Everything you need to know about the new PlayStation Plus

After months of rumours, Sony has released a blog post that finally confirms what everyone suspected: PlayStation Now is gone and a new tiered structure is coming to PlayStation Plus.

The new strategy breaks the previous subscription plan into three distinct tiers with their own offerings and pricing integrated with the Plus branding. Starting in June, PlayStation users will have three options to choose from for their subscription models: Essential, Extra and the top tier called Premium. This structure has been teased in various rumours, but Sony now has it officially confirmed all these details and more.

A few points are still unclear, such as how future titles will be added to each stage. This can be particularly confusing for casual gamers, and even more so for those who are already subscribed to one or both of the existing services. To clear up any confusion, here’s everything you need to know about the new PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra and Premium tiers.

What is PlayStation Plus Essential?

The first tier of the new subscription model is basically just what your regular PlayStation Plus subscription is as it exists today. This includes two monthly downloadable games, additional in-store discounts, cloud storage and online multiplayer. This tier will also cost you the same. So if none of this new stuff interests you and you just want to stay a Standard Plus subscriber, you’ll be included in this new tier with nothing changing except for the name. Here’s the pricing structure if you need a refresher.

• United States
  • $9.99 monthly/$24.99 quarterly/$59.99 annually
• Europe
  • €8.99 monthly/€24.99 quarterly/€59.99 annually
• Great Britain
  • £6.99 monthly/£19.99 quarterly/£49.99 annually
• Japan
  • 850 yen monthly/2,150 yen quarterly/5,143 yen annually

What is PlayStation Plus Extra?

PlayStation Plus Extra brings PlayStation Now features into play. With this level you not only get everything from the PlayStation Plus Essential level, but also a catalog of around 400 PS4 and PS5 games to download. This includes both first-party titles and third-party games, likely starting with the catalog that already exists on Now and possibly the PlayStation Plus collection. A full list hasn’t been released yet, nor whether the cadence of games added monthly will continue, but Sony has said so death stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11and return will be at the start.

PlayStation Plus Extra, as you can probably guess, will cost you a little more than the Essential tier. Here is the pricing structure for the different regions:

• United States
  • $14.99 monthly/$39.99 quarterly/$99.99 annually
• Europe
  • €13.99 monthly/€39.99 quarterly/€99.99 annually
• Great Britain
  • £10.99 monthly/£31.99 quarterly/£83.99 annually
• Japan
  • 1,300 yen monthly/3,600 yen quarterly/8,600 yen annually

In terms of US pricing, this tier would cost $40 more than the Essential tier for an annual purchase.

What is PlayStation Plus Premium?

For the final (and most expensive) level, we have PlayStation Plus Premium. This one is a bit more complicated than the others, but in short it’s an enhanced version of PlayStation Plus and Now as they exist today. With this tier you get everything from both lower tiers plus around 340 more titles from the PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP Libraries. You also have the option to stream PS3 games, the option to stream or download PS1, PS2, and PSP games, and an additional option to stream PS4 games on top of just downloading. They can all be streamed to your PS4, PS5 or even your PC. However, streaming of these games is only available in regions where PlayStation Now is currently offered.

The next major benefit is the availability of “limited time trials” that allow you to play part of a game before purchasing it. What games these trials will offer and how long these trials will last has not been detailed.

The pricing structure for each region is as follows:

• United States: $17.99 monthly, $49.99 quarterly, $119.99 annually
• Europe: €16.99 monthly, €49.99 quarterly, €119.99 annually
• Great Britain: £13.49 monthly, £39.99 quarterly, £99.99 annually
• Japan: ¥1,550 monthly, ¥4,300 quarterly, ¥10,250 annually

This tier costs just $20 more annually than the Extra tier and would be the same annual price if you currently have both PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscriptions. If you already have a PS Now subscription, you’ll be automatically upgraded to the Premium tier at launch at no additional cost.

The launch of this service will be region-by-region, starting in June with the Asian markets, then North America and Europe, and then the rest of the world, aiming for a full transition by mid-2022. Sony’s target dates for launching the service in each region are as follows:

• Asian markets (excluding Japan): Targeting May 23, 2022
• Japan: Targeting June 1, 2022
• America: Targeting June 13, 2022
• Europe: Targeting June 22, 2022

Editor’s Recommendations

• Everything you need to know about Nintendo Switch Online

• May’s PlayStation Plus line-up includes FIFA 22

• The best Xbox Series X and Series S deals for May 2022

• Everything we know about the Callisto protocol

• PlayStation 5 is getting a variable refresh rate update