What is Amazon Luna? Is Amazon Luna worth it?

What is Amazon Luna? Is Amazon Luna worth it? Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform developed and operated by Amazon. Available only in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, the platform is powered by Amazon Web Services, has integration with Twitch, and is available on Windows, Mac, Amazon Fire TV, iOS (as a progressive web app) as well as Android. Luna offers access to a selection of games via the Luna+ subscription as well as to channels from brands such as Ubisoft+ and Jackbox Games.

Luna had a soft launch with early access to invited subscribers only on October 20, 2020. In its early access state, Amazon Luna featured about 100 different games combined, with an introductory price of $5.99 a month.

Amazon has partnered with Ubisoft and Epic Games to create a gaming channel exclusive to Luna, giving Luna subscribers access to Ubisoft’s and Epic Games titles the same day they release. The Ubisoft+ channel costs an additional $14.99 per month. The Epic Games titles like Fortnite are free, but require purchasing a copy of a game.

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What is Amazon Luna?

Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming platform powered by Amazon’s ubiquitous cloud computing platform Amazon Web Services (AWS). Like other cloud gaming platforms, it allows consumers to stream games instantly to a number of devices. This eliminates the need for downloads, updates, or even local storage, but requires a high-speed internet connection.

Like Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming platform, Luna includes a Netflix-of-games-style catalog of games under a monthly subscription fee as part of Luna Plus. And like Amazon Prime Video, it also offers channels that unlock more content from a specific publisher for an extra monthly fee. Currently, there are five paid channels to check out.

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Although Amazon Luna doesn’t require any specific hardware, the company released a dedicated controller for the service. Similar to the (now defunct) Google Stadia controller, it has a built-in Wi-Fi receiver to eliminate the middleman and reduce input latency. In online games where a few milliseconds are the difference between life and death, it’s a worthwhile purchase.

Unlike other cloud gaming services, Luna offers a kind of couch co-op experience in the cloud called Luna Couch. As long as the host is a paying subscriber, non-paying players are able to join their game and play along.

Is Amazon Luna worth it?

Amazon Luna is still in its infancy, but we were cautiously optimistic in our Amazon Luna review. Gameplay was smooth, although not as smooth as Stadia was, and the game library is impressive, although not as impressive as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The user experience also left something to be desired, and the need for a persistent subscription will be off-putting for some.

At the end of the day, we had trouble seeing exactly where Luna would fit into the market. Game Pass Ultimate is a better overall deal for hardcore gamers, but it’s also more expensive. Stadia was a better choice for casual gamers, but now that it’s going the way of the dodo, it’s possible that Amazon Luna will take up its place.

Depending on where you live, you may not even have the option to try Amazon Luna. It’s only available in the US, and the company has made no announcements regarding a worldwide release. In fact, no new games have been added to the service since March of this year, while Xbox Game Pass and Geforce Now are frequently adding new titles to their platforms.

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Ultimately, whether or not Amazon Luna is worth it depends on you. If you want a taste of the future, it’s absolutely a respectable alternative to Xbox Cloud Gaming or other cloud gaming services. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend it over any other service, but since it’s a simple subscription you can try and cancel at any time. There are also a few games included with an Amazon Prime subscription, so you might be able to get a taste without having to pay extra.

Internet requirements and data usage

One nice thing about Amazon Luna is that it offers a variety of streaming options to cater to different speeds. Amazon recommends speeds of at least 10Mbps for 1080p streaming, or 35Mbps for 4K when it becomes available.

Data caps are also a concern for many customers and can lead to reduced speeds or a shockingly high bill at the end of the month. Gaming at 1080p can consume upwards of 10GB per hour, so use discretion if you don’t have an unlimited plan.

Thankfully, Amazon Luna has implemented an option to cap stream quality at 720p. This should alleviate data consumption woes faced by other cloud gaming services.

Device support

Currently, Luna supports Fire TV, PC, Mac, Android phones, iPhones, and iPads via web apps. PC and Mac users can access the platform either via the Chrome browser or the standalone application. There was previously a standalone PC/Mac app, but that was discontinued in June of 2023 in favor of the web app.

In December 2020, Amazon Luna added support for Android smartphones. They must be running on Android 9 or higher, and access the service on the Chrome web browser version 86 or above, with a download speed of at least 10Mbps.

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Play games with your phone as a controller

If you have an Amazon Fire TV-based device or smart TV, you can download the Luna Controller app for iOS and Android, and use that app as a touch controller for gaming on your big-screen TV. This controller app is mainly for casual games that don’t need a real physical controller.

How much is Amazon Luna?

Amazon Luna doesn’t have a single price, and is instead broken into several libraries, called channels. Currently there are four different channels available. Here’s a look at all of them:

Luna Plus — This is the main gaming channel for the service. It costs $9.99 a month. This subscription includes unlimited access to a growing catalog of games and 1080p/60fps streaming on two devices simultaneously. As of 2023, the Retro and Family channels have been rolled into the main Luna Plus subscription, boosting the number of games to roughly 100.
Prime Gaming — Amazon Prime subscribers can access a select number of Luna games for free, which is certainly a nice additional perk for being a member.
Ubisoft Plus — This channel features games developed and/or published by Ubisoft and includes both classic and its most recent games. It costs $17.99 per month. It includes the same 1080p/60 quality and unlimited gameplay, but only for one device. However, it features the ultimate edition of each game, with all DLC unlocked for certain titles. If you already pay for Ubisoft Plus on another platform, you can connect your Ubisoft account to access the Amazon Luna channel at no additional charge.
Jackbox Games — This channel features the many casual trivia games made by the Jackbox Games publisher. You can get it for $4.99 a month.

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