PS Plus confirms significant price increase

Sony has officially announced that its PlayStation Plus subscription service will be more expensive. PlayStation Plus was introduced over a decade ago, offering subscribers the ability to access exclusive deals and download free games. Since then, PS Plus has evolved significantly and has become a requirement for online multiplayer with the PlayStation 4 generation. Eventually, it has developed into a three-tiered service.

In the past year, Sony redesigned PS Plus by essentially combining it with PlayStation Now and distributing the benefits across three tiers. PS Plus Essential is the basic version of PlayStation Plus that fans have been using for years, providing them with access to online multiplayer and monthly free games. On the other hand, PS Plus Extra includes everything available in the PS Plus Essential tier but also grants subscribers access to a variety of PS4 and PS5 games. Finally, PS Plus Premium offers users the best value for their money by adding retro games from the PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3, as well as providing benefits for cloud streaming.

Soon, PlayStation Plus subscribers will have to pay more money to enjoy the benefits of the service and its three different tiers. Starting from September 6th, PS Plus will become more expensive. The cost of 12-month subscriptions for PS Plus Essential will increase from $59.99 to $79.99, while PS Plus Extra will now cost $134.99. PS Plus Premium, naturally, will be the most expensive and will be sold for $159.99.

Some fans may view this price increase of PS Plus as poorly timed for various reasons. Firstly, the free PS Plus games for September 2023 were not well received at all. The selection includes Saints Row, Black Desert: Traveler Edition, and Generation Zero. None of these games received particularly positive reviews, with Generation Zero being outright criticized by most critics and Saints Row achieving significantly lower ratings than its predecessors.

Secondly, the price increase is happening on the exact same day when Xbox releases Starfield on Xbox Game Pass. Sony's PS Plus subscription tiers are trying to compete with the Xbox Game Pass, and raising the prices on the same day that Microsoft's service receives its biggest game of the year is a perplexing decision.

It remains to be seen how this price increase of PS Plus will impact the number of subscribers. Since PS Plus is required to play PS4 and PS5 games online, it is unlikely that many subscribers will cancel their subscriptions due to the price hike. However, it is possible that some fans may choose not to renew their subscriptions when they come up for renewal.