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Sony has now announced the launch date of its new PS Plus tier system, with each of the three new services hitting consoles on June 13. We’ve also got an insight into the kinds of games we can expect on the service at launch, with big names like Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut and Demon’s Souls leading the charge. So, ahead of that June release date, we’re helping you work out exactly which PS Plus tiers you should be interested in.
PS Plus (now called PS Plus Essentials), PS Plus Extra, and PS Plus Premium all offer a slightly different experience, based on how far back into Sony’s library you want to journey. We’re showing you exactly what you get for each tier’s price, and rounding up who should be interested in each one right here.
Of course, if you’re perfectly happy right where you are, nothing needs to change. In fact, we’re seeing some particularly strong PS Plus deals on what is now considered PS Plus Essentials right now.
Which PS Plus tier should you choose?
If you were to play just one or two games a year from that 400 game-strong collection, this Extra tier would be worthwhile.
The two new PS Plus tiers are remarkably similar in price. The PS Plus Extra membership adds 400 PS4 and PS5 games to your collection for the duration of your subscription, and comes in at $14.99 / £10.99 per month, or $99.99 / £83.99 per year. However, retro fans can also upgrade to a whole roster of PS1, PS2, and PSP games for just $3 / £3 more a month (or $20 / £16 a year). If you’re keen to revisit PlayStation’s classics, this decision is a no-brainer. Yet if you don’t think you’ll play them, that’s an annual price difference large enough to warrant a second thought – particularly if you’ve just had to shell out a tidy amount for a PS5 restock.
It’s especially tricky because the PS Plus Extra tier represents a larger price jump over the original PS Plus system. The old subscription is holding onto its previous price, which means there’s a $4 / £4 difference a month – escalating to an annual price difference of $40 / £34. That’s double the price of the original subscription (before the increases in 2017 and 2019).
Still, if you were to play one or two games a year from that 400-strong game collection, this Extra tier would be worthwhile (it’d certainly put the best PS5 SSDs to good use). It’s just a case of whether your backlog can take the additional pressure.
Choose PS Plus Essentials if you:
- Are happy with your current setup
- Have already played the biggest PS4 / PS5 games
- Don’t have an interest in Sony’s retro catalog
Choose PS Plus Extra if you:
- Have joined Sony with the PS5 generation
- Would play at least one or two games from the collection per year
- Want more from your console’s subscription
Choose PS Plus Premium if you:
- Have no other way of playing through Sony’s retro collection
How does PS Plus compare with Game Pass?
The latest moves by Sony bring PS Plus into an era which Xbox Game Pass has been dominating. Microsoft’s subscription service has carried its consoles through some rocky shores, with the whole Xbox brand emerging better for it on the other side. That’s some stiff competition, and a value proposition that Sony is attempting to match with its latest announcement.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the closest direct link to the PS Plus service. Both of these subscriptions are necessary for online play and come with their own unique discounts as well.
The Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price is $14.99 / £10.99 a month, for over 300 games and select day one releases. That price is exactly the same on PlayStation, with the comparable PS Plus Extra tier coming in at $14.99 / £10.99 as well – however you’re upping your roster to 400 games and dropping those shiny new releases. It’s also worth mentioning that Game Pass Ultimate also has its fair share of Xbox 360 titles – a generational jump you’ll need to spend $17.99 / £13.49 on with Sony.
That means PS Plus doesn’t quite have Game Pass in a chokehold quite yet. Sure, there’s a slightly larger catalogue of titles up for grabs (the quality of that roster will be down to personal taste, of course), but you’re Sony isn’t including day one releases in its package. That’s a considerable sacrifice if you’re still between the two systems.
Want to make sure your PlayStation is fully set up? Be sure to check out the best PS5 accessories or the best PS5 headsets. It’s worth taking a look at the best PS5 external hard drives as well if you want some bonus storage space.
