PlayStation Now will no longer be available as a standalone service.
PlayStation announced major changes to its PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now subscription services.
PlayStation Plus is a subscription service that gives subscribers access to a number of benefits, including the ability to play multiplayer games online. PlayStation Now, meanwhile, is PlayStation’s game subscription service that gives subscribers access to a catalog of games that they can play at any time.
Later this year, PlayStation Now will be incorporated into PlayStation Plus, and PlayStation Plus will be expanded to offer three different subscription tiers. Once this process takes place, PlayStation Now will no longer be offered as a standalone subscription service.
Here’s a breakdown of what each tier will offer, as well as their prices.
The PlayStation Plus Essential tier will provide the same benefits as the basic “PlayStation Plus” membership that’s currently available. That is, subscribers will receive two downloadable games each month, access to cloud storage for saving their gameplay data in the cloud, access to online multiplayer gaming, and more.
The price for the PlayStation Plus Essential tier will be the same as the current price for PlayStation Plus: $9.99 per month (or $24.99 per quarter or $59.99 per year).
The PlayStation Plus Extra subscription tier will include everything from the Essential tier. It will also give subscribers access to a catalog of “up to 400” PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games, which can be downloaded and played at any time, so long as your subscription remains active.
PlayStation Plus Extra will be priced at $14.99 per month, $39.99 per quarter, and $99.99 per year.
The PlayStation Plus Premium plan will include everything offered in the Essential and Extra tiers. In addition, it will give subscribers access to “up to 340 additional games” from older PlayStation console generations.
This will include PlayStation 3 games that can be streamed over the internet, and PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable (PSP) games that will have both download and streaming options.
The PlayStation Blog provided more details about this tier’s cloud streaming benefits:
“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.***”
Finally, the PlayStation Plus Premium Plan will give subscribers access to “Time-limited game trials” that will allow subscribers to try supported games before actually buying them.
The price for the PlayStation Plus Premium Plan will be $17.99 per month, $49.99 per quarter, or $119.99 per year.
Current PlayStation Now subscribers will be automatically moved to the PlayStation Plus Premium Plan once this service becomes available, “with no increase to their current subscription fees at launch.”
The new PlayStation Plus subscription plans will become available in June 2022. Keep checking back with SuperParent, as we’ll bring you more details about these plans in the future.
What does your family think about these changes to PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.
Editor’s Note (03/29/2022): This article has been updated with more information about what will happen to current PlayStation Now subscribers once these PlayStation Plus plans become available.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
