PlayStation Plus Extra vs PlayStation Plus Premium: Which of the new PS Plus tiers is best for PS5 owners?
Sony has finally announced a revamped PS Plus proposition with multiple tiers to suit all PlayStation gamers. The new subscription options bring together the existing PS Plus and PS Now platforms, with the whole seemingly greater than the sum of its parts.
Unfortunately, there’s none of that Game Pass day one access action to enjoy on any of the tiers. But we don’t think there should be.
PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members get everything on the PlayStation Plus Essential tier. That’s two free, downloadable games a month, online multiplayer, discounts, and cloud storage for saved games – pretty much what the existing PS Plus tier offered, right?
However, there’s plenty more on offer if you’re willing to peel a few more notes out of the wallet. If you’re wondering which of the new PlayStation Plus options is for you, here’s our guide to PlayStation Plus Extra vs PlayStation Plus Premium.
PlayStation Plus Extra benefits
Beyond the Essential benefits (listed above) PS Plus Extra subscribers will get a library of over 400 PS4 and PS5 games. That will include big first and third-party hitters likes Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal with more to be announced soon. These will be downloadable.
PlayStation Plus Premium benefits
PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers get all of the above from the Essential and Extra tiers. But Premium also blasts open the near 30-year PlayStation archives with access to an additional 340 games. That includes PS3 games via cloud streaming, but also PS One, PS2 and PSP games (streaming and download).
The final exclusive Premium benefit is timed trials for some games, enabling you to play a little before you decide whether to buy. That cold be worth the extra expenditure.
Price
PlayStation Plus Premium is the most expensive of the new PS Plus offerings, but still comes in at under £100 for a full year of access. You can save 60% by paying up-front, and you just know that come Black Friday and other sales events, that’ll be discounted further.
Monthly: £13.49/$17.99/€16.99/¥1,550
Quarterly: £39.99/$49.99/€49.99/¥4,300
Yearly: £99.99/$119.99/€119.99/¥10,250
PlayStation Plus Extra is priced in a way that makes Premium seem very attractive. Perhaps deliberately. The extra features on offer, including all those old school classics and game streaming, is just £16 a year more expensive if you pay up front. Surely, this will be the go-to for diehard PlayStation loyalists?
Monthly: £10.99/$14.99/€13.99/¥1,300
Quarterly: £31.99/$39.99/€39.99/¥3,600
Yearly: £83.99/$99.99/€99.99/¥8,600
Which PlayStation Plus tier to buy?
If you’re perfectly happy with the way PS Plus was, then you can effectively continue as you are with PlayStation Plus Essential (£6.99 a month). However, deciding between Extra and Premium will depend on just how far back you want to go into the archives.
If you only want to play PS4 and PS5 games, there’s you’re better off with Extra. If you want to go as far back as the dawn of PlayStation and visit the classics from bygone decades, Premium it’s only around a quid more a month if you pay annually. Access to those timed game trials might be really handy too.
Of course we’ll need to see the full line-up of games before offering definitive advice, and Sony isn’t telling right now. Stay tuned!
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.