Sony Unveils PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, Coming This June

Sony announced Tuesday morning on the official PlayStation Blog that they are updating their popular PlayStation Plus service, largely by combining it with PlayStation Now, as well as making other additions.

PlayStation Plus launched in 2010. The subscription service allowed gamers to download free monthly titles; gain discounts on the PlayStation Store; claim exclusive themes, profile pictures, and other extras; have online access for multiplayer games; and utilize cloud storage for saved games.

Likewise, PlayStation Now is a separate subscription service which launched in 2014, and provides players to play games from a huge library of titles via the cloud.

The new model launching in June will offer three tiers of PlayStation Plus service. The current PlayStation Plus format will continue as “PlayStation Plus Essential,” and will remain at the same price of $9.99 USD monthly, or $59.99 USD yearly.

A second tier, labeled PlayStation Plus Extra, gives access to a catalog of up to 400 games for the PS4 and PS5 systems. This service will run $14.99 USD monthly, or $99.99 USD yearly.

Lastly, a third tier called PlayStation Plus Premium will add access to an additional 340 games from the PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP generations. There will also be time-limited game trials, where customers can try select games before they choose to buy them. This service will run $17.99 USD monthly, or $119.99 USD yearly.

A complete breakdown of these services is provided below:

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.

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.
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.
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
PlayStation Plus Deluxe (Select Markets) For markets without cloud streaming, PlayStation Plus Deluxe will be offered at a lower price compared to Premium, and includes a catalog of beloved classic games from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations to download and play, along with time-limited game trials. Benefits from Essential and Extra tiers are also included. Local pricing will vary by market.

Will you be updating your PlayStation Plus membership? How satisfied are you with these changes? Are there any further additions you want to see? Do you see this being a better deal than Microsoft’s current Game Pass service? Let us know in the comments below and on our Discord!