Gamers Ditch $70 Games: Subscriptions Shatter Records with $600M Surge — Is This the End of Game Ownership?

New data shows a major shift in gamer behavior — and the $70 price tag may be to blame.

The gaming world may be on the edge of a major transformation. According to new data from market tracker Circana, U.S. video game subscription spending hit a record-breaking $600 million in a single month — the highest total ever recorded.

This surge, which covers May 2025, marks the third straight month of growth in game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and EA Play. Instead of dropping $60–$70 per game, more players are opting for value-packed monthly passes offering access to hundreds of titles.

💬 Analyst Reaction: “Folks Looking for Value”

Circana’s Mat Piscatella — a veteran industry analyst — suggested on social media that rising consumer costs across the economy are driving this trend.

“People are tightening budgets and turning to subscriptions for better value,” he noted. Just months ago, Piscatella had publicly downplayed the long-term viability of subscriptions, but this recent wave of momentum suggests otherwise.

Back in April, he wrote that “subscriptions are not the future of gaming,” but recent economic pressures may have rewritten that narrative.

📉 Industry at a Crossroads

While the increase in subscription usage is a win for consumer convenience, it’s also raising concerns about sustainability, studio closures, and gamer rights.

Earlier this year, Microsoft faced intense backlash for raising Game Pass prices while simultaneously shutting down studios like Tango Gameworks (creators of Hi-Fi Rush). Meanwhile, EA pulled the plug on 13 games in January and confirmed that multiplayer shooter Anthem will be sunset in 2026.

Gamers are increasingly wary of digital-only titles and live-service models that vanish overnight — a fate that physical games rarely face. And while subscription libraries are vast, they come with a caveat: your favorite game can disappear at any time.

🔍 MainEvent.News Spin:

Let’s face it: in today’s financial climate, most people can’t justify spending $70+ on a single game that they’ll play once and forget about. With inflation, layoffs, and cost-of-living pressures, value has become the new king in entertainment.

Game subscriptions offer an alternative that feels more financially manageable. You pay a small monthly fee, play dozens of games, and move on — no buyer’s remorse. And let’s be honest: most AAA titles today don’t offer long-term replayability. After 20–40 hours, they’re done — with few people returning 5–7 years later.

This isn’t just about affordability. It’s about smart, practical consumer behavior. Why pay full price to own something that becomes irrelevant in weeks, especially in a digital ecosystem where ownership is more illusion than reality?

As the industry races toward live-service dominance, studios may need to reconsider how they design games — not just to sell, but to retain and engage. Whether that future is empowering or exploitative remains to be seen.