Sony is relaunching PlayStation Plus to create something that could best be described as Game Pass-like.
The “all-new PlayStation Plus” will arrive in June, granting Premium subscribers access to over 700 titles including some first-party content like God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Returnal.
The company’s PlayStation Now streaming service will also be integrated into PlayStation Plus and will no longer be available as a standalone subscription.
Notably, this reworked version of PlayStation Plus will comprise three subscription tiers dubbed Essential ($9.99/month), Extra ($14.99/month), and Premium ($17.99/month).
According to Sony, the base Essential tier will provide the same benefits that PlayStation Plus members are getting today including two downloadable games per month, exclusive discounts, cloud storage, and online multiplayer access.
Extra, meanwhile, will add a catalog of “up to 400 of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games” including some PlayStation Studios titles and third-party releases. Games in the Extra tier will be downloadable for play.
Finally, the Premium offering provides all of the above benefits but further expands the PlayStation Plus catalog with an additional 340 titles. Premium subscribers will also be able to access PS3 titles via cloud streaming and dip into a catalog of “beloved classic games” available to download or stream.
Sony said the new Extra and Premium tiers represent a “major evolution” for the service.
“With these tiers, our key focus is to ensure that the hundreds of games we offer will include the best quality content that sets us apart. At launch, we plan to include titles such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal,” wrote the company.
“We’re working closely with our imaginative developers from PlayStation Studios and third-party partners to include some of the best gaming experiences available with a library that will be regularly refreshed. More details to come on the games we’ll have on our new PlayStation Plus service.”
It’s worth reiterating that while PlayStation Plus is becoming a similar proposition to Xbox Game Pass, it’s not a mirror image of Microsoft’s subscription service. The biggest differentiator here is that Microsoft has committed to making all of its first-party Xbox Game Studios titles available on Xbox Game Pass from day one. Although Sony is bringing some first-party releases to PlayStation Plus, there was no mention of launch day access.
Breaking down the logistics of the relaunch, Sony said it will roll out the revamped service using a “phased regional approach.”
“In the June timeframe, we’ll begin with an initial launch in several markets in Asia, followed by North America, Europe and the rest of the world where PlayStation Plus is offered,” continued the company. “We aim to have most PlayStation Network territories live with our new PlayStation Plus game subscription service by the end of the first half of 2022. We also plan to expand our cloud streaming benefit to additional markets, and will provide more details at a later date.”