Sony Unveils New PlayStation Plus Option With Multiple Tiers

PlayStation has finally revealed the heavily rumored revamp of its PlayStation Plus subscription service. Once code-named “Spartus,” the new model combines PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now, giving gamers three tiers of options. Starting in June Sony will offer three tiers of PlayStation Plus in the forms of PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, and PlayStation Plus Premium.

Here’s how the three tiers break down:

PlayStation Plus Essential

• Benefits:
  • Provides the same benefits that PlayStation Plus members are getting today such as:
    • Two monthly downloadable games
    • Exclusive discounts
    • Cloud storage for saved games
    • Online multiplayer access
    • There are no changes for existing PlayStation Plus members in this tier.
• Prices* for PlayStation Plus Essential remains the same as the current price for PlayStation Plus
  • United States
    • $9.99 monthly / $24.99 quarterly / $59.99 yearly
  • Europe
    • €8.99 monthly / €24.99 quarterly / €59.99 yearly
  • United Kingdom
    • £6.99 monthly / £19.99 quarterly / £49.99 yearly
  • Japan
    • ¥850 monthly / ¥2,150 quarterly / ¥5,143 yearly

PlayStation Plus Extra

• Benefits:
  • Provides all the benefits from the Essential tier
  • Adds a catalog of up to 400* of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games – including blockbuster hits from our PlayStation Studios catalog and third-party partners. Games in the Extra tier are downloadable for play.
• Price*:
  • United States
    • $14.99 monthly / $39.99 quarterly / $99.99 yearly
  • Europe
    • €13.99 monthly / €39.99 quarterly / €99.99 yearly
  • United Kingdom
    • £10.99 monthly / £31.99 quarterly / £83.99 yearly
  • Japan
    • ¥1,300 monthly / ¥3,600 quarterly / ¥8,600 yearly

PlayStation Plus Premium**

• Benefits
  • Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers
  • Adds up to 340* additional games, including:
    • PS3 games available via cloud streaming
    • A catalog of beloved classic games available in both streaming and download options from the original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP generations.
  • Offers cloud streaming access for original PlayStation, PS2, PSP, and PS4 games offered in the Extra and Premium tiers in markets** where PlayStation Now is currently available. Customers can stream games using PS4 and PS5 consoles, and PC**.
  • Time-Limited game trails will also be offered in this tier, so customers can try select games before they buy.
• Price*
  • United States
    • $17.99 monthly / $49.99 quarterly / $119.99 yearly
  • Europe
    • €16.99 monthly / €49.99 quarterly / €119.99 yearly
  • United Kingdom
    • £13.49 monthly / £39.99 quarterly / £99.99 yearly
  • Japan
    • ¥1,550 – monthly / ¥4,300 – quarterly / ¥10,250 yearly
• PlayStation Plus Deluxe (Select Markets) For markets without cloud streaming, PlayStation Plus Deluxe will be offered at a lower price compared to Premium and includes a catalog of beloved classic games from original PlayStation, PS2, and PSP generations to download and play, along with time-limited game trails. Benefits from Essential and Extra tiers are also included. Local pricing will vary by market.

Everything Else

Additionally, the service will launch with titles such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal.

Sadly, fans who were hoping that the newly revamped service would include day-one access to new releases, much like Xbox’s game pass, will be disappointed.

In an interview with Games Industry.biz, Jim Ryan, President, and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment stated that “We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, […] The level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible, and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want.”

Starting in June, the new service will begin rolling out regionally. The launch will start in Asian markets, followed by North America, Europe, and the rest of the world.

To read the full blog post in its entirety click on the link and be sure to let us know what you think about the changes coming to PlayStation Plus.

For all of your gaming news be sure to follow BackstageOL on Twitter.