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EA Play vs Heroic Games Launcher

EA Play logo

EA Play

Gaming

Subscription access to the EA back catalogue with timed trials of new releases

From
$5.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Heroic Games Launcher logo

Heroic Games Launcher

Gaming

Open source client for Epic, GOG and Amazon libraries on Linux, Windows and macOS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Heroic Games Launcher has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: EA Play the advertised early access on the standard tier is a ten hour timed trial, not the game, and the clock runs whether or not you are making progress.; Heroic Games Launcher it depends on reverse-engineered backends for each store, so an authentication change at Epic or Amazon breaks logins until unpaid maintainers respond.
  • They diverge on capability: EA Play covers Catalogue access, Heroic Games Launcher covers Epic, GOG and Amazon libraries.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which EA Play and Heroic Games Launcher actually diverge.

Attributes where EA Play and Heroic Games Launcher differ
AttributeEA PlayHeroic Games Launcher
Starting price$5.99/monthFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, PlayStation, XboxLinux, Windows, macOS

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Gaming).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in EA Play

  • Catalogue access
  • Ten hour trials
  • Purchase discount
  • Pro tier full releases
  • In game rewards
  • Bundled with Game Pass Ultimate

Only in Heroic Games Launcher

  • Epic, GOG and Amazon libraries
  • Cross-platform
  • Wine and Proton management
  • Steam Deck packaging
  • Cloud saves
  • Add to Steam

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

EA Play

  • Playing the current sports title a year late, when the previous edition has entered the catalogue and the gameplay difference is smallnot Heroic Games Launcher
  • Trying a new EA release for ten hours before deciding whether to buy it at full pricenot Heroic Games Launcher
  • A household already paying for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, where EA Play arrives at no extra chargenot Heroic Games Launcher
  • Working through a back catalogue such as Mass Effect, Dead Space or Battlefield over a couple of months for the price of one gamenot Heroic Games Launcher

Heroic Games Launcher

  • A Steam Deck owner who wants to play Epic or Amazon titles they already ownnot EA Play
  • A Linux desktop user with a GOG library and no interest in configuring Wine by handnot EA Play
  • A macOS user wanting access to a GOG library without a Windows machinenot EA Play
  • Someone consolidating three storefront clients into one interface on Windowsnot EA Play

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

EA Play

  • The advertised early access on the standard tier is a ten hour timed trial, not the game, and the clock runs whether or not you are making progress.
  • Titles are withdrawn from the catalogue when EA loses or ends a licence, so a series can lose an entry while you are part way through it and there is no warning period worth relying on.
  • On PC the subscription runs through the EA app, which is mandatory even for Steam purchases and has a long record of download, launch and cloud save faults.
  • Everything is limited to EA published titles, so it complements rather than replaces a general subscription and the ten percent discount never applies to anything else.
  • Cancelling ends access immediately, including to saves that only open inside the game, so a lapsed subscription during a busy month can strand a long single player campaign.

Heroic Games Launcher

  • It depends on reverse-engineered backends for each store, so an authentication change at Epic or Amazon breaks logins until unpaid maintainers respond.
  • It does not handle Steam, so anyone with a mixed library still runs two clients and the consolidation is partial.
  • Cloud save support varies by store and by game, and finding out that a title does not sync usually happens after losing progress.
  • It is an Electron application, so memory use is high for what is fundamentally a list of games, which matters on a handheld with limited resources.
  • Games protected by kernel-level anti-cheat still do not run on Linux, and the launcher cannot change a publisher decision.

Pricing, plan by plan

EA Play

$5.99/month
  • EA Play$5.99/month
    • Catalogue access on PC, PlayStation and Xbox
    • Ten hour trials of new releases
    • Ten percent discount on EA purchases
  • EA Play Pro$16.99/month
    • PC only
    • New EA releases in full at launch
    • Deluxe editions and their content included

Heroic Games Launcher

Free
  • Heroic Games LauncherFree
    • Full functionality
    • No paid tier
    • Store accounts used directly

Which should you pick?

Choose EA Play if

  • You need catalogue access.
  • You work on Windows, PlayStation, Xbox.
  • You also want ten hour trials.
EA Play review

Choose Heroic Games Launcher if

  • You need epic, gog and amazon libraries.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want cross-platform.
Heroic Games Launcher review

Questions people ask

Is EA Play or Heroic Games Launcher better?
Neither clearly leads. EA Play starts at $5.99/month and Heroic Games Launcher at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, EA Play or Heroic Games Launcher?
Heroic Games Launcher has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $5.99/month for EA Play and Free for Heroic Games Launcher.
Does EA Play or Heroic Games Launcher run on more platforms?
EA Play runs on Windows, PlayStation, Xbox. Heroic Games Launcher runs on Linux, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Heroic Games Launcher for free?
Yes. Heroic Games Launcher has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. EA Play starts at $5.99/month.
What is EA Play best used for?
EA Play is most often used for playing the current sports title a year late, when the previous edition has entered the catalogue and the gameplay difference is small, trying a new ea release for ten hours before deciding whether to buy it at full price, a household already paying for xbox game pass ultimate, where ea play arrives at no extra charge, working through a back catalogue such as mass effect, dead space or battlefield over a couple of months for the price of one game. Of those, playing the current sports title a year late, when the previous edition has entered the catalogue and the gameplay difference is small and trying a new ea release for ten hours before deciding whether to buy it at full price are not what Heroic Games Launcher is typically brought in for.
What can EA Play do that Heroic Games Launcher cannot?
EA Play covers Catalogue access, Ten hour trials, Purchase discount, Pro tier full releases. Heroic Games Launcher covers Epic, GOG and Amazon libraries, Cross-platform, Wine and Proton management, Steam Deck packaging.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

EA Play: Do I keep the games if I cancel?

No. Access ends with the subscription. Only purchases made with the subscriber discount remain yours.

Heroic Games Launcher: Why does this exist when Epic has its own launcher?

Epic publishes no Linux client. Heroic fills that gap and then extended to GOG, Amazon, Windows and macOS.

EA Play: Is EA Play included with Xbox Game Pass?

It is included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Lower Game Pass tiers do not necessarily include it, so check the current tier list before subscribing separately.

Heroic Games Launcher: Is it safe to log into my store accounts?

It is open source and widely used, and it authenticates against the real store endpoints. As with any third-party client, you are trusting the maintainers and the build you installed.

EA Play: What is the difference between EA Play and EA Play Pro?

Pro is PC only, costs about three times as much, and gives new releases in full at launch instead of ten hour trials.

Heroic Games Launcher: Does it work in Steam Deck game mode?

Yes, generally by adding titles to Steam as non-Steam shortcuts, which is a documented part of the normal workflow.

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