If you're an Amazon Prime member, you've been treated to a brand-new way to play video games at no extra cost. The US retailer has brought its cloud gaming service — Amazon Luna — directly into Prime Video for the first time.
This means you can play games alongside the packed catalogue of films, TV shows, and live sport already available to stream — no console needed, no expensive kit, and no downloads. The whole idea is to make playing games as simple as picking something to watch on telly.
Billions of people play games worldwide, but only a few hundred million actually own a console or gaming PC, according to Amazon.
"For a lot of people, games have been harder to find than they should be," said Jeff Gattis, GM of Gaming at Amazon.
"Bringing Luna inside Prime Video allows Prime members to discover games more naturally, and if they see one they like, they click it and they're in. That's less time searching and more time playing great games included with their Prime membership."
Finding games is meant to be simple — just look for the new "Games" tab in Prime Video, tap on whatever catches your eye, and you're playing within seconds.
You can use your own controller or even your phone with the Prime Video app open, and there's nothing you need to download or buy on top of your existing Prime membership.
The game library is also designed to cover a range of tastes. You've got blockbuster titles like Hogwarts Legacy, EA Sports FC 26, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, plus family-friendly GameNight options such as Clue, Ticket to Ride, and Taboo that are perfect for getting everyone involved.
New games are expected to be added every month, so there will be no shortage of options.
What's really clever is how Amazon is linking games to its films and shows. The Masters of the Universe movie is streaming on Prime Video, and now you can also dive into Masters of the Universe: Legends Unite, a co-op card game for up to four players.
There's also Courtroom Chaos. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered party game where you argue ridiculous cases with him as the judge — everyone plays on their phones, no controllers required. Later this year, Mr Schwarzenegger will pop up again in The Man with the Bag, a holiday film on Prime Video, so you can watch him one night and play against him the next.
This new feature is only available in the UK and the US, but Amazon says it plans to expand to more countries and devices later in the year.
Prime Video faces tough competition. Netflix includes games as part of every standard subscription, letting subscribers download and play titles on Android and iPhone at no extra cost, without adverts or in-app purchases. The library spans casual hits, indie favourites and games tied to popular Netflix shows, including Oxenfree, Spiritfarer, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Too Hot to Handle 3 and Squid Game: Unleashed. It’s a way for subscribers to get more from their membership, even if they’ve never played a mobile game before.
