PS Plus price increase is not going down well
Sony has announced that 12-month subscriptions to PS Plus will become more expensive starting on September 6, 2023. These price hikes affect all subscription tiers of the service. Current subscribers won’t feel the impact of this until their next renewal is due, but any change made to your membership after September 6 – be it an upgrade, downgrade, or buying more time – will bring the new price into effect.
Here are the new PS Plus 12-month subscription prices:
- PlayStation Plus Essential
- 79.99 USD | 71.99 Euro | 59.99 GBP | 6,800 Yen
- PlayStation Plus Extra
- 134.99 USD | 125.99 Euro | 99.99 GBP | 11,700 Yen
- PlayStation Plus Premium
- 159.99 USD | 151.99 Euro | 119.99 GBP | 13,900 Yen
It didn’t help public opinion that this announcement came with one of the worst months of PS Plus in recent memory when it comes to the ‘free’ games delivered with the service: September has Saints Row, Black Desert – Traveler Edition, and Generation Zero in store for members, which isn’t exactly a dream line-up. Sony, though, justified the increase with the “high-quality games” it delivers with the service. Not the greatest timing for that one. There is no word on any improvements or new features coming to PS Plus with the price increase, so users are expected to pay more for no added benefits at all.
PS Plus is looking like a worse and worse deal.
Sony
People are understandably angry about this price change: This hike far outstrips anything one could call reasonable even when accounting for the high inflation. It’s all the more audacious since PS Plus is needed for even basic gaming functionality like online play or cloud saves for many titles – things you get completely for free on PC.
Users also point out that PS Plus is very much lacking in benefits compared to something like Xbox Game Pass, making them question the value of their subscription even more now. While Game Pass recently increased the price of some of its membership plans, those price hikes went nowhere near the magnitude of over 30% like the PS Plus price increase. Between the big three subscription services – PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass, and Nintendo Switch Online – Sony’s offer is looking worse and worse.
It’s always been incomprehensible to many PC gamers why console gamers were alright with paying extra for even basic functionality and now PS4 and PS5 owners may get another reason for rethinking their purchasing decisions.
