In line with reports that Sony’s new PlayStation subscription service could roll out as early as coming week, the Japanese electronics giant made the new three tier subscription service official today.
Note that the new PlayStation Plus is a combination of Sony’s existing subscription services – the PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. It is set to start rolling out this June, initially in some Asian markets before moving on to North America, Europe, and other regions where PlayStation Plus is offered.
Jim Ryan, president, and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment said that PlayStation Now will cease to exist as a standalone service when the new PlayStation Plus service will roll out. If you are a PlayStation Now customer, then you will migrate over to PlayStation Plus Premium, at no increase to your current subscription fees at launch.
Let us come to the games you can play if you subscribe to the upcoming PlayStation Plus. At the time of the launch, you will have access to titles such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal. Additionally, Sony said that it is working closely with its developers from PlayStation Studios and third-party partners to include some of the “best gaming experiences available” with a library that will be refreshed at regular intervals.
The subscription service will have three tiers – Essential, Extra, and Premium. For markets where PlayStation streaming is unavailable, the third tier is called PlayStation Plus Deluxe. It will be offered at a lower price compared to that of the Premium tier. It will also include the benefits from the Essential and Extra tiers, a catalog of beloved classic games from the original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP generations to download and play, along with time-limited game trials.
The Essential tier is the lowest of the lot and comes with includes two monthly downloadable games, exclusive discounts, cloud storage for saved games, and access to online multiplayer – basically, the same as the current PlayStation Plus. It is priced at $9.99 per month, $24.99 per quarter, or $59.99 per year (for the US), and €8.99 per month, €24.99 per quarter, or €59.99 per year (for Europe). For the UK, it will be priced at £6.99 per month, £19.99 per quarter, and £49.99. Its price in Japan will be ¥850 per month, ¥2,150 per quarter, and ¥5,143 per year.
The middle tier is the PlayStation Plus Ultra, which will provide all the benefits of the Essential tier. It will, however, add a catalog of up to 400 of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games downloadable – including blockbuster hits from our PlayStation Studios catalog and third-party partners. This comes at $14.99 per month, $39.99 per quarter, or $99.99 per year in the US. In Europe, the price is €13.99 per month, €39.99 per quarter, or €99.99 per year. In the UK, it comes at £10.99 monthly, £31.99 quarterly, and £83.99 yearly, while its price in Japan is ¥1,300 monthly, ¥3,600 quarterly, or ¥8,600 yearly.
The Premium tier is the top one, offering all the benefits of the earlier tiers. Furthermore, it will come with 340 games, including PS3 titles you can stream via the cloud, as well as classic games available in both streaming and download options, including original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP games. You can also try some games before buying.
This tier comes at $17.99 per month, $49.99 per quarter, or $119.99 per year in the US. In Europe, the price is €16.99 per month, €49.99 per quarter, or €119.99 per year. In the UK, it comes at £13.49 monthly, £39.99 quarterly, or £99.99 yearly, while in Japan it costs ¥1,550 monthly, ¥4,300 quarterly, or ¥10,250 yearly.
