Amazon Luna review: perfect for Prime members
Two-minute review
Amazon Luna is a cloud gaming service that allows you to stream games over your internet connection. If you already have an Amazon Prime subscription, then you can access Amazon Luna at no additional cost right now. This is one of the biggest reasons to consider the service, as this basic tier offers a surprisingly well-rounded package. You get a rotating selection of a few free games, which has recently included big hitters such as Fallout New Vegas, on top of access to free-to-play titles like Fortnite and Trackmania.
If you own any Ubisoft games on PC, like Assassin’s Creed Mirage or Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, you can also link your Ubisoft and Amazon accounts together to gain immediate access to them on Luna. This isn’t just restricted to recent titles either and, while there are some omissions, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I could still jump into older favorites including Beyond Good & Evil and Far Cry 2 on the cloud.
If you don’t own any Ubisoft PC games, you can buy them in Luna and have them automatically added to your Ubisoft PC library - a smart way to ease concerns about losing access to purchased games in the event that the service’s servers are taken offline. Although it’s not available right now, Amazon is also working to integrate a selection of games from the GOG storefront in a similar way which will even further expand its library.
You then have the option to upgrade your membership with Luna+, which grants access to a range of new games. It’s cheaper than the competition, which is reflected in the more limited catalog, but there’s still an impressive variety in the titles here ranging from AAA blockbusters to smaller indie adventures. Amazon Luna is also compatible with Ubisoft+, on top of offering an incredibly affordable Jackbox Games subscription which grants access to all of the Jackbox Party Pack games on the service. The multiple tiers and various services might be a little confusing for newcomers, but they bring a level of flexibility that’s simply not present in any other cloud gaming service and allow you to save cash by only paying for the parts of the library that interest you.
No matter what you’re playing on Amazon Luna though, you can expect smooth performance provided your internet meets the minimum speed requirement of 10 Mbps. I found that games ran almost flawlessly at that speed, with very little if any noticeable input latency and a clear 1080p 60 frames per second (fps) picture. That said, you can expect sudden lag and visible compression if your connection becomes unstable, so it’s definitely worth playing with an ethernet cable if possible.
Price and availability
Basic tier included with Amazon Prime
Upgrade to Luna+ for $9.99 / £8.99 per month
Available on a range of devices in the US and UK
Basic access to Amazon Luna is included with Amazon Prime, which costs $14.99 / £8.99 per month. This base tier offers a rotating selection of games plus access to free-to-play titles and your Ubisoft PC library. If you’re already an Amazon Prime member with good internet speeds there’s really no reason not to boot up the service and give it a go.
You can also upgrade your membership with Luna+, which costs an extra $9.99 / £8.99 a month and includes just over 120 games. You can still buy Luna+ if you’re not an Amazon Prime member though, which comes with the same perks and access to your Ubisoft PC library without the need for the Prime membership. In addition to the game library, Luna+ grants priority access to servers allowing you to boot up your games a little more quickly.
There’s also a separate Jackbox Games subscription that costs $4.99 / £3.99 a month. This offers access to ten installments of the Jackbox Party Pack series, plus Drawful 2 and The Jackbox Party Starter. If you’re looking for a cheap way to dive into some top-party games with friends, this could be a worthwhile add-on.
On top of all this, Amazon Luna is also compatible with Ubisoft+. Ubisoft+ costs $17.99 / £14.99 per month and lets you play all of the Ubisoft games on the service. If you’re a Ubisoft+ subscriber, you can also use your membership on a range of other platforms including PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
The Amazon Luna service is available as a web app that can be accessed on iOS, Android, PC, and Fire tablets, in addition to Fire TV devices and recent Samsung smart TVs in both the US and UK. Amazon Luna is not currently available in Australia, though.
Features and interface
No matter your platform, the Amazon Luna interface is simple and easy to navigate. It shares a lot in common with video streaming services, as each game is presented through a panel that you can then view a trailer or further details. When you’ve found a game that you want to try, you simply hit the prominent “Play now” button and wait a few moments for it to begin. Some titles take a little longer than others to start, but I found that I could get into most games in under twenty seconds which is an impressive result.
When you’re in-game, you can hit a shortcut to open a basic overlay that displays the option to quit or begin live streaming via Twitch. In addition to capturing your gameplay, the Twitch streaming option supports external microphones and webcams giving you everything that you need to capture your reactions. Multiplayer games also allow you to start a Luna Couch session. This gives you a short code that you can share with your friends, allowing them to quickly jump into your game without the need for their own subscription. It’s a fantastic feature and one that I found worked surprisingly well, even while playing with friends with less reliable internet connections.
Games can be played using touch-screen controls, a compatible controller such as an Xbox Wireless Controller, or a keyboard and mouse if you’re on PC. You also have the option to use your phone as a wireless controller via the Luna Controller app in a pinch, though the lack of physical inputs and cumbersome layout make this a little more trouble than it's worth.
If you're struggling to find games to play, the Luna home screen lets you sort games by a variety of criteria, including different genres and age ratings. You can save your favorites to the ‘Playlist’ tab, making for a simple way to keep track of any longer games that you might want to dip in and out of.
Game library
Amazon Luna’s biggest shortcoming is its relatively small game library. Luna+ offers just over 120 titles to choose from. Even when you add on another 40 coming from Ubisoft, 12 more from Jackbox, and the 12 or so titles offered to Prime members, this is still less than half the number of games that you can find on Xbox Cloud Gaming. Even so, Luna does offer a solid selection of different genres so it’s not like you’re going to find yourself without at least a few things to play.
I personally loved revisiting River City Girls and Elex 2, but also discovered a new favorite in Young Souls. The lack of any downloads makes it easy to jump in and out of games immediately, which is especially easy to appreciate with many of the larger titles like Control Ultimate Edition and Devil May Cry 5. Many Ubisoft games also offer full cross-progression and even cross-platform multiplayer, which is a perfect match for sprawling adventures like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6. Being able to jump right into my existing saves from my phone during my lunch break in the office is almost magical and a great way to squeeze in a little more progress.
Amazon says that 4K game streaming is in the works but, for the time being, every title is restricted to a 1080p maximum resolution. This is realistically going to be enough for most casual players, but it does mean that some more graphically demanding games lose a bit of their luster on big displays. Even at 1080p, however, the data requirements for game streaming are absolutely immense. You can expect to use about 10GB per hour of play, making this one to avoid if you have a limited internet or mobile data plan.
I personally loved revisiting River City Girls and Elex 2, but also discovered a new favorite in Young Souls. The lack of any downloads makes it easy to jump in and out of games immediately, which is especially easy to appreciate with many of the larger titles like Control Ultimate Edition and Devil May Cry 5. Many Ubisoft games also offer full cross-progression and even cross-platform multiplayer, which is a perfect match for sprawling adventures like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6. Being able to jump right into my existing saves from my phone during my lunch break in the office is almost magical and a great way to squeeze in a little more progress.
Amazon says that 4K game streaming is in the works but, for the time being, every title is restricted to a 1080p maximum resolution. This is realistically going to be enough for most casual players, but it does mean that some more graphically demanding games lose a bit of their luster on big displays. Even at 1080p, however, the data requirements for game streaming are absolutely immense. You can expect to use about 10GB per hour of play, making this one to avoid if you have a limited internet or mobile data plan.
Should I use Amazon Luna?
Use it if…
Don’t use it if…
How I tested Amazon Luna
I tested Amazon Luna for over two months, playing around five hours of games each week. During that time I tested a large share of the games in the Amazon Luna catalog with a range of hardware. This included playing on my iPhone 15 Plus and Samsung S23 Plus with a Razer Kishi Ultra in addition to a PC and laptop. While playing on PC, I used a number of compatible peripherals including the Amazon Luna Controller, the Xbox Wireless Controller, and the Turtle Beach Recon Cloud Controller.
I was careful to try the service using a range of internet connections and mobile data in order to assess performance at different speeds. During my time with the service, I used a combination of my personal Amazon Prime membership, personal Ubisoft PC library, and a complementary Luna+ membership that was provided by Amazon.
