There are big changes ahead, PlayStation gamers. Sony is making some massive modifications to its two subscription plans, PS Plus and PS Now, which will bring some great new benefits, along with some new drawbacks. It all depends on how you use the service and what you want to get out of it. We’re going to break down how the subscriptions are changing, as well as some possible ways to sneak in some savings before the revamp officially goes live in June. Though, as Sony seems to have gotten wise to some of the loopholes, you might have to get a little creative to take advantage of them.
What’s changing?
As of right now, there are two different memberships that PlayStation users can subscribe to, each with its own features and benefits. The first is PlayStation Plus, a $10-per-month service that’s similar to Xbox Live Gold in that the majority of multiplayer games will require you to have a membership if you’re hoping to play online. It comes with the added benefit of two free games that you can add to your library each month. The other subscription is PlayStation Now, which is a $10-per-month cloud gaming service that gives you access to over 800 classic titles from the PS2, PS3 and PS4.
But starting in June, the revamp will essentially roll both memberships into a single, multitiered subscription, though it will still technically fall under the PS Plus label. There will be three different membership packages available, combining different features and benefits of both previous subscriptions:
PS Plus: Essential
At $10 per month or $60 for the year, PS Plus: Essential is essentially no different than the current subscription. It offers all the same features, including access to online play, two monthly games for free, cloud storage and exclusive discounts at the PlayStation Store. If you already have a current PS Plus subscription, once the revamp goes live, it will automatically be converted to an Essential membership, and you shouldn’t have to worry about any major changes or disruptions.
PS Plus: Extra
At $15 per month or $100 for the year, a midtier Extra subscription is somewhat similar to the Game Pass Ultimate membership offered to Xbox users. It includes all the benefits and features of an Essential membership, but also gives you access to a catalog of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. According to Sony’s official announcement last week, the selection will include hit titles like God of War, Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Death Stranding.
PS Plus: Premium
A Premium membership is the highest tier available, and clocks in at either $18 per month or $120 for a full year. In addition to all the benefits of both an Essential and Extra subscription, it gives you access to a massive library of more than 700 games. That will include the recent PS4 and PS5 hits from the Extra subscription, but also a catalog of more than 300 classics from the PS1, PS2 and PS3 eras (similar to the current PS Now subscription). It will also allow you to stream many of these classic titles, so you don’t have to worry about them eating up your valuable storage space. You’ll also get access to time-limited game trials, so you can try out new games before you commit to a purchase. If you already have a subscription to PS Now, the revamp will automatically convert it to a Premium membership, which is where things start to get a little hairy.
PS Plus Deals
With an overhaul this large, there are sure to be ways to save some money during the transition — something some of the more clever gamers out there figured out almost immediately. Remember, if you already subscribe to PS Now when the revamp goes live, your membership will automatically be converted to a Premium-tier membership, the most expensive of the three. But here’s the thing. An annual membership to PS Now only costs $60, as opposed to the $120 it costs for a yearlong subscription to PS Plus: Premium. Meaning that you can get a Premium membership for half the cost if you purchase a full year of PS Now beforehand. And because you were allowed to stack annual memberships, some were purchasing several years of subscriptions in advance and racking up hundreds in savings.
Now Sony appears to have gotten wise to this little loophole, and as of right now the PS Now subscription page will only allow you to purchase a one-month subscription. Similarly, major retailers like GameStop, Best Buy and Amazon appear to have pulled their digital purchase options for all PS Now subscriptions, so you can’t stock up on codes to use once the revamp goes live. Right now, your best bet if you wanted to take advantage of this glitch would be to physically head to a store like Walmart or Target that may still be carrying gift cards with access codes that you could redeem for a PS Now membership before the revamp hits. Additionally, CD Keys, one our favorite sources for deals on gaming subscriptions and digital content, is currently “sold out” of digital access codes for a 12-month subscription to PS Now. We’ll continue to monitor the situation, and will include any major changes or opportunities to snag a subscription for less here, so be sure to check back often.
Sony
While it might be slim pickings on PS Now/Premium membership deals at the moment, if you’re only interested in the basics, there are still some discounts you can take advantage of. A PS Plus membership, which will convert to a PS Plus: Essential membership in June, is typically $60 for the year, which is already a 50% discount on the monthly plan pricing. But right now at CD Keys, you can get an annual subscription for just $50, which drops the monthly cost down to just over $4. You won’t get access to the massive library of games, but you will be able to play online and will receive two free games every month.