PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) is the best way to get the most from your PlayStation gaming time, thanks to adding online multiplayer, free games, and a whole heap more for one subscription fee. In recent times, it has been expanded to offer three different tiers — each offering varying benefits to gamers. PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium all have their roles to play depending on how you play and what level of value you want to get from the service. Some form of PS Plus subscription is vital if you want to be able to play certain PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games online with your friends, but there are more benefits than just that.
With PlayStation Plus, you also get exclusive deals on the PlayStation Store, Even better, there are free games to download every month that you’ll be able to keep playing as long as you keep your PlayStation Plus subscription active. Until May 9, you also retain access to the PlayStation Plus Collection which contains some of the best games for both systems. Depending on the tier, you might get even more than that. Read on while we take you through the differences between the different tiers of PlayStation Plus, and round up the best PlayStation Plus deals and prices available right now, so you can save money if you want to play online, while also enjoying free games on the cheap.
What is PlayStation Plus?
Along with online multiplayer and other in-game network features, a PlayStation Plus Essential membership grants you access to exclusive discounts and other promotions. Perhaps the most notable benefit of PlayStation Plus is that every month, Sony gives subscribers one PlayStation 5 and two PlayStation 4 games that are free to download. You have one month to add these free PlayStation Plus games to your library.
After that, these titles are yours to keep so long as you have an active PlayStation Plus subscription. The free-to-download games are generally pretty good (they are often some of the best PS4 games that have been out for a little while), and these alone justify the cost of PS Plus even for people who don’t do a lot of online gaming.
If your membership lapses, you lose access to these games; however, you can download them again if you re-activate your PS Plus account. In other words, you don’t need to worry about losing your free games if you decide to go without PS Plus for a while (or if you just forget to add more time to your subscription) — once they are in your library, these free PlayStation Plus titles are yours to play whenever you have an active PS Plus membership. Just note that you may only add them to your library during the month that they are free.
If you want more from your PlayStation Plus membership, there’s also PlayStation Plus Extra. This service gives you all the benefits of PSPlayStationPlus Essential as well as a downloadable catalog of nearly 400 PS4 and PS5 games.
Not enough for you? There’s always PlayStation Plus Premium which does all that, and adds on PS3 game streaming for select titles) along with some PS1, PS2 and PSP games too. It’s more limited than anyone would like but there are some good titles like Ape Escape, Tekken 2, and Dark Cloud.
In all cases, there’s also access to PS Plus Collection — a roundup of some of the best games seen on PS4 such as The Last of Us Remastered, God of War, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. This won’t be for long though with Sony discontinuing the library from May 9. Fortunately, if you download any of these games before then, they’re yours to keep unless your PS Plus subscription lapses. It’s a great way of gaining insight into what Sony has to offer but you’re going to need to be fast, making one of these PlayStation Plus deals even more unmissable right now.
Today’s Best PlayStation Plus Deals
PlayStation Plus Essential (12-Month) — $50, was $60
PlayStation Plus Essential is the new name for what was previously known simply as PlayStation Plus. The main purpose of signing up for the service is to access the online modes of your favorite games, though there are added bonuses such as free games to download every month. You’ll be able to keep playing these games as long as your PlayStation Plus Essential membership remains active, or you decide to upgrade to the higher tiers — PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium.
Editors' Recommendations
- The best upcoming PS5 games: 2023, 2024, and beyond
- Save $40 when you add 1TB of storage to your Xbox Series X or PS5
- The best free Nintendo Switch games
- The best Android games in 2023: 30-plus must-play games we love
- The best games on PlayStation Plus, Extra, and Premium
