Even with two of gaming’s biggest subscription services, plenty of major games still sit outside the rental-style ecosystem.
Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus both offer big libraries, but they still leave clear gaps. That becomes obvious the second you look beyond the rotating catalogues and into the games players actually keep talking about. Some are locked behind Nintendo’s own ecosystem, some are premium multiplatform releases that publishers still want sold at full price, and others were never really built for subscription libraries in the first place.
If you only pay for Game Pass or PS Plus, there are still plenty of games you simply will not get through those services. That does not make either subscription bad, but it does mean they are not the all-access solution some players assume they are. In 2026, some of gaming’s biggest names still require a direct purchase, a Nintendo console, or in some cases no subscription at all because the game is already free-to-play.
We have already covered how subscription libraries keep changing, from the Xbox Game Pass reboot and its new tiers to major additions like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition arriving on Game Pass. That wider context matters here, because catalogue wins and major omissions continue to exist side by side.
Xbox Game Pass remains strong on catalogue value, but major gaps still sit outside the service.
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Nintendo exclusives are completely outside the conversation
This is the easiest category to understand. If Nintendo keeps a game on Switch, then it is automatically off the table for both Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus. That means some of the biggest games of the past few years are not even candidates for either service.
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Pokémon Scarlet
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Splatoon 3
- Pikmin 4
That alone is a massive hole in the subscription idea. If you want Nintendo’s biggest first-party games, you are still playing by Nintendo’s rules. There is no shortcut through Game Pass or PS Plus for that.
Premium multiplatform games you still need to buy
This is where things get more interesting. These are not locked to one ecosystem like Nintendo titles. They are available across major platforms, but they still are not part of either subscription library right now. In other words, you can play them on Xbox or PlayStation, but you still need to pay for them separately.
- Elden Ring
- Tekken 8
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Forspoken
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Elden Ring is still not included with Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.
These are exactly the kind of games many players hope will just “show up” on a subscription eventually. Sometimes they do. Often they do not, at least not when interest is strongest. Publishers still want premium sales, and for some titles that matters more than quick subscription exposure.
That is one of the big limits of both services. They are strong for variety, backlog value, and unexpected discoveries, but they are still not reliable if your goal is to play every major release without buying it outright.
Some games live outside the subscription model entirely
There is also a different kind of gap, and this one is less about absence and more about business model. Games like these are not really “missing” in the same way because they already sit outside the normal subscription logic. You do not need Game Pass or PS Plus to access the base experience.
- Fortnite
- Destiny 2
- Rocket League
These games operate on their own terms. They pull players in through free access, then build around updates, seasons, cosmetics, expansions, or other monetisation. So while they are not included in the same way as catalog titles, they also do not really need to be. They already bypass the paywall that subscriptions are supposed to solve.
Fortnite promotional artwork from Epic Games.
Why these gaps still matter
Subscription services are still useful. They can save money, introduce players to games they would never have bought otherwise, and make it easier to sample different genres without much risk. But they also create a false sense of coverage if you are not careful. It is easy to feel like you are paying for “everything” when in reality some of the most recognisable games in the industry remain outside the deal.
That is especially true if your interests lean toward Nintendo, recent AAA releases, or major franchises that publishers still treat as premium products. Even in 2026, there is still a hard line between a strong subscription catalogue and true full access to gaming.
The simple truth
Game Pass and PlayStation Plus are both good services. They just are not replacements for buying games altogether. If you want something like Elden Ring, Tekken 8, Dragon’s Dogma 2, or Nintendo’s biggest exclusives, you are still looking at separate spending, or in Nintendo’s case, a completely different platform.
That is the part worth remembering. Subscriptions can cover a lot, but they still do not cover the games many players care about most. And that gap is still shaping how people buy, wait, and choose where to play.
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Written by Ronny Fiksdahl, Founder & Editor of Fix Gaming Channel.
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