Sony launches its new game subscription service PlayStation Plus in North and South America
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today that gamers from North and South America can now explore the newest version of its PlayStation Plus game subscription service, which now has one monthly fee and will incorporate its separate cloud gaming platform, PlayStation Now.
As a result, current PlayStation Plus subscribers will be migrated over to the PlayStation Plus Essential tier and get cloud streaming access until their existing subscription expires. There will be no increase to their subscription fees when switching over to the higher tier.
Sony will also launch the service in 11 markets in Eastern Europe later this month. This will complete the global roll-out that began in Asia in late May, bringing the total to 30 markets that will have cloud streaming access.
The revamped subscription service will potentially make PlayStation Plus a better competitor against Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass. Sony claims that the service will have a more extensive game catalog, and subscribers that get the higher-priced subscription plan will have access to benefits such as time-limited game trials and more.
Today, players can dive into titles like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut and NBA 2K22, among others.
In total, there are more than 700 games for players to explore from PlayStation Studios developers like Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch, and third-party partners such as Rockstar Games, Square Enix, WB Games and more.
Also, the game catalog will "refresh and evolve over time, so there is always something new for gamers to play,” the company wrote. Its rival Xbox Game Pass, on the other hand, regularly adds and removes titles from the catalog. For instance, the subscription service lost seven games in May 2022.
The newly enhanced service comes in three tiers: PlayStation Plus Essential ($9.99 per month, $24.99 per quarter or $59.99 per year), PlayStation Plus Extra ($14.99 per month, $39.99 per quarter or $99.99 per year) and PlayStation Plus Premium ($17.99 per month, $49.99 per quarter or $119.99 per year).
The cheapest tier is pretty much the same as what PlayStation Plus members are already getting, which includes two monthly downloadable PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PlayStation 5 (PS5) games, online multiplayer, exclusive store discounts, cloud storage and more.
PlayStation Plus Extra provides all the same benefits as well as an additional game lineup of 400 PS4 and PS5 games that are downloadable.
Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus Premium offers all the benefits from Essential and Extra plans, plus up to 340 additional games such as PlayStation 3 games available via cloud streaming, classic games from the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2 (PS2) and PlayStation Portable (PSP). The plan also adds cloud streaming access for original PlayStation, PS2, PSP and PS4 games. In addition, there will also be time-limited game trials available for players that let them play games for two hours before deciding to buy them.
Classic titles that will become available to PlayStation Plus Premium members sometime in the future include Tekken 2, Syphon Filter and Ape Escape. Players can expect better frame rates and improved resolution, which was recently updated from 720p to 1080p. Additionally, some original PlayStation and PSP titles will introduce the ability to save or rewind.
“The global launch of the all-new PlayStation Plus represents a massive evolution of our game subscription service offering, and we are pleased that fans worldwide can now enjoy hundreds of fantastic games available in the PlayStation Plus catalog,” Jim Ryan, president and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment, said in a statement. “The high caliber of content is what sets PlayStation Plus apart, and the service will continue to grow with new monthly game offerings that include some of the most celebrated titles on PlayStation platforms. We are truly grateful for the passionate support of our PlayStation community over the years.”
