Sony announces new PlayStation Plus subscription plans to take on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass
Sony will launch new versions of the PlayStation Plus subscriptions, the long-rumoured answer to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass.
PlayStation Plus combines Sony’s two subscription services — PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. Two new subscription options include access to multiplayer gaming and a catalogue of select games to stream or install. The new tiers will become available in June in Asia, followed by North America and Europe. PlayStation Now will stop being available as a standalone as part of the launch.
PlayStation Plus Essential includes multiplayer access, two monthly games for downloads, discounts, and cloud storage. It is priced at $9.99 per month or $59.99 a year.
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PlayStation Plus Extra includes everything in the Plus Essential tier and access to a catalogue of up to 400 PS4 or PS5 games. It is priced at $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
PlayStation Plus Premium includes all benefits from Essential and Extra, with 340 games that include PS3 titles, which can be streamed, and some original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP games. It will also have time-limited game trials. It has been priced at $17.99 a month or $119.99 a year.
“The new Extra and Premium tiers represent a major evolution for PlayStation Plus,” The Verge quoted PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan as saying.
“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.”
At the launch, Sony is likely to include Death Stranding, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, God of War, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal. Sony, however, will not make the upcoming exclusive PlayStation games available on launch day.
Ryan suggested that Sony’s own games could suffer if they went to PlayStation Plus on day one. Still, the combination of PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now provides more choices of classic and new games without subscriptions to a separate streaming service.