Sony today announced new PlayStation Plus memberships, the company’s long-rumored counterpart to Xbox Game Pass. Sony’s two current membership services, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now have been combined into PlayStation Plus. Two new PlayStation Plus subscription levels will offer multiplayer gameplay as well as access to a library of select PlayStation games to download or stream.
These new tiers will be available in Asia starting in June, then in North America, Europe, and the rest of the world. PlayStation Now will no longer be accessible as a stand-alone service as part of the launch.
PlayStation Plus Essential will cost $9.99 per month and will contain all of the current PlayStation Plus perks, such as online multiplayer, two monthly downloaded titles, discounts, and cloud storage for saved games. This PlayStation Plus tier will essentially remain the same, as will the fee.
The Premium option contains all of the features of the Essential and Extra options, as well as 340 extra games, including cloud streaming of certain PS3 titles. There will be a portfolio of old games available for streaming and download, including games from the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PSP. This Premium tier will also include time-limited game trials, allowing PlayStation players to try games before purchasing them.
- PlayStation Plus Essential – includes multiplayer access, two monthly downloadable games, discounts, and cloud storage for game saves. Priced at $9.99 per month, or $59.99 a year.
- PlayStation Plus Extra – includes everything in Plus Essential, and access to a catalog of up to 400 PS4 or PS5 games. Priced at $14.99 per month, or $99.99 a year.
- PlayStation Plus Premium – includes all benefits from Essential and Extra, with an extra 340 games that include PS3 titles that can be streamed and some original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP games. Time-limited game trials are also available. Priced at $17.99 per month, or $119.99 a year.
Sony has announced that games such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal will be included in the launch lineup. However, this subscription service will not make Sony’s next exclusive PlayStation titles available on launch day, making it less of an Xbox Game Pass competition.
