EA Play Arrives August 31 on Steam Starting at Rs. 315

EA Play — previously known as EA Access on consoles, and Origin Access on PC — will arrive August 31 on Steam, Electronic Arts has announced. That will make Steam the fourth platform of availability for EA Play, after Origin, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. But EA Play Pro — the premium tier for PC users that was called Origin Access Premier prior to the rebranding — won't be coming to Steam, and will remain exclusive to Origin, EA's own games client for PC.

EA Play became the new moniker of EA's subscription game offering on Tuesday, as promised. Its launch has confirmed that EA doesn't plan to unify EA Play across platforms. That means if you wish to enjoy the benefits of EA Play on multiple systems, say a PS4 and Steam, you're looking at double the subscription cost every month.

The launch of EA Play on Steam continues a partnership between EA and Valve that was announced in October last year, which has slowly brought EA's vast catalogue of titles back to Steam, starting with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and then including the likes of FIFA 20, The Sims 4, Unravel Two, Apex Legends, and Battlefield V. EA titles support crossplay between Steam and Origin.

EA had said then that EA Access — as it was known then — would arrive in spring 2020 on Steam, but it has taken a little longer for that to happen. Come the end of August, EA Play will become the first subscription service on Steam, the biggest home for gaming on PC. Though it's known as EA Play, EA has been integrating third-party titles to help it better compete with the likes of Xbox Game Pass (available on Xbox and PC) and Uplay+ (PC-only).

In India, EA Play costs Rs. 315 per month or Rs. 1,990 per year across all platforms. It offers limited early trials, access to a vault of titles, and 10 percent discount on EA digital purchases. EA Play Pro costs Rs. 999 per month or Rs. 6,499 per year. In addition to EA Play benefits, EA Play Pro offers unlimited access to select EA games.

EA Play is available August 31 on Steam worldwide.