Announced at Amazon’s hardware-dominated September 2020 event, Luna is the company’s new cloud gaming platform.
There had been plenty of rumours about the retail giant releasing a service to compete with the likes of Google, Microsoft and Nvidia, but until now further information wasn’t known.
Cloud gaming still plays second fiddle to PC and console gaming, but Amazon is one of a growing number of companies trying to change that. Here’s everything you need to know.
Amazon Luna release date
Luna was unveiled at Amazon’s event on 24 September 2020, although the company didn’t say when the service will be widely available. Customers in the US can request early access on the Amazon website, hinting at some sort of beta programme, but that option isn’t available in other countries.
Given the 8-month delay between the announcement and release of Google Stadia, it could be well into 2021 before Luna is rolled out to all compatible devices.
Amazon Luna price
Luna will be available for an “introductory price” of US$5.99 a month during the early access phase. This allows you to play up to two games simultaneously at up to 4K/60fps, although the latter will only be available on “select titles”.
It’s unclear if it will become more expensive further down the line, or if there will be different tiers of pricing. International pricing is not yet known.
The Luna Controller, designed to be used alongside the service, will be available for US$49.99 during this same introductory period.
What will I need to play Amazon Luna?
The key selling point of Luna is the ability to “play on the devices you already own”. The service will initially be available on PC, Mac, Fire TV, iPhone and iPad, the latter two via the web app. Android functionality is expected to be available at some point after launch.
As with all cloud gaming services currently, there are likely to be some minimum device requirements, such as a powerful processor or recent software version.
While you can play Luna with a keyboard and mouse or any Bluetooth controller, Amazon is encouraging you to pick up the new Luna controller. It looks almost identical to the one you’ll find on Xbox, and will likely provide a similar experience. However, the Luna Controller has extra tricks up its sleeve: Alexa integration and the ability to seamlessly move between devices.
Amazon Luna games
Amazon says that there will be over 100 games available to play on Luna, with launch titles including the following:
- Resident Evil 7
- Control
- Panzer Dragoon
- A Plague Tale: Innocence
- The Surge 2
- Yooka-Laylee
- GRID
- Abzu
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
If none of those take your fancy, the company says more games will be added “over time”. These will include Amazon Game Studios’ MMORPG New World, which is expected in Spring 2021.
Amazon has also announced a partnership with Ubisoft which will see a dedicated “channel” available via Luna. The company adds that “players who subscribe to this channel will have access to their favorite Ubisoft titles in up to 4K resolution, mobile gameplay, and access to new titles when the channel launches”. This means that AAA titles such as Assassins Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, and Immortals Fenyx Rising will be available on Luna as soon as they’re released, and Amazon says there are more titles to come.
Alongside the lineup of games is integration with Twitch, the gaming-focused streaming service owned by Amazon. Within the Luna “experience”, players will see the option to watch a relevant Twitch stream, while there will also be the ability to start playing directly within the Twitch app.
Amazon has also revealed the Netflix-style user interface for Luna, which includes the aforementioned Twitch streams as well as relevant trailers and screenshots.
We’ll update this article as soon as we know more about Luna. In the meantime, check out our round-up of the best game streaming services to see what it’s up against.
