Sony announces its revamped PlayStation Plus subscription service, offering gamers the chance to play from a catalog of 700 streamed and downloadable games from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP, PS3 and PS4 generations.
In PlayStation's blog post, the company announced gamers will have access to over 700 games across all console generations, including "blockbuster hits from our PlayStation Studios catalog," along with all the benefits you currently already get from PS Plus.
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With pricing models varying from $9.99 for the Essential plan (same as the original subscription), all the way up to $17.99 per month for the fully loaded Premium, this is actually $3 more than Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Check out what you get for each subscription below:
PlayStation Plus Essential
- Provides the same benefits that PlayStation Plus members are getting today, such as:
- Two monthly downloadable games
- Exclusive discounts
- Cloud storage for saved games
- Online multiplayer access
Prices are from $9.99 monthly / $24.99 quarterly / $59.99 yearly in the US, and £6.99 monthly / £19.99 quarterly / £49.99 yearly in the UK.
PlayStation Plus Extra
- 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.
Prices for PS Plus Extra are slightly higher, priced at $14.99 monthly / $39.99 quarterly / $99.99 yearly in the US, and £10.99 monthly / £31.99 quarterly / £83.99 yearly in the UK.
PlayStation Plus Premium
- Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers
- 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. Gamers can also 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
- Adds up to 340* additional games, including: PS3 games available via cloud streaming, and a catalog of classic games available in both streaming and download options from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations
Prices for the Premium package are at $17.99 monthly / $49.99 quarterly / $119.99 yearly in the US, and £13.49 monthly / £39.99 quarterly / £99.99 yearly in the UK.
Sony's on the back foot?
So the question has to be asked, what is Sony set to offer for that additional cost?
Here's a quickfire opinion, which may change over time as we hear more about this service. This is for sure a reactionary move to the Xbox uprising because of Game Pass, but the traditional console business model that Sony is sticking to (selling at a loss for a while, but picking up the profit on one-time game sales) means it can't go as far as Microsoft.
You're not going to see God of War Ragnarok be available at launch on PS Plus — that whole "day one on Game Pass" mentality won't stretch to PlayStation. And whether this ever-growing library of games on PS Plus streaming will keep gamers happy comes down to what Sony chooses.
If they go full quantity over quality, then we have a problem. But it's early doors. Let's see what happens.
