Since the summer of 2022, PlayStation Plus has reinvented itself into a three-tiered membership. Similar to the likes of a streaming subscription; i.e Netflix, Disney+ etc, the higher the tier you subscribe to, the more benefits you acquire along the way.
But, what do each of the PS Plus tiers offer; and which one is right for you? That’s exactly what we aim to answer in this handy guide, alongside clear answers on how to upgrade memberships, overall costs, included games, and more.
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PS Plus Essential vs Extra vs Premium
PS Plus Essential is the easiest to define, as it’s what PS Plus has always been. Essential provides access to online play, cloud saves, three free games a month, and discounts on the PS Store.
Moving up a tier, to PS Plus Extra, you’re getting new PS4 and PS5 games each month, alongside the slew of PlayStation content already available (around 400 games), and everything PS Plus Essential provides.
If you opt for the most expensive plan, PS Plus Premium, you’re gaining additional access to PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3 titles, on top of everything else the Extra and Essential tiers provide.
In summary; interested in playing more PS4 and PS5 games? Aim for the Extra tier. Feeling nostalgic? Go all out on the Premium tier. Just want to play online? Go for Essential; it’s as simple as that. Here’s an additional breakdown as well to make it even easier to understand.
PS Plus Essential
- Access online multiplayer
- Cloud saves
- Three rotating, downloadable games per month
- PlayStation Store discounts
PS Plus Extra
- All Essential tier benefits
- Access and download a catalog of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games
PS Plus Premium
- All Extra and Essential tier benefits
- Players can download or stream PS1, PS3 and PSP games
- PS3 games are streaming-only
- Players can stream these back catalog games to a PS4, PS5 or PC
- Time-limited game trials
- New to Premium: stream select PS5 titles from the PlayStation Plus catalog
What Games Are Included on PS Plus?
If you’re interested in pure bang for your buck, you probably want to know what games you can access via a PS Plus subscription. For starters, PS Plus Essential members get a rotating three free games monthly, so keep an eye on updates to find out what games are up for grabs each month.
But, when it comes to PS Plus Extra and Premium, there’s a whole slew of games to get stuck into. Some highlights include Returnal, God of War, Death Stranding, Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man Miles Morales, Bloodborne, Red Dead Redemption 2, Demon’s Souls, and plenty more as well. For a complete breakdown of what’s available, feel free to browse the Extra and Premium collections on IGN Playlist.
How Much Does PlayStation Plus Cost? (As Of January 2024)
- PS Plus Essential: $9.99 monthly / $24.99 quarterly / $79.99 yearly
- PS Plus Extra: $14.99 monthly / $39.99 quarterly / $134.99 yearly
- PS Plus Premium: $17.99 monthly / $49.99 quarterly / $159.99 yearly
How to Upgrade PS Plus Tiers: Essential, Extra, and Premium
If you’re already a PS Plus Essential member, you may be wondering, can I upgrade to a different tier? Yes, yes you can. It’s easy to do, simply navigate to the PS Plus page on your PlayStation console, or dedicated webpage, and select which tier you’d like to upgrade to; PS Plus Extra, or PS Plus Premium.
When you upgrade, you’ll be charged a fee to bring your current account in line with the cost of Extra or Premium. So, for example, if you’ve paid for a full year of PS Plus Essential already ($79.99), that will be discounted from the cost of upgrading to PS Plus Extra ($134.99) for a year. That means you’ll pay just $55 to upgrade your membership and so forth.
The same principles apply to upgrading to Premium as well from either the Essential or Extra tiers. Just remember you’ll then be on a new auto-renewal for your upgraded tier, so be sure to turn that off if you don’t want to be charged the full $100-$120 this time next year.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.