PS Plus: price, games, and everything else you need to know about Sony's gaming subscription
The rumors were true! Sony has unveiled the long-awaited Project Spartacus and Xbox Game Pass rival.
The new PlayStation game subscription service combines PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now into the all-new PlayStation Plus subscription service; that's severely lacking in the snappy name department. Sony says the focus of the revamp is to bring players diverse, top-notch titles.
The refresh isn't rolling out for a few months yet. As it stands, PS Plus currently offers a handful of free monthly games and the ability to play multiplayer online. PS Now allows members to stream and download PS2, PS3, and PS4 games from a catalog of hundreds, with new ones added every month.
The overhaul has been a long time coming. Microsoft ditched its old Xbox Live Gold model for its tiered Game Pass subscription service years ago. While PlayStation exclusives have continued to be the focal point for Sony, it can't ignore Game Pass forever.
With early access, game trials, and brand new titles hitting Game Pass at launch, the whole ecosystem makes gaming more affordable. Paired with the cheaper Xbox Series S, development of Cloud Gaming, and Xbox All Access that lets you pay for the Xbox Series X|S in installments, Microsoft has removed a lot of the financial barriers associated with buying a new console and playing the latest games.
So let's see what Sony is offering to combat Xbox Game Pass.
Project Spartacus: release date
The all-new PlayStation Plus subscription service will start rolling out this June. It'll offer three tiers globally, but Sony has snuck in a fourth tier for select markets which we'll get into below.
There's no specific date, other than a "June timeframe" which will kick things off with a staggered, regional launch. First up will be a number of markets in Asia, then North America, Europe, and the rest of the world.
Sony says it' aiming to have the new PlayStation Plus service live in most territories by the end of the first half of 2022. So ideally, the end of June.
Project Spartacus: price
At present, Sony offers two subscription services: PS Plus and PS Now. PS Plus lets you play online, gives you a handful of free games every month including PS4, PS5, and PSVR games, and offers members exclusive discounts and content. There's also 100GB of cloud storage thrown in, along with the Share Play feature.
Meanwhile, PS Now lets you download or stream from a collection of PS4, PS3, and PS2 games on PS5, PS4, and Windows PC. New games are added each month.
You can opt for a one, three, or a 12-month subscription for either service. PS Plus comes in at $9.99 / £6.99 / AU$11.95 for one month, $24.99 / £19.99 / AU$33.95 for three months, and $59.99 / £19.99 / 79.95 for an annual membership.
PS Now is priced at $9.99 / $24.99 / $59.99 for one, three, and 12-month options in the US. UK pricing is £8.99 / £22.99 / 49.99 for the same increments. Australia and New Zealand don't have access to the service.
Project Spartacus is rolling both PS Now and PS Plus into one all-encompassing service with three tiers – although there is a sneaky fourth one crammed in too.
The new PlayStation Plus subscription will feature three tiers called PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium.
For territories with cloud streaming, PlayStation Plus Deluxe will be on the table for a lower cost compared to PlayStation Plus Premium.
If you have a current PS Plus subscription, that'll equate to the Essential tier, and pricing will remain the same. We're waiting on official pricing for Australia but we've stuck in some approximate prices in the meantime, based on the US dollar prices. But note that it's unlikely that the actual prices will be basic conversion.
PlayStation Plus Essential
- Price:
- $9.99 monthly / $24.99 quarterly / $59.99 yearly
- £6.99 monthly / £19.99 quarterly / £49.99 yearly
- AU$11.95 monthly / AU$33.95 quarterly / AU$79.95 yearly
- Benefits:
- Two monthly downloadable games
- Exclusive discounts
- Cloud storage for saved games
- Online multiplayer access
- Provides the same benefits that PlayStation Plus members are getting today
- There are no changes for existing PlayStation Plus members in this tier
PlayStation Plus Extra
- Price:
- $14.99 monthly / $39.99 quarterly / $99.99 yearly
- £10.99 monthly / £31.99 quarterly / £83.99 yearly
- Approx. AU$20 monthly / AU$53.50 quarterly / AU$133.70 yearly
- Benefits:
- Provides all the benefits from the Essential tier
- Adds a catalog of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games – including blockbuster hits from PlayStation Studios catalog and third-party partners. Games in the Extra tier are downloadable for play.
PlayStation Plus Premium
- Price:
- $17.99 monthly / $49.99 quarterly / $119.99 yearly
- £13.49 monthly / £39.99 quarterly / £99.99 yearly
- Approx. AU$24 monthly / AU$67 quarterly / AU$160.50
- Benefits:
- Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers
- 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
- 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
PlayStation Plus Deluxe (Select Markets)
Sony has yet to share pricing for this tier, but it's for markets without cloud streaming.
PlayStation Deluxe will come in at a lower price than PlayStation Plus Premium. It also includes the benefits from the Essential and Extra tiers, as well as catalog of classic PlayStation, PS2, and PSP games to download and play, and limited-time game trials.
What does this mean for existing PS Plus and PS Now subscribers?
When the new PlayStation Plus service launches in June, PS Now won't be available as a standalone offering anymore. PS Now members will be migrated over to PS Plus Premium, with no increase to their existing subscription fees at launch.
Presumably, PS Plus subscribers will be migrated over to the Essential tier, given that this offering is the same as the one being offered to players today.
New PlayStation Plus subscription sneak peek
Sony is calling the new PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium tiers "a major evolution" for its subscription service. The emphasis is on quality, to 'set it apart' – from Xbox Game Pass presumably.
As such, we're going to see some of the biggest titles on the platform made available with the service, including Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal.
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