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Game consoles -- and even video games themselves -- are often far from cheap. Playing lots of games is a luxury experience, unless you're sticking to free games like Fortnite, which is probably why a lot of gaming subscription services now exist. Sony's PlayStation 5 subscription, called PlayStation Plus, helps make the gaming world a bit more affordable by offering a couple of new games every month, even at its basic tier.
We've broken down the deals currently on offer below. We also explain how PS Plus subscriptions work and the best ways to get signed up for less wherever possible. For more savings, take a look at our roundup of the best bargains on PlayStation games, gear and accessories.
Watch this: PlayStation Plus: Picking the Best Tier
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CDKeys has an offer going right now that gives you 10% savings on a 3-month standard subscription. That still works out to be more expensive than just going for the 12-month option, but it's a good stopgap if you're not sure about the service or just can't justify the 12-month commitment at the moment.
There are no direct discounts on PlayStation Plus right now, but the service itself can be a good deal for those who want to play older games that come to the service via the free games, or by upgrading to a higher tier for even more options.
What's changed?
Before 2023's revamp, PlayStation offered two different PS Plus subscription services: a $10-a-month service similar to Xbox Game Pass, which let players game online and participate in multiplayer matches, and PlayStation Now, a $10-a-month cloud gaming service that gave players access to a huge library of classic titles from the PS2, PS3 and PS4. The new version of PS Plus has essentially rolled both memberships into a single service with multiple subscription tiers. Three membership packages are available, combining different features and benefits of both previous subscriptions.
PS Plus Essential
At $10 a month, $25 for three months or $80 for the year, PlayStation Plus Essential is basically no different than the previous PS Plus subscription. It offers all the same features, including access to online play, two monthly games for free, cloud storage and exclusive discounts at the PlayStation Store. If you had a PS Plus membership before the revamp went live, it was automatically converted to an Essential membership.
PS Plus Extra
At $15 a month, $40 for three months or $135 for the year, a midtier PlayStation Plus Extra subscription is somewhat similar to the Game Pass Ultimate membership offered to Xbox users. It includes all the benefits and features of an Essential membership but also gives you access to a catalog of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. The selection includes plenty of hit titles like God of War, Horizon, Uncharted, Demon's Souls, Kingdom Hearts, Doom, Red Dead Redemption, Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man, Final Fantasy and tons more.
PS Plus Premium
A PlayStation Plus Premium membership is the highest tier available, and it clocks in at either $18 a month, $50 for three months or $160 for a full year. In addition to all the benefits of both an Essential and Extra subscription, it gives you access to a massive library of more than 700 games. That includes the recent PS4 and PS5 hits from the Extra subscription, but also a catalog of more than 300 classics from the PS1, PS2 and PS3 eras (similar to the previous PS Now subscription). It allows you to stream many of these classic titles, so you don't have to worry about them eating up your valuable storage space.
You also get access to time-limited game trials, so you can try out new games before you commit to buying them. If you had a subscription to PS Now before the revamp went live, it was automatically converted to a PlayStation Plus Premium membership.