and subscribe to a Prime Video-only plan. With unlimited movies and TV episodes streaming with over 100 channels from:
- Paramount+
- Starz
- Cinemax
- Showtime
- Discovery+
Prime Video costs $8.99 a month, and Prime Gaming is included at no additional cost.
Is Prime Gaming worth signing up for?
If you already have Amazon Prime or Prime Video, you should take advantage of everything Prime Game offers. As it's included for free, there's no disadvantage. The amount of free content is worth it.
However, if you're wondering if you should sign-up specifically for Prime Gaming, the answer is no. Prime Gaming functions as an additional perk rather than a one-stop game station. It can't compete with a subscription service like Xbox Game Pass. There's just not enough value at $14.99 per month if you only buy it for only the gaming benefits.
Prime Gaming is worth the cost if you're passionate about gaming and watching streams. If you're a PC gamer who loves battle royale or MMO games, it is worth exploring their catalog of in-game loot.
Twitch fans get the most benefit from Prime Gaming. The free Twitch subscription is an excellent perk if juggling multiple channel subscriptions. If you're a Twitch creator, saving your past broadcasts for 60 days instead of the standard 14 is worth it.
How to play games on Amazon Prime?
The Amazon Games app lets you select, download, and play Windows PC games available from Prime Gaming. You'll need an active Amazon Prime or Video subscription to play them. You can continue installing or playing games you have previously claimed with a basic Amazon account.
How to play games on Amazon Prime?
Amazon recommends these minimum specs to run Amazon Games:
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Multi-Core processor
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Integrated HD graphics
- Storage: 20 GB Storage
Three Acer Laptops for Prime Gaming:
1) Aspire 3 Laptop
The Aspire 3 Laptop is an excellent budget-conscious choice for Prime Gaming. With 9 hours of battery life, it'll allow you to power through your workday.
- Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 processor
- 14" Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9
- 8 GB, DDR4 SDRAM
- 256 GB SSD
- Windows 11 Home
2) Aspire Vero Green
The environmentally conscious Aspire Vero Green Laptop is a great fit for those looking for a powerful laptop that won't break the bank. It can handle most games with an Intel Core i7-8750H processor and 8GB of RAM, and would be perfect for Xbox cloud gaming.
- Intel® Core™ i5-1155G7 processor
- 8 GB, DDR4 SDRAM
- 256 GB SSD
- 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS display
- Windows 11 Home
3) Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop
The Nitro 5 Gaming Laptop is an excellent budget gaming laptop that offers outstanding performance for its price. It has an Intel Core i5-12500H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics, so it is a perfect choice for anyone looking to play games on the go.
The Nitro 5 can perform full throttle for even the most demanding games, so Prime Gaming will be easy.
- AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600H processor Hexa-core 3.30 GHz
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650
- 8 GB, DDR4 SDRAM
- 256 GB SSD
- 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 144 Hz
- Windows 11 Home
The Bottom Line
While it’s not the best without Amazon Prime or Prime Video features, Prime Gaming is an excellent investment if you're a gamer who loves collecting in-game items. You'll save cash by receiving those items as part of your subscription, and you won't have to spend as much on individual items. If you're a Twitch fan or creator, this perk is a must-have.
About Robert Stark: Robert is a Taiwan-based writer and digital marketer. He has a passion for helping people simplify their lives through tech.
