Is Plus A Must?

A closer look at Playstation Plus

Similar to Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation(PS) Plus is a gaming subscription service that has been very popular since its inception. PS Plus started in 2010 and allowed players to receive discounts on games and provided members two free games every month. In 2014, PlayStation introduced PlayStation Now as a companion to Plus, although it did require a separate subscription fee. PS Now allowed players to stream games from current and older generations using an internet connection.

When the PS5 released in 2020, PS Plus subscribers had access to the PS Plus Collection, a set of twenty of the most popular PS4 games. These included titles such as God of War 2018, Uncharted 4, and The Last of Us Remastered. Many players praised this initiative, as it allowed new PlayStation users a chance to experience critically acclaimed games they might have missed over the past seven years. This collection was available until May 2023.

My Plus gaming collection

In March 2022, Sony announced that PS Plus would be expanding to include PS Now and would continue as a three-tier subscription service with existing subscribers automatically grandfathered into the first tier. The base subscription is referred to as Essential. The middle tier is known as Extra. The final tier is called Premium. The new version of PS Plus launched in June of that same year.

I have been a Plus subscriber for around five years and figured it was time to examine the system as it currently stands. I’ll be discussing all the different benefits of PS Plus and offer my opinion on its necessity.

One of the most prominent benefits of PS Plus are the two free games that are provided every month. Players are given a month to claim these titles and they will be accessible to them as long as they are subscribed to PS Plus. In some ways, it gives players the option to bookmark titles they may want to play later. The biggest catch is that players don't have a say in which games are free. The games are chosen by Sony themselves and announced a week before they are able to be claimed. This means that there's a chance you will not be interested in any of the games of the month and will be required to wait and see what comes next. Also, if a player misses their chance to claim their monthly games, they are no longer available for free and must be purchased.

PS Plus also allows subscribers to receive discounts on games and downloadable content. These discounts can range from 10% off to 75% off depending on the sales that are available at the time. Some titles, such as Rocket League, even allow subscribers to claim content at no additional cost.

The other major benefit from PS Plus is online multiplayer. Obviously, not every game requires an internet connection but certain popular titles such as Call of Duty will require a subscription if you want to play other than single player or Co-op. This particular aspect does seem to be more of a personal decision as each individual will know what type of games they normally play.

The Extra tier contains all of the previously mentioned benefits plus an additional games catalog. This collection often contains some of the more popular titles of the previous years and the games rotate in the same way that movies do on other streaming services. This is a great option for players who want to try out some titles without committing to purchasing them individually.

The Extra Catalog rotates games fairly often; so it's worth checking now and again.

The Premium tier of PS Plus contains everything from the Extra tier and provides additional features. The streaming factor from PS Now was bundled into the Premium option. This allows you to stream games via an internet connection without downloading them to your system. It also comes with a catalog of classic titles from PlayStation 1 through PlayStation 3. At the time of writing this article, this collection contains over 100 games.

Although the Premium tier might seem like the obvious choice, it's important to note that each tier is more expensive than the last and prices have recently changed. At the time of writing this article, the Essential tier costs $80 a year, the Extra tier costs $135 a year, and the Premium tier costs $160 a year. If at any point you want to upgrade your subscription, you will be charged a specific amount based on how many days are left in your subscription period.

In my personal opinion, most gamers will be satisfied with the Essential and Extra tiers. I do feel that those options have benefits that match the price. If you just want to play multiplayer, Essential is the way to go. If you're a fan of trying out titles before adding them to your collection, Extra is a nice step up. That's not to say that you're in the wrong if you choose to purchase Premium, but that does seem more of a niche market considering that the major benefits are streaming and classic games. Ultimately, it does come down to the decision of the individual.

For now, PlayStation Plus seems to be going strong although I can confirm that most players were not happy about the recent price increase. The future of the service will depend on the decisions Sony makes going forward and how well they utilize different aspects. However, PlayStation Plus is not required to enjoy single player games and you can still enjoy your PlayStation system without being a Plus member.

This post was written by Vanessa Hart, creator of Deep Dive Gaming.