I discovered an excellent gaming subscription service in the most unexpected place.

      It has become a monthly routine for me to mark my calendar and anticipate the announcement of the latest PS Plus or Game Pass games to determine if I will fully utilize my subscription. Aside from knowing that all Xbox-published titles will be available on launch day, the remaining games are always shrouded in mystery. This unpredictability can be a motivating factor to explore games or genres I usually wouldn’t, but despite my efforts to remain open to new experiences, there will inevitably be months when I feel let down.

      Checking forums and comments about the new game lineup often presents a mix of praise, disappointment, and those unfortunate individuals lamenting their recent purchases of games announced for the service. With the exception of day-one Xbox titles, the two major gaming subscription services operate similarly, usually leaving subscribers largely uninformed about upcoming game releases. Naturally, this strategy will never satisfy everyone.

      I discovered a smaller, more specialized gaming subscription model that could serve as a viable alternative where I least expected it: Crunchyroll.

      Diving into the Game Vault

      One inherent flaw of the PS Plus and Game Pass models is their inconsistency. It is unrealistic to expect high-quality games across every significant genre every month. Even in months when Xbox adds titles like Oblivion Remastered and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which cater to RPG enthusiasts, those who are indifferent to that genre will be left wanting. The aim is not to satisfy everyone every month but to keep enough people content frequently enough to ensure they maintain their subscriptions.

      This mirrors Netflix's approach, and it makes sense as both PlayStation and Xbox strive for broad appeal. Aside from a few publisher-specific services, such as those from Ubisoft and EA, I have often questioned what an alternative model might look like and whether it could thrive.

      The answer I found was quite unexpected.

      While browsing Crunchyroll to revisit some key episodes of Dragon Ball Daima following the full English dub release, I stumbled upon a tab for a Game Vault. For those unfamiliar, Crunchyroll is the leading anime streaming service, and I certainly did not expect to encounter a gaming section there. However, considering that Netflix has also ventured into gaming, it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

      Upon exploring the game catalog, I immediately noticed a significant difference between Crunchyroll’s approach and that of other services: curation. I don’t mean this in terms of quality—there are indeed many games here that I consider to be quite subpar—but rather in their general appeal. A quick glance at the catalog made it clear how each game could attract anime fans. There are familiar titles based on anime, visual novels, and gacha games, as well as offerings like River City Girls and Shantae and the Seven Sirens, which carry the same “flavor” that would appeal to anime enthusiasts.

      What particularly caught my attention, and inspired this entire reflection, was the small yet notable selection of cult classic and somewhat obscure games that are not readily accessible. Titles such as Corpse Party, Ys Chronicles I and II, and Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth stood out as the kind of niche games that I might only find within such a specialized model.

      Crunchyroll’s Game Vault is clearly in its early stages and requires significant improvements to transcend being just a nice add-on to its main anime streaming service. The library remains quite limited, mobile navigation is extremely basic, and there’s no clear plan for when new games will be introduced. These are all challenges I hope will be addressed because, conceptually, I believe there is a gap in the gaming subscription market for services like this.

      I’m not suggesting that Crunchyroll can replace PS Plus or Game Pass, but it could certainly complement them. We have seen there is ample demand for more niche services like this, from Shudder, which caters directly to horror fans, to Crunchyroll meeting a growing audience for anime. While you can sample these genres on larger platforms, there’s significant value in a service that has a clearly defined target audience. Although not every game added will resonate with the entire audience, it would have a much higher likelihood of doing so compared to larger services that indiscriminately release a wide array of titles. This approach also opens the door for more niche offerings that might be dismissed on a broader platform, especially if they aren’t easily accessible on current devices. Emphasizing depth instead of breadth may be the key for another contender to break into this market without the financial backing of giants like PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo, which can afford to invest millions in acquiring big-name titles for their expansive catalogs.

      A balance is necessary here. I don’t think anyone desires a world where every individual genre has its dedicated service, but there is certainly ample space for secondary models that appeal to enthusiasts. At the same time, offering people alternative models that align with their interests holds great value. I don’t believe Crunchyroll has fully realized this with its Game Vault yet,