Surprising PS Plus Price Hike Announced: What You Need to Know

Highlights

Sony has announced a price hike for its PlayStation Plus subscription service. The basic tier of a 12-month subscription will now cost $79.99, while the Extra tier will be priced at $134.99 and the premium tier at $159.99.

Despite the price hike, it is unlikely that numerous subscribers will terminate their subscriptions as PS Plus is essential for online multiplayer, though a few avid fans might opt out of renewing their subscriptions in the future.

Sony has officially declared that its PlayStation Plus subscription service is set to become pricier. Introduced over ten years ago, PlayStation Plus offers subscribers exclusive deals and the opportunity to download free games. Since its inception, PS Plus has evolved significantly, transforming into a mandatory component for online multiplayer with the introduction of the PlayStation 4 generation and eventually expanding into a three-tiered service.

Sony has recently revamped PS Plus by merging it with PlayStation Now and expanding its offerings across three tiers. PS Plus Essential, the basic version of PlayStation Plus, continues to provide fans with access to online multiplayer and the monthly free games that they have been enjoying for years. In addition, PS Plus Extra not only includes everything available in the PS Plus Essential tier, but also grants subscribers access to a wide range of PS4 and PS5 games. Lastly, PS Plus Premium offers users the ultimate value, as it includes retro PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3 games, in addition to cloud streaming benefits.

As of September 6, PlayStation Plus subscribers will experience a price increase in order to continue enjoying the benefits offered by the service and its three tiers. The cost of 12-month subscriptions for PS Plus Essential will increase from $59.99 to $79.99. Meanwhile, PS Plus Extra will now be priced at $134.99, making it the next tier in terms of cost. Lastly, PS Plus Premium will be the most expensive tier, retailing for $159.99.

The timing of this PS Plus price increase may not sit well with some fans, for various reasons. Firstly, the September 2023 lineup of free PS Plus games has been met with widespread criticism. The selection includes Saints Row, Black Desert: Traveler Edition, and Generation Zero, none of which received favorable reviews. In fact, Generation Zero was heavily criticized by most reviewers, while Saints Row garnered significantly lower scores compared to its predecessors.

Furthermore, the price surge coincides with the launch of Starfield on Xbox Game Pass. Sony's PS Plus subscription tiers are striving to rival Xbox Game Pass, making the timing of the price increase particularly perplexing given that Xbox will be featuring its most anticipated game of the year on that very day.

The impact of this PS Plus price increase on the subscriber count remains uncertain. As PS Plus is essential for online gaming on both PS4 and PS5, it is improbable that a significant number of subscribers will cancel their subscriptions due to the increase. However, some fans may choose not to renew their subscriptions when they expire.