TechEnvoke
We explain the multitiered membership system for PlayStation and the best ways to sign up for a lower price.
The PlayStation subscription services might not appear exactly how you remember them if you haven’t used a PlayStation in a while. Last June, Sony made significant modifications to its gaming subscriptions, combining its two prior memberships — PS Plus and PS Now — into a single multitiered programmed. Don’t worry if you’ve been trying to obtain the elusive PS5. To help you understand how things have changed, choose the appropriate membership tier for yourself, and save money on a PlayStation Plus subscription, we’ve broken down the various options below.
In the months after the service was redesigned, deals have been relatively hard to come by, but that doesn’t mean they’re totally nonexistent. The PlayStation Plus bargain shown below is pretty much the only one on the market right now, but we anticipate more PS Plus offers to start appearing in the upcoming weeks and months. Check back here frequently to locate the best deals. Check out our collection of the top discounts on PlayStation equipment and accessories for even more savings.
Explore the Contents
What’s changed?
PlayStation players had a choice between two subscription options prior to the redesign. Similar to Xbox Live Gold, PlayStation Plus was a $10 monthly service that included online gaming and multiplayer competitions. Players could access a sizable library of vintage PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 games through the $10/month PlayStation Now online gaming service.
Essentially, both memberships have been combined into a single service with several subscription options under the new PlayStation Plus. There are three separate membership options that combine unique features and advantages from the two prior subscriptions.
PS Plus Essential
PlayStation Plus Essential costs $10 per month, $25 for three months, or $60 for a full year, making it practically identical to the previous PS Plus subscription. It includes all the same advantages, such as online play, two free games each month, cloud storage, and special PlayStation Store discounts. Before the redesign went live, your PS Plus subscription was automatically upgraded to an Essential membership.
PS Plus Extra
A mid-tier PlayStation Plus Extra subscription, which costs $15 per month, $40 for three months, or $100 for a year, is comparable to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. All of the advantages and features of an Essential membership are included, but you now get access to a library of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 titles. Several popular games, such as God of War, Death Stranding, and Ghost of Tsushima, are included in the collection.
PS Plus Premium
The most expensive subscription option is PlayStation Plus Premium, which costs $18 per month, $50 for three months, or $120 for a full year. The membership also grants you access to a sizable collection of more than 700 games in addition to all the advantages of both an Essential and Extra subscription. There are more than 300 timeless titles from the PS1, PS2, and PS3 eras in addition to the most recent PS4 and PS5 hits from the Extra subscription (similar to the previous PS Now subscription).
Several of these great films may also be streamed, so you don’t have to worry about them taking up important storage space. In order to test out new games before making a purchase, you also have access to time-limited game trials. Before the redesign went into effect, your PS Now subscription was automatically upgraded to a PlayStation Plus Premium membership.
PS Plus deals
Before the redesign, things were very chaotic, with users stacking discounted subscriptions and saving hundreds of dollars before Sony discovered the loophole. Since it has been closed, there haven’t been many opportunities to get a deal on a service. If you’re only interested in the Essential-tier membership, there are still a few leftover bargains on the original PS Plus, but it appears that Sony and retailers have removed all remaining membership codes for the now-discontinued PS Now service.
PlayStation Plus (Essential) 1-year membership: $50
Right now, there aren’t many discounts available for the new PS Plus, so if you want to save some money, this is your best option. Technically, this deal is for a PS Plus membership that was active before to the redesign; it will automatically upgrade to an Essential membership. Although we haven’t had a chance to test this offer for ourselves, a number of reviewers have claimed that using one of these older codes has been hassle-free. A typical annual Essential membership costs $60, which represents a 50% savings over the cost of the monthly plan. However, CD Keys currently offers an annual subscription for $50, bringing the monthly price down to slightly over $4.