Following the rumors that Sony would reveal a new subscription for PlayStation users this week, the Japanese company announced it would relaunch PlayStation Plus. In June, Sony will be merging PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now into a single service, available in four different memberships: Essential, Extra, Premium, and Deluxe. It’s worth mentioning that the Essential and Extra plans are available everywhere, while Premium and Deluxe subscriptions are interchangeable depending on the region. Membership details follow. PlayStation Plus Essential
Replaces the existing PlayStation Plus subscription, providing users with the same services and benefits, including: Two monthly downloadable games Exclusive discounts Cloud storage for saved games Online multiplayer access Price for PlayStation Plus Essential remains the same as the current price for PlayStation Plus: United States - $9.99 monthly / $24.99 quarterly / $59.99 yearly Europe - €8.99 monthly / €24.99 quarterly / €59.99 yearly United Kingdom - £6.99 monthly / £19.99 quarterly / £49.99 yearly Japan - ¥850 monthly / ¥2,150 quarterly / ¥5,143 yearly
PlayStation Plus Extra
Provides all the benefits from the Essential tier Adds a catalog of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games: Blockbuster hits from PlayStation Studios and third-party partners Games in the Extra tier are downloadable for play Price for PlayStation Plus Extra membership: United States - $14.99 monthly / $39.99 quarterly / $99.99 yearly Europe - €13.99 monthly / €39.99 quarterly / €99.99 yearly United Kingdom - £10.99 monthly / £31.99 quarterly / £83.99 yearly Japan - ¥1,300 monthly / ¥3,600 quarterly / ¥8,600 yearly
PlayStation Plus Premium
Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers Adds up to 340 additional games, including: PS3 games available via cloud streaming A catalog of classic games available in both streaming and download options from the original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP generations Offers cloud streaming access for original PlayStation, PS2, PSP, and PS4 games provided in the Extra and Premium tiers in markets where PlayStation Now is currently available (customers can only stream games using PS4, PS5, and PC) Time-limited game trials to try before you buy Price: United States - $17.99 monthly / $49.99 quarterly / $119.99 yearly Europe - €16.99 monthly / €49.99 quarterly / €119.99 yearly United Kingdom - £13.49 monthly / £39.99 quarterly / £99.99 yearly Japan - ¥1,550 monthly / ¥4,300 quarterly / ¥10,250 yearly
PlayStation Plus Deluxe
Only available for markets without cloud streaming Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers Includes a catalog of classic games from the original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP generations to download and play Time-limited game trials PlayStation Plus Deluxe will be offered at a lower price compared to Premium, with local pricing varying by market
The Extra and Premium tiers look like a direct response to Xbox Game Pass, which has seen a yearly increase in subscribers. Games in these tiers include Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal, to name a few. The company promises to reveal more details regarding included games soon. However, if you were hoping to get day-one releases as Microsoft does with Game Pass, that won’t be the case. In an interview, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said that PlayStation is currently in “a good, virtuous cycle” where investment generates good results. That’s PlayStation’s current reality, and the CEO believes gamers like it. He’s not completely wrong on that count. Many PS+ members were concerned the changes would negatively affect how their current membership works. As it is, for those subscribers who just have a PS+ membership, things remain status quo. As for PlayStation Now, subscribers automatically migrate into PlayStation Plus Extra, and prices will remain the same at launch. The all-new PlayStation Plus service will first roll out in Asia, followed by North America, Europe, and the remaining regions. By the end of H1 2022, Sony expects to have the redesigned service available in most PlayStation Network territories. In addition, PlayStation plans to expand its cloud streaming service into more regions down the road.
