PlayStation Plus is getting a major price hike following Game Pass changes

By Tomas Franzese August 30, 2023

Sony confirmed that 12-month subscriptions for PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium will all see price increases alongside the reveal of September’s new Essential games on the PlayStation Blog.

Starting on September 6, 12 months of PS Plus Essential goes up in price from $60 to $80, PS Plus Extra’s yearly price increases from $100 to $135, and an annual subscription to PS Plus Premium will rise from $120 to $160.

PlayStation Plus art highlighting the essential, extra, and premium tiers. — Sony Interactive Entertainment

Sony says it needs to increase the price of all three versions of PlayStation Plus “to continue bringing high-quality games and value-added benefits to your PlayStation Plus subscription service” and that buying a 12-month subscription is still cheaper than subscribing to any of the shorter-term plans over the same period of time. The price hikes comes just a couple of months after Microsoft raised the price of Xbox Game Pass.

When it comes to the games PS Plus Essential subscribers can expect this month, first up is Saints Row, a 2022 reboot of an open-world crime franchise that garnered mixed reviews upon its release. Next is Generation Zero, an open-world sci-fi shooter where players fight evil machines. Finally, those who have not already purchased a version of the MMO Black Desert on PS4 can redeem Black Desert – Traveler Edition, which comes with some additional items; if you have bought a version of Black Desert, you can just redeem the Traveler Item Pack.

The September 2023 PlayStation Plus games. — Sony Interactive Entertainment

All of those games will be available to download between September 5 and October 2. The new PlayStation Plus prices go into effect on September 6 for new subscribers, although current subscribers won’t see the price increase unless their subscription renews sometime after November 6.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

PlayStation Spring Sale: best deals, how long is the sale, and more

With the rise of all-digital consoles, more and more people are doing a majority of their game shopping on digital storefronts. For PlayStation 5 owners, whether you have a disk drive or not, you more than likely have at least a couple of games purchased from the PlayStation Store. The convenience of simply downloading a game and not having to worry about the disk is great, but you also can catch some amazing deals. The biggest sales events come seasonally, and the current Spring Sale is offering deep discounts of up to 90% on some of the biggest games on the platform. If you've been waiting to pick up one of the great games you missed earlier this year or in years past, now might be the best time to snag it for cheap!
When is the PlayStation Spring Sale 2024?
The PlayStation Spring Sale started on March 27, 2024, but new deals were added on April 10 that will last until April 24.

If any deal is exclusively for a PS5 version of a game that is also on PS4, we will note that beside the title. Since all PS4 games run on PS5, we won't mark PS4 games.
Best deals for the PlayStation Spring Sale
God of War Ragnarök Sony Interactive Entertainment

Gaming

Animal Well will be part of the PS Plus Game Catalog from day one

Key art for Animal Well

Sony revealed the batch of video games that will come to PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra's Game Catalog over the next month. The headliners are three new day-one additions to the service, including the already-confirmed Tales of Kenzera: Zau and Dave the Diver as well as Animal Well.

Animal Well launches on May 9 and has caught Digital Trends' eye for being an eerie Metroidvania that won't hold players' hands as they explore. It is also the first game that will be published by Bigmode, a fledgling publisher founded by YouTuber Videogamedunkey. PS Plus Premium and Extra's game catalog had historically been less focused on games coming to the service on day one than has Xbox Game Pass, but that's finally starting to shift. While Tales of Kenzera: Zau comes out on April 23 and Animal Well will be released on May 9, Dave the Diver and the following PS1, PS4, and PS5 games will come to PS Plus' Game Catalog on April 16:

Gaming

PS Plus Extra subscribers can try two of the month’s biggest PS5 games for free

The main character of Tales of Kenzera: Zau stands with two elemental items.

Both Dave the Diver and Tales of Kenzera: ZAU will launch for PlayStation 5 this month, and both will included in PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra's Game Catalog from day one.

Dave the Diver will be the first to be added, as its PS5 port launches on April 16. Dave the Diver was a surprise hit when it was released for PC in 2023, standing out as a charming game where players go diving for the seafood they then serve in their sushi restaurant. While it was controversially nominated for best indie at The Game Awards despite being developed by Nexon studio Mintrocket, it's still a fantastic game and well worth your time when it finally launches on PS5 in a couple of weeks.