Everything We Know About the PS Plus Changes

Yesterday (on the 29th March), Sony announced some major changes to the PlayStation Plus subscription service. No doubt in an effort to compete with Xbox’s highly successful Game Pass. But I am sure many of you may have questions about the changes. What are the changes being made to PS Plus? When is the new PS Plus starting? And so much more that we are going to go over in this blog.

What are the Changes Being Made to PS Plus?

The PS Plus changes are quite important to note, and there is quite a lot tied to it. First is the new tier system. PS Plus will now have three different tiers of subscriptions with extra additions for you to get your hands on.

PlayStation Plus Essential

The first PS Plus tier is named “PlayStation Plus Essential.” So, what comes with PS Plus essential? PS Plus essential is exactly the same as the PS Plus subscription we have today. You get instant access to online multiplayer, two free games every month, exclusive discounts for games and services and cloud storage. Will I have to pay more for PS Plus after the update? For PS Plus essential. No. PS Plus essentially is exactly the same price as the previous version of PS Plus. Specifically, for how much PS Plus essential costs, £8.99 a month, £19.99 for three months and £49.99 for a year.

Will I have to pay for PS Plus again after the update? No. If you still have a subscription running while the update goes out, then you will instantly be migrated to PS Plus essential until the subscription expires.

PlayStation Plus Extra

The second tier of PS Plus is where we start to see changes. PS Plus second tier is called PlayStation Plus extra. What is the difference between PS Plus essential and PS Plus Extra? The main and only difference is that PS Plus extra adds a catalogue of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games that can be downloaded. Of course, this tier also provides all of the benefits from PS Plus essential. What games can I play with PS Plus Extra? PlayStation announced that some hits like Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man and more will be included at launch. Other than that, we are unsure.

How much is PS Plus Extra? PS Plus Extra will cost you £10.99 a month in the UK, £31.99 monthly and £83.99 yearly. Is it worth getting PS Plus Extra? This is a question that will become clearer when the change goes live. As we do not know what all of the games will be when available.

PS Plus Premium

And the highest tier of the new PS Plus subscription is PlayStation Plus Premium. What comes with PS Plus Premium? Not only does it provide all of benefits from PS Plus Essential and Extra, but it adds a lot more. PS Plus Premium is essentially the combination of PS Plus and PS Now. What is PS Now? PS Now, if you are unaware, is a game pass like service. Instead of being able to download games, however, you have to play them through the PlayStation servers. It is important to note that PS Now will no longer be a standalone service when these changes go ahead.

If I already have PS Now, do I have to pay again for PS Plus Premium? No. PS Now subscribers will instantly be upgraded to PS Plus Premium when the update goes live. So, if you are interested in getting PS Plus premium it is worth looking into subscribing to PS Now soon. This is because PS Now yearly is worth nearly half the price of PS Plus Premium. And with Sony announcing that PS Now subscribers can transition to PS Plus premium for now extra cost, this will save you quite a lot.

How many games are in PS Plus Premium? There will be upwards of 340 extra games with the launch of PS Plus premium. Including games from the PS3, PS2, PS1 and PSP. But as said previously, most of these games will be have to streamed through the PlayStation servers. Is PS Now streaming only? There are a few games through PS Now that can be downloaded, though these are limited.

How fast should internet be for PS Now? The absolute minimum internet speed you will need to stream PS games through PS Now is 5Mbps. But it is recommended that you have a higher speed for the most optimised experience.

The last point to note about PS Plus Premium is that it will grant access to time limited game trials. Allowing you to play parts of new games before deciding whether you would like to buy or not.

How much is PS Plus Premium? PS Premium is the most expensive tier as expected. Costing £13.49 monthly, £39.99 monthly and £99.99 a year. Is PS Plus Premium worth it? The combination of PS Plus and PS Now is a nice one, but PS Now has had its issues in its past. Server stability is often a bit of a mess, and the inability to download most old games is just a bit frustrating. Along with the steep pricing, you will have to be certain that it is something you will use.

When Will the PS Plus Changes Occur?

When will the new PS Plus changes happen? Though no exact date has been given by Sony just yet, they have said that they aim to have the new subscription service live by the end of the first half of 2022. June is the month that they have announced they are aiming for. Starting with launches in Asia, followed by North America, Europe and the rest of the world.

Have more questions? Then feel free to drop a comment below and we will do our best to answer and update the blog to provide the best information.