SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - US video game colossus Electronic Arts on Tuesday began testing a Netflix-style subscription service that lets Xbox One users play a library of online titles by paying monthly fees.

EA Access is being rolled out to a small number of Xbox One players in a test group but will "soon" be available for anyone with Microsoft's latest generation video game consoles, the according to the California-based video game company. Subscriptions will start at US$5 a month or US$30 for a full year, according to EA.

The new service tailored exclusive for Xbox One comes in a partnership with Microsoft, which is intent on gaining ground on PlayStation 4 consoles fielded late last year by Japanese rival Sony.

During the EA Access test phase, players will get unlimited access to FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Peggle 2, and Battlefield 4 with more titles to be added, according to the game maker. Sony includes downloads of selected older titles as part of its PlayStation Plus subscription service on its consoles.

Players have been watching for a "cloud" based PlayStation game service since it purchased game-streaming specialty firm Gaikai two years ago.