Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About PlayStation Plus

Enjoy trying new games? Like saving money? Got a PlayStation?

If any of this sounds like you, then you should consider subscribing to PlayStation Plus. PlayStation Plus members receive a ton of benefits, including free games and exclusive discounts. 

Curious about other perks, pricing, and availability? In this article, we’ll cover everything you ever wanted to know about PlayStation Plus. 

What is PlayStation Plus?

PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) is a subscription service that began on PlayStation 3. Initially, it only had one tier and offered members two free games per month, along with member-only sales and discounts. In mid-2022, Sony updated PlayStation Plus to the current three-tier offering. The benefits for each tier vary based on your subscription level and PlayStation account region.

Two of the tiers are available globally, but the highest tier varies depending on the region associated with your PlayStation Network account.

What Tiers Are Available?

The PlayStation Plus tiers are:

• Essential
• Extra
• Deluxe
• Premium

The chart below has an overview of the key benefits for each tier.

PlayStation Plus is available in 69 of the 73 regions supported by PlayStation.  It is not available in the Philippines, Serbia, or Vietnam. At the time of writing, it is suspended in Russia.

Not sure which PlayStation Plus tiers are available in your region or which membership to choose? Read on for an in-depth look at each tier and its benefits.

Essential

The original PlayStation Plus membership became the Essential tier. This is the entry-level tier, which offers members online multiplayer, cloud storage, exclusive discounts, and monthly free games.

Other benefits include Share Play, Game Help (PS5 only), and exclusive in-game content.

To take advantage of the free games, you must add them to your game library before the end of the month. You can download and play the games at a later date as long as you have an active PlayStation Plus membership.

This tier is available globally in all regions that support PlayStation Plus. Pricing varies by region; see the chart below for sample pricing.

Essential is the only PlayStation Plus tier available in China, and it has different benefits and monthly games.

Extra

The Extra tier includes all the benefits of the Essential tier, plus a massive game catalog of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games. This catalog is regularly updated and has “up to 400 titles,” according to PlayStation.

All games in the PS Plus game catalog are included in the Extra subscription price and can be downloaded directly to your PlayStation console. PS4 owners can only access PlayStation 4 titles, while PS5 owners can access PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 titles thanks to backward compatibility.

This tier is available globally in all regions that support PlayStation Plus. Pricing varies by region; see the chart below for sample pricing.

Deluxe

Deluxe is the highest PlayStation Plus tier available in regions without cloud streaming. This tier includes all the benefits of the Essential and Extra tiers and adds the PlayStation Classics catalog. 

The PlayStation Classics catalog includes original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PSP games, along with some remasters. These games can be downloaded directly to your PlayStation console.

In addition to the Classics catalog, the Deluxe tier allows “time-limited trials” on select titles. The length of the trial usually runs from one to five hours, depending on the game. Game trials are also downloaded directly to your console.

This tier is available in the following regions: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong  Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates/Middle East, Uruguay

Pricing varies by region; see the chart below for sample pricing.

Premium

Premium is the highest PlayStation Plus tier available in countries with cloud streaming. This tier has all the benefits of the previous three tiers (Extra, Essential, and Deluxe), plus cloud streaming.

Cloud streaming allows Premium subscribers to access a variety of PS3 titles and also adds streaming functionality for some games in the Classics catalog. Premium subscribers can also stream PS Plus titles on their PC using the PS Plus app. This feature is limited to Windows PCs.

This tier is available in the following regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States

Pricing varies by region; see the chart below for sample pricing.

PC streaming is unavailable in the following countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Republic of Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia

Which Membership Tier Should I Choose?

The Extra tier is going to be the best option for most people. It has all the basics (online multiplayer, cloud storage, etc.) and a massive library of current-gen games, making it well worth the price tag.  

Upgrading to the Deluxe or Premium membership tier is worth the extra money if you’re really into classic PlayStation titles or want access to PS3 games via cloud streaming.

If you’re only interested in PlayStation Plus for the online multiplayer functionality, save some money and go for the Essential tier.

Is PlayStation Plus Worth It?

That depends on your gaming habits. If you play lots of online multiplayer games or like trying new titles, absolutely. At $79.99 per year (or your local equivalent), the Essential tier is a great value that will get you at least 36 free games for about the same price as one new title. 

If you prefer specific genres or series or don’t have the time to play many games throughout the year, PlayStation Plus might not be the right choice for you.  

Ready to get started with PlayStation Plus? Start by creating a PlayStation Network account and then choose your membership tier. Happy gaming!

Featured Image: PlayStation, All Access Arcade