Review
Utomik Review: A PC Game Subscription Built on Back Catalogues
Utomik offers unlimited PC games for a monthly fee, streamed in pieces so play starts before the download ends. Its library leans on classics and indies rather than new releases.
Service UtomikPlatform Windows PCLibrary 660 games (November 2017)Price $5.99 USD a month (Single User), $9.99 USD (Family Plan)Trial 14 days
Film and TV streaming were everywhere by 2017; game subscriptions were still a small field. Utomik is a PC service that set out to fill it with breadth: a library spanning genres, with indie games beside older work from large publishers, for a flat monthly price. As of late 2017 it does that well. It is not the place for this year’s big releases, but for back catalogues and odd finds it is very good value.
How it works
The service runs through a desktop client. Sign in, browse by genre (Action, RPG, Shooter and so on) or by lists such as “Most played” and “Highest rated”, and press install. A search for a game that is not in the library returns similar titles that are, which doubles as a discovery tool.
The trick is the download. Utomik fetches the part of a game needed to start, launches it, and keeps downloading the rest in the background in the order it will be needed. Small games are playable within a minute or two; the longest wait measured here was about five minutes for one of the largest titles in the library.
Like Steam, the client has to be open to launch anything. An offline mode keeps installed games playable without internet, so this is not a service that dies with the connection. Controllers plugged into the PC are recognised without fuss.
The library
At 660 games in November 2017, the catalogue is wide rather than current. Highlights include the original Star Wars Battlefront II and Sonic CD on the classic side, and Metro Redux and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed among the more recent. A deal with Ubisoft brought older series such as Prince of Persia.
Indies are a strength. Evoland and Evoland II, two playful tours through the history of the RPG from the 8-bit era onwards, are both there. Utomik has also begun adding games on launch day: Yono and the Celestial Elephants arrived on release and ran well.
Performance holds up on heavier games. Borderlands and Saints Row: The Third ran without dropped frames, even in busy action scenes.
Prices and plans
There are two plans. Single User costs $5.99 USD a month for one person. The Family Plan costs $9.99 USD a month for up to four users, with parental controls. Both come with a 14-day free trial, can be cancelled at any time, and include unlimited play.
That puts Utomik at or below its competitors. GameFly charged more for less access, while EA Access and GeForce Now started at a similar price but offered a less varied mix of games. For someone who mostly plays on PC, the monthly fee is low for what is on offer.
Getting the most from the trial
The 14-day trial is long enough to answer the only question that matters: does the library hold the games a particular player wants? Checking the catalogue for three or four titles before signing up avoids paying for a service built around someone else’s taste. For households, the Family Plan works out at about $2.50 per person a month when all four places are used, cheaper than most single-game purchases over a year.
The verdict
Utomik is easy to use, quick to get into a game and stable throughout testing. Its weakness is obvious: no new AAA releases yet. Its strengths are equally clear: a large, eclectic library of classics and indies, an offline mode, and two inexpensive plans with a free trial. With only one or two subscription services per console and a handful on PC at the time, it fills a real gap. The best fit is a PC player who wants to dig through hard-to-find older games and smaller releases without buying each one.