Layers upon layers.
Since Sony announced its impending transition to a new, multi-tier PlayStation Plus subscription service in March, the company has tried to explain the many benefits of that service with thousands of (sometimes confusing) words in two blog posts and an FAQ. We’ve tried to break down those benefits with our own posts that contain thousands more (hopefully less confusing) words.
As we struggled to understand the new offerings, we wanted a more concise, readable summary that breaks down each level of the new PlayStation Plus at a glance. And we thought that if we wanted that kind of quick reference, some of our readers could too.
So please enjoy this breakdown of the new PlayStation Plus, as clear and concise as we could make it without leaving out anything important. We will try to keep this post updated as Sony adds or clarifies new features.
Overview of prices/benefits
| Essential | Additional | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $9.99 | $14.99 | $17.99 |
| quarterly price | $24.99 | $39.99 | $49.99 |
| annual price | $59.99 | $99.99 | $119.99 |
| Two monthly downloadable games | X | X | X |
| cloud storage | X | X | X |
| Online Multiplayer Access | X | X | X |
| PlayStation Plus Collection (on PS5) | X | X | X |
| Downloadable PS4/PS5 games | X | X | |
| Ubisoft+ Classics game lineup | X | X | |
| Downloadable PS1/PS2/PSP games | X | ||
| Streamable PS3 games | X | ||
| Streaming access to PS1/PS2/PS4/PSP games | X | ||
| Time-limited game trials | X |
Essential Layer Benefits
Two monthly downloadable games
- These are mostly PS4 games these days, sometimes with PS5 improvements
- Since early 2020, PS Plus has offered 11 exclusive PS5 products and 5 exclusive PSVR versions
- You can access these games as long as you keep your subscription
cloud storage
- 100 GB cloud storage per console for PS4 and PS5
- 1,000 save file limit for PS4
Online Multiplayer Access
- No subscription is required for free-to-play games like Fortnite†
PlayStation Plus Collection (on PS5)
- A collection of 19 “classic” PS4 games playable on the PS5
- Not available on PS4
- The full list of games, which has not changed since 2020, is available here
Extra tier benefits
Downloadable PS4/PS5 games
- 62 titles announced so far, “up to 400” promised in March
- 50 PS4 exclusives (playable on PS5)
- Nine PS4 games with “enhanced” versions of PS5
- Three exclusive PS5s
- 38 first-party titles, 24 third-party titles
- The full list of titles announced so far is available here
“Ubisoft+ Classics” game lineup
- This isn’t the full Ubisoft+ 100-game lineup launched in 2019; it’s a shortened version for PlayStation Plus owners
- The “Classics” plan will launch with 27 titles and expand to 50 by the end of 2022, says Ubisoft
- Full list of announced titles so far available here
Premium tier benefits
Downloadable PS1/PS2/PSP games
- 28 titles announced so far, “up to 340” (including streamable PS3 games) promised in March
- 19 first-party, nine third-party titles
- Nine PS1, 18 PS2, 1 PSP title(s)
- The full list of titles announced so far is available here
- “Some” classic games have “improved frame rates and higher resolution compared to their original launch versions”
- “Some” PS1/PSP games also have a new UI and save/rewind anywhere capabilities
- PS2 games announced so far are being ‘remastered’, though their specific meaning is unclear at this point
Streamable games
- Stream to a PS4, PS5 or PC
- Streaming currently available in 19 countries, plus 11 more from June
- Full list of streaming availability by country is available here (scroll down)
- 29 Streamable PS3 Titles Announced So Far
- 21 first-party, eight third-party titles
- Not remastered
- No downloadable versions for PS3 games
- The full list of titles announced so far is available here
- Streaming for available PS1/PS2/PS4/PSP games was mentioned in Sony’s March blog post, but was not specifically mentioned in the latest update
- It says in the fine print that “streaming may not be available for certain games”
- PlayStation Now currently has a much wider list of streamable PS2/PS3/PS4 games
Time-limited game trials
- Six titles announced so far
- Two first-party, four third-party
- Two PS5 exclusives, four PS4 titles with PS5 improvements
- The full list of titles announced so far is available here
- Trials last two hours “for most games”
- Trial trophies/saved data will be transferred when you purchase the game
Other Notes
- Remaining PlayStation Plus subscriptions will be converted to Essential subscriptions
- Remaining PlayStation Now subscriptions will be converted to Premium subscriptions
- If you have both a PS Plus and PS Now subscription, you will be converted to a Premium subscription for the duration of the remaining subscription.
- Some PS1/PSP games purchased as a download can be downloaded for free on a PS4/PS5 even without a PlayStation Plus subscription
Scheduled Transition Timing
- Asia (except Japan): May 24
- Japan: June 2
- America: June 13
- Europe, Australia, New Zealand: June 23
