Why You Can Trust CNET Amazon Luna: How to get early access to the cloud gaming platform
Luna doesn't have a release date, but you can register for early access right now.
One of the most promising areas in gaming over the past year has been cloud gaming. Microsoft's xCloud lets you play new Xbox games on your phone. Games released on Google Stadia can be played on any phone, laptop or computer. And now, Amazon wants in. On Thursday the e-commerce giant announced Luna, its very own cloud gaming service.
The biggest mystery surrounds the games available on the platform. Amazon has yet to provide a list, although we do know Ubisoft will bring Assassin's Creed Valhalla to the platform. Luna will run on Amazon's AWS servers, and at launch games will stream at up to 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second. Support for 4K is teased as "coming soon."
A "Luna Plus" subscription will cost you $5.99 per month, and you'll also need a Luna control pad. Right now, it has an "early access" price of $49.
No exact release date was given for Luna, but you can sign up for early access to the service through Amazon's site. Sadly, this early access is only available for US citizens.
To register for early access, click this link to Amazon's Luna page. You'll then fill out a short survey, which includes questions about how often you game, which devices you own, your ZIP code and internet speed. (Amazon recommends a minimum internet connection speed of 10Mbps.) Once this is done, you'll click a button that says "Request Early Access" and voila.
Unfortunately, early access is invite only, meaning not everyone who signs up will get a code. When Early Access goes live, Luna will be playable through PC, Mac, iOS and Amazon Fire TV platforms.
What games will be on Luna?
Amazon has yet to release a comprehensive list of the titles available on Luna. It did say, though, that games available in the early access period will include:
- Resident Evil 7
- Control
- GRID
- Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
We also know that Ubisoft will be bringing its two big late-2020 titles, Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion, to the platform. But it looks like you'll have to pay extra to play these games.
The Luna page of Amazon's site shows that Ubisoft will have its own "channel" -- presumably an area where you'll be able to play Ubisoft's games -- and that you're probably going to have to pay extra for it. It's unclear at the moment which games will be in the Luna Plus channel, and which publishers will get their own area.