Two of the new tiers features a service similar to Xbox Game Pass.
Today, Sony announced new and revamped versions of its PlayStation Plus online subscription services for its PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 video game consoles. The current PlayStation Plus framework, which includes online play, several free games per month, and various discounts, is now being set as the base level of a three-tier subscription system. The base plan, now titled PlayStation Plus Essential, will maintain the same $9.99 monthly price tag as usual.
The second tier, titled PlayStation Plus Extra, will have all of the features of Essential, with the addition of a library of approximately 400 downloadable PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games, all of which can be played at no additional charge. This is a similar framework utilized by Microsoft with their Xbox Game Pass service. This tier will cost $14.99 monthly.
The third tier, titled PlayStation Plus Premium, includes the benefits of the other two tiers along with an additional library of approximately 340 PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable games, all of which can either be downloaded for offline play or played online using cloud streaming. The Premium tier will also offer limited-time trials of certain major releases to give players a chance to try them out. This tier will cost $17.99 monthly.
“The new Extra and Premium tiers represent a major evolution for PlayStation Plus,” PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said in the announcement. “With these tiers, our key focus is to ensure that the hundreds of games we offer will include the best quality content that sets us apart.”
