Three new PlayStation Plus tiers have been introduced in Sony’s announcement
Set to launch in June, Sony have revealed three brand new PlayStation Plus tiers that will bring an extensive library of both new and old games to the PlayStation consoles. Consider this a direct competitor to what Microsoft has to offer with their Xbox Game Pass. The new PlayStation Plus tiers are not only available on PS4 and PS5 consoles, parts of the service will also be accessible on PC.
PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now have merged into one all-new service. While retaining the PlayStation Plus naming convention, it will deliver more content to the user base. The new PlayStation Plus tiers include “Essential”, “Extra”, and “Premium”. Sony states that their focus with the new subscription is to provide “high-quality, curated content with a diverse portfolio of games”. Let’s see what each tier has in store for us.
PlayStation Plus Essential
The PlayStation Plus Essential subscription package will be very similar to the existing PlayStation Plus subscription. Pricing, benefits, and content remain the same, although it seems like the monthly downloadable game is now capped at two. Details below.
- Two monthly downloadable games
- Exclusive discounts
- Cloud storage for saved games
- Online multiplayer access
- 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
We all want a little extra, and this is where Sony’s new service will shine. The PlayStation Plus Extra tier provides everything from the PlayStation Plus Essential package and adds on 400 games from the PS4/PS5 catalog.
- Provides all the benefits from the Essential tier
- Adds a catalog of up to 400 of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games – including blockbuster hits from our PlayStation Studios catalog and third-party partners. Games in the Extra tier are downloadable for play.
- 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
The highest of all new PlayStation Plus tiers, PlayStation Plus Premium will include all benefits from the PlayStation Plus Essential and PlayStation Plus Extra and adds on 340 games that are either downloadable or streamable from Sony’s cloud.
- 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 beloved 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 offered in the Extra and Premium tiers in markets where PlayStation Now is currently available. Customers can stream games using PS4 and PS5 consoles, and PC.
- Time-limited game trials will also be offered in this tier, so customers can try select games before they buy.
- 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
At launch, Sony plans to include multiple PlayStation Studios and third-party titles such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal. Those who are currently subscribed to PlayStation Now will automatically transition to PlayStation Plus Premium at no extra cost.
The new PlayStation Plus tiers are a welcoming addition to the PS family, but only time will tell how successful it can become. As of now, the exclusion of Sony first party titles on launch day allow Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass to reign supreme over the new PlayStation Plus tiers. Let the console cloud wars begin.