Amazon entered the cloud gaming sector with Luna back in 2020, but the rollout has been gradual since then.

It took 18 months for the service to be available to the general public in the US, and a further year for any international availability. Even now, it’s only available in four countries.

Despite this, a competitor to the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now is certainly a good thing, especially with Google Stadia having been shut down. Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon Luna.

When was Amazon Luna released?

Luna was initially unveiled at Amazon’s event back in September 2020, although the company didn’t say when the service would be widely available at that point.

As it turned out, that would be almost 18 months later. Following an extended “early access” phase, Luna finally became available to the general public in the US in March 2022.

A year later, in March 2023, the service launched in the UK, Canada and Germany. It’s available in all four countries now, and works in the same way as in the US.

Amazon still presumably has plans to make it available elsewhere, but it’s not clear when that might be.

How much does Amazon Luna cost?

Luna is available to everyone in the US, UK, Canada and Germany, with a core Luna+ subscription costing $9.99/£8.99 per month. A 7-day free trial is also available.

But if you already subscribe to Amazon Prime, you can get access to some content without paying any extra. A rotating selection of playable games changes regularly, so check the Amazon website for the latest information – they should be the same across all countries.

If the Luna+ and Prime Gaming line-ups don’t tempt you, there’s also the option to sign up to Ubisoft Plus. This costs $17.99/£14.99 per month, but gets you access to high-profile titles like Watch Dogs: Legion, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6.

Both support up to 1080p resolution at 60fps, but you’re limited to one device at a time on Ubisoft+ while Luna+ supports two.

Other options include a subscription specifically for Jackbox’s party games ($4.99/£3.99) and classic titles in the Retro channel ($4.99). The latter isn’t available in the UK.

There’s also a $2.99 Family Channel, which has a lineup of child-friendly games and supports local co-op. Each of these subscriptions can work independently or be combined – you no longer need to pay for Luna first to get Ubisoft+.

The Luna Controller, designed to be used alongside the service, is also available for everyone in the US and UK to buy. It usually costs $69.99/£59.99, and there’s also the option to combine it with a Phone Clip attachment in the US ($84.98). In the UK, it’s sold separately for £12.99.

However, Luna does also work with the Xbox One controller, DualShock 4 (PS4) or just a regular mouse and keyboard.

How to join Luna

Now Luna is out of early access, it couldn’t be easier. Just head to the Luna page on Amazon US or Amazon UK and sign in to your account. Then either click ‘Play free with Prime’, or purchase one of the other subscriptions.

Like the full Prime subscription, you can cancel at any time.

Remember, this is only available if you’re in the US, UK, Canada or Germany – though you might be able to get around that requirement with a VPN.

What will I need to play Amazon Luna?

A key selling point of Luna is the ability to “play on the devices you already own”. So far, the service is available on PC, Mac, Fire TV, Android (though not all devices), and iOS – the latter via a web app.

At the time of writing, the following devices are compatible with Luna:

Fire TV Stick (2nd Generation and newer)

Fire TV Cube (1st Generation and newer)

Fire TV (3rd Generation)

Insignia Fire TV Edition

Toshiba Fire TV Edition

Fire TV Edition (2018 and newer)

Fire TV 2-Series

Fire TV 4-Series

Fire TV Omni and Omni QLED Series

Fire Tablets (2018 or newer)

2022 Samsung smart TVs (version 1302+)

2021 Samsung smart TVs (version v2111.1)

2023 LG smart TVs (webOS23)

2022 LG smart TVs (webOS22)

2021 LG smart TVs (webOS 6.0)

On a PC, Mac, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad or Android device, you’ll need one of the following:

Google Chrome (version 83+) for PC, Mac, and (version 86+) Chromebook.

Microsoft Edge (version 90+) for PC and Mac.

Safari (iOS 15+) for iPhone and (iPadOS 15+) iPad.

Google Chrome (version 86+) for Android (Android 10+) devices.

As you might expect, you’ll also need a strong internet connection with download speeds of 10Mbps or higher. For the best experience, Amazon recommends using an Ethernet cable or switch to 5GHz Wi-Fi.

While you can play Luna with a keyboard and mouse or any Bluetooth controller, Amazon is encouraging you to pick up the dedicated Luna controller ($69.99/£59.99 at full price). It looks almost identical to the one you’ll find on Xbox, and will 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 Luna now includes a vast selection of different games. These vary depending on which subscription you choose, but the full lists are available on the Amazon website.

Games are added every month, with the additions for Luna+ subscribers in August 2023 as follows:

Encodya (new)

Wonderboy: The Dragon’s Trap (returning)

StarWars Pinball (returning)

But even if you’re just a regular Prime member, you’ll be able to access the following new games at no extra cost via Prime Gaming:

Batora: Lost Haven

SteamWorld Quest

The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf

Ys VII: Lacrimose of Dana

Details about all these games can be found in the relevant Amazon Luna blog post. From the main Luna blog page, you can learn more about other titles which have recently been added.

That includes Fortnite, Epic Games’ renowned survival game. It’s available to all Amazon Prime members, or via a Luna+ subscription if you’d prefer. There’s no way to access it for free, unlike Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now, although the latter limits you to one hour per session.

Unlike the other titles above, Fortnite will be available indefinitely – it won’t be leaving the platform for the foreseeable future. Almost all games on Luna also support cross-platform play, so you’ll be able to join forces with friends on another cloud gaming service, console or PC.

Alongside the lineup of games is integration with Twitch, the gaming-focused streaming service owned by Amazon. Within the Luna “experience”, players see the option to watch a relevant Twitch stream, while there’s also the ability to start playing directly within the Twitch app.

The official image below gives you an idea what the Luna user experience is like, with Twitch streams and screenshots integrated into the main screen for each game.

We’ll update this article if more details are revealed about Luna. In the meantime, check out our round-up of the best game streaming services to see what it’s up against. 

Gaming