Sony is finally ready to respond to Xbox Game Pass with its own gaming subscription package and will launch a revamped PlayStation Plus with three tiers (Essential, Extra, and Premium) in the US on June 13th. Sony has confirmed the launch date and other details for the three new PlayStation Plus tiers it’s launching, which will be available in the US starting on June 13th. The new PlayStation Plus options look a lot like Xbox Game Pass, which gives
It has also released a full list of PS5 and PS4 games to come “in the launch timeframe,” with big names like Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part II, and God of War, as well as its lineup of classic games (included below).
One difference will remain, however: Sony has said that unlike Microsoft with Halo Infinite, Gears 5, and Forza Horizon 5, it won’t include brand new first-party games in the subscription package. That means that, at least initially, Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and Gran Turismo 7, for example, won’t be on the list.
PlayStation Plus Essential costs $9.99 / month and provides basic access to online services just like the previous Plus subscription. Plus Extra offers everything in Plus Essential and comes with a catalog of PS4 and PS5 games for $14.99 / month, while Plus Premium comes with all these perks in addition to an extra 340 games and the ability to stream PS3 titles from anywhere. It also includes the benefits players used to get from PlayStation Now combined with Plus.
Sony also confirmed that Ubisoft is bringing its subscription package to PlayStation as Ubisoft Plus Classics, which will be bundled with the Plus Extra and Plus Premium subscription tiers and includes 27 games at launch. However, once again, unlike the Ubisoft Plus subscription available now on PC, Stadia, and Luna (and eventually on Xbox), it won’t include day-one release titles.
PlayStation will also give Premium subscribers access to a collection of classic games that it says “will show improved frame rates and higher-quality resolution compared to their original launch versions.” The games will also feature an updated user interface with the ability to save the game whenever you want and also rewind.
Outside of Plus subscribers, PlayStation notes that if you “previously purchased the digital version of games from the original PlayStation and PSP generation” you can download these new versions at no additional cost.
PlayStation will also offer time-limited game trials as part of its PlayStation Plus Premium plan. These trials will last two hours and game save data will carry over if you decide to purchase the game. So far, PlayStation is offering limited trials of six games, including Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Horizon Forbidden West, Cyberpunk 2077, Farming Simulator 2022, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, and WWE 2K22. Based on a rumor that Sony will require new games over a certain price to put a demo in the program, we’re expecting to see that list grow in the future.
As was the case with PlayStation’s previous Plus subscription, the service will provide a monthly set of games you can download and play for free. PlayStation notes all Plus subscribers will see a monthly refresh on the first Tuesday of the month, but Plus Extra and Premium will see an additional refresh in the middle of the month.
While PlayStation Plus is coming to North and South America on June 13th, it will hit Asia on May 24th, Japan on June 2nd, and then Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on June 23rd.
Here’s a full list of the first-party PS5 and PS4 games that Sony has confirmed will be included with the service at launch for PlayStation Plus Premium and Plus Extra subscribers:
These are the third-party PS4 and PS5 games available at launch. (Note: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and The Crew 2 are only available to Plus Extra subscribers via Ubisoft Plus Classics.)
Here are the games PlayStation is offering a two-hour trial for, exclusive to Premium subscribers:
Here’s a list of classic games coming to PlayStation Plus, which are only accessible to Plus and Premium subscribers:
It will also come with a selection of remastered games, including:
Third-party remastered games:
And these are the original, non-remastered PS3 games Sony confirmed will be available to stream from the PS4, PS5, and PC: