Amazon Prime is loaded with perks. Members get free two-day shipping on thousands of items, discounts at Whole Foods and plenty of content to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Plus Prime Day gives members access to massive deals on the latest tech every year. But if you're a gamer, there's another benefit: Amazon Prime Gaming.
Amazon Prime Gaming: Cost
Formerly Twitch Prime, Amazon Prime Gaming is included for everyone in their Prime membership, whether they are a gamer or not. That means — technically — Amazon Prime Gaming costs nothing. But what it really means is that you need to be a Prime member to get Prime Gaming.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced a price hike on Amazon Prime, so now the service costs $14.99/month. However, you can still pay an annual membership fee to reduce costs if you are willing to commit. The annual membership fee for Prime is now $139 a year. For those with a fear of commitment, rest assured that you do not have to pay right away. New Prime members can sign up for a free 30-day trial or free 6-month trial if you're a student.
Amazon Prime Gaming: How to sign up
This is the easy part. If you have Amazon Prime, you have Prime Gaming. It’s that simple. All you have to do is visit the Prime Gaming landing page and log in to your Amazon account.
Amazon Prime Gaming: Perks
There are a ton of perks to Amazon Prime Gaming, but they break down into three categories: free PC games, free loot and free Twitch perks. Full disclosure: I have been using Prime Gaming since it was Twitch Prime and even I did not know all the perks that you get.
Amazon Prime Gaming: Free PC games
Free PC games are definitely the biggest perk to Amazon Prime Gaming. A lot of these games are indie games, but you do get AAA games on occasion. Earlier this year Amazon included a free download of Dead Space 2, which is considered a must-play by a lot of gamers.
These downloads are offered in either one of two ways. The bigger games are typically offered as a download code that you are then directed to download from a third-party site. These downloads will typically require you to sign up for a (free) account on that third-party site in order to redeem the download code. The indie games, however, are often redeemable through the Amazon Games desktop app. This app only requires you to log into your Prime account, at which point you can claim and install the free games directly from the app.
There is one catch: these deals expire. If you wait too long to redeem the code you may miss out on an awesome free game. The good news is that you only need to redeem the code to make sure you do not lose the game. Once you’ve redeemed the code or claimed the game, you can install the game at your leisure.
Amazon Prime Gaming: Free loot
Unlike the free games, the free loot that Amazon Prime Gaming offers is available for PC and consoles. That means Prime Gaming members can get exclusive access to weapons, characters, skins, boosts, upgrades, and more.
The range of games that Prime Gaming members get loot for is expansive. FIFA, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Roblox, the list goes on. There is even loot available for mobile games like Pokemon Go. The loot available to Prime Gaming members refreshes regularly, so it is good to check often to see what is available. I typically check my Prime Gaming account on Thursday nights for free loot and free PC games because I can check the Epic Games Store for their latest free game at the same time.
Amazon Prime Gaming: Free Twitch perks
For those who are unfamiliar with Twitch, it is currently the premier streaming platform on the internet. Unlike YouTube, where users can watch livestreams and pre-recorded content, Twitch is specifically designed for livestreaming. However, like with YouTube, you can either create content, enjoy others' content or a combination of both.
With Amazon Prime Gaming, there are a couple of perks Prime Gaming members get for enjoying content on Twitch. Most are cosmetic, like exclusive Twitch chat colors and emotes and the ability to chat with a members-only crown chat badge. However, members also get a free channel subscription. This is a $4.99 value the Prime Gaming members get every month. While there is a catch (the channel has to be a Partnered or Affiliate channel) it is still a cool perk for those that use Twitch.
Amazon Prime Gaming: Prime Day 2022 perks
Of course, having an Amazon Prime account has to come with some Prime Day perks. Amazon Prime Gaming is no different. This year, Amazon Prime Gaming members are getting access to 30 free games for Prime Day. There are some major games included this year, including the highly-rated Mass Effect Legendary Edition. The big games like Mass Effect Legendary Edition will not be available to download until Prime Day on July 12, but there are currently 25 smaller games that members can download right now while they wait for Prime Day.
