Apr 27, 2022 8:00 AM

PlayStation Plus Is Changing. Here's What You Need to Know

The new program, still called PlayStation Plus, will absorb PlayStation Now and gain new tiers with new features.

Photograph: Olly Curtis/Getty Images

For years, Sony has had multiple subscription services, which can be a little confusing. PlayStation Plus is the one you're probably most familiar with, since it's required to play games online, but there's also PlayStation Now, which comes with game streaming and a library of games. But now these two are combining into one mega service … still called PlayStation Plus.

What's Changing?

The new changes are largely Sony's response to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass, which we've previously described as one of the best deals in gaming right now. Game Pass Ultimate combines a library of downloadable games, cloud streaming, and online gameplay into one subscription. And now, so does PlayStation Plus.

Well. Sort of. There are now multiple tiers to PlayStation Plus, and only some of them offer extra benefits. Here's the breakdown of the new tiers:

PlayStation Plus Essential ($10/mo or $60/year): If you already subscribe to PlayStation Plus, this tier is basically identical. It lets you play games online and store game saves in the cloud. You can also claim two free games and add them to your library every month, and you get to keep playing them as long as you stay subscribed. This tier will also continue to include the PlayStation Plus Collection of top-tier games for PS5 owners.
PlayStation Plus Extra ($15/mo or $100/year): This tier comes with an extra 400 games from the PS4 and PS5 that you can download to your system directly. Just like Game Pass, this selection of games might change over time, and some might leave the service eventually.
PlayStation Plus Premium ($18/mo or $120/year): This level adds game streaming, which was previously exclusive to PlayStation Now. It also adds another library of games, this time from every generation of PlayStation, starting with the original and going up to the PS3. Some games will only be available via streaming (including all PS3 games), while others may be downloadable.

Aside from the cumbersome names, this is a welcome simplification of Sony's offerings. But it's not without shortcomings. Some games are only available via streaming, which is something you'll have to factor in when deciding which tier to go with. If you don't have a really good internet connection, or have restrictive data caps, you might not get as much value out of that tier.

What Do I Need to Do?

Changes to this service will start to roll out in Asian markets in June, with North America and Europe following shortly thereafter, so you've got time to consider your options.

If you currently have a PlayStation Plus subscription and you're happy with it exactly the way it is, good news! You don't have to do anything. Your subscription will now be called PlayStation Plus Essential, but other than that, it should stay exactly the same. You'll keep your library of claimed games and everything.

PlayStation Now subscribers will be migrated over to PlayStation Plus Premium, but crucially, their price won't increase immediately at launch. Existing subscribers will be able to keep the PS Plus Premium for as long as they've already paid for without spending an extra dime. If you bought your subscription quarterly or even yearly, you'll get a number of months on the Premium tier for no additional cost.

If you thought this would be a good time to stock up on PlayStation Now months, Sony thought ahead on that one. Only monthly subscriptions are available on the company's store, and Sony's been pulling gift cards for PlayStation Now (which included 12-month cards) from retailers since January. If you lucked into having one sitting around, though, maybe wait a little while to redeem it.

Will New Sony Games Go Straight to PS Plus?

While most of Sony's subscription looks similar to Xbox Game Pass, one key difference could be a dealbreaker for some. Microsoft adds Xbox Game Studios games to Game Pass on day one of their release, but Sony won't be taking that approach. That might not sound like a huge deal, but it could be the difference of potentially hundreds of dollars a year.

For example, when Halo Infinite dropped, it cost $60 to buy separately, but for Game Pass subscribers, it just showed up in their library. However, even players who subscribe to PlayStation Plus Premium will have to pay $70 for Horizon Forbidden West. Since the annual subscription for even the highest tier of PS Plus is only $120, that could be a substantial price difference, depending how many new games you play every month.

This means the value of the higher tiers of PS Plus will depend pretty heavily on what games are included in their respective libraries. While 400+, or even 700+ games sounds like a lot, if you still have to shell out $70 for the one game you really want to play, it might not be as worthwhile.

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