PlayStation Plus evolves greatly and wants to face the Xbox Game Pass subscription, which has a wide variety of titles.
Sony divided its new subscription service into three levels: PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra and Premium, these last two options offer access to hundreds of the best games throughout the history of PlayStation.
The new plans will launch in June, and existing PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscribers will be automatically migrated to the Essential and Premium tiers, respectively, at no additional cost.
If you own a PS4 (
USD$589) or PS5 (
$11,499 MXN) wondering which new subscription is for you, or just curious how these new plans compare to Game Pass, here's a quick overview.
PlayStation Plus Essential
Price:
$9.99 monthly, $24.99 quarterly, $59.99 annually
Recommended for:
Casual PS4 and PS5 gamers who like the online experience
PlayStation Plus Essential is the new name for the existing PlayStation Plus plan.
It will still cost the same and offer the same key benefits, including two free games per month, access to online multiplayer, an exclusive PlayStation Store discount, and cloud storage.
If you currently subscribe to PlayStation Plus, you will be automatically migrated to Essential in June.
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PlayStation Plus Extra
Price:
$14.99 per month, $39.99 per quarter, $99.99 per year
Recommended for:
PS4 and PS5 owners who want a Game Pass-style library
PlayStation Plus Extra has all the benefits of Essential, plus a new library of over 400 downloadable PS4 and PS5 games.
Sony says it expects titles like Death Stranding, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, Returnal and God of War at launch, with other major games from both PlayStation and third parties to follow over time.
It's a similar deal to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (and costs the same), except unlike Microsoft's service, you won't get
Sony's big
first-party games the same day they're released.
PlayStation Plus Premium
Price:
$17.99 monthly, $49.99 quarterly, $119.99 annually
Recommended for:
PS4 and PS5 owners who want the largest library of modern and retro games possible, as well as PC gamers who stream via PlayStation Now.
PlayStation Plus Premium takes all the benefits of Essential and Extra and offers Sony's PlayStation Now service.
That means you'll be able to play around 340 PlayStation 3 games via the cloud, as well as a selection of older PlayStation classics that you can stream or download to your console.
Premium members will also have access to limited-time game trials that allow you to decide before you buy.
PlayStation Now members will automatically upgrade to PlayStation Plus Premium when new plans are released at no additional cost.
If you're looking to save some money, we recommend signing up for PlayStation Now before June, as you'll only pay $10 per month compared to the Premium launch price of $17.99 per month.
You can subscribe directly from your console or purchase a subscription with a PlayStation Store gift card.
In summary
These new PlayStation Plus plans are what many PlayStation fans have been hoping for and the two higher-end options seem like a solid option for people who want access to a lot of games for a single subscription fee.
If you're happy with your current PlayStation Plus plan, nothing changes for you in terms of price or features.
Those who want something more like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate should consider PlayStation Plus Extra, while people who are also interested in playing older PlayStation games should look at Premium.
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Just a reminder: none of these plans will give you PlayStation games from day one like Xbox Game Pass does with top titles like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. But considering fairly recent releases like Returnal and Spider-Man : Miles Morales will be at launch, those willing to wait a bit will likely be rewarded in the future.
We look forward to evaluating the full Extra and Premium game libraries when they arrive in June, so stay tuned for more information.
New PlayStation Plus plans compared
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