SONY MERGE PS PLUS AND PS NOW FOR NEW THREE-TIER SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
March 29, 2022
Sony has today officially announced its new three-tier subscription service, which is set to offer a major refresh of the PlayStation Plus service and launches in June.
The service intends to merge Sony’s two existing subscription services, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now, into one service with three distinct tiers. This includes ‘PlayStation Plus Essentials’, ‘PlayStation Plus Extra’ and ‘PlayStation Plus Premium’.
Essentials is basically the same as PS Plus right now, but Extra includes 400 PS4 and PS5 games, whilst the Premium tier features game streaming, limited game trials and an additional retro library of PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP games.
What is clear, however, is that Sony will not include their brand new first-party games onto the service the day they’re released; something Xbox Game Pass has been keen to do. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said that doing such a thing would result in less investment into its studios, and could lead to lower quality games.
PlayStation Plus Essential
Benefits:
- 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
- There are no changes for existing PlayStation Plus members in this tier.
PlayStation Plus Essential Price
The 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
Benefits:
- 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.
PlayStation Plus Extra Price
- 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
Benefits:
- 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.
PlayStation Plus Premium 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