Bilawal Bashir 
Massive price hikes for PS Plus plans are coming across all subscription tiers and PlayStation 4 and 5 owners are not happy about it.
After seeing Microsoft hike up the price of Xbox Game Pass, Sony has seemingly opted to do the same. The company is rolling out significant price hikes across all three tiers of PS Plus, a move that will let the company “continue bringing high-quality games and value-added benefits.”
PlayStation users need the subscription service to have cloud-saving features, access to online play, and more. The cheapest tier, PlayStation Plus Essential is getting a $20 increase per year, a significant 33% hike in the price. The prices for the more expensive plans jumped up even more.
What are the new PS Plus prices?
The PS Plus Essential plan will go from costing $60 per year to $80 per year. PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium got similarly large price hikes. Here are the updated prices:
| PS Plus Plan (12-month) | Old Price (USD) | New Price (USD) |
| Essential | $60 | $80 |
| Extra | $100 | $135 |
| Premium | $120 | $160 |
Pricing for 1-month and 3-month subscriptions is yet to be confirmed by any part of the PlayStation brand. However, the official Sony blog noted that the 12-month subscription will still provide a discount over the shorter subscriptions. Existing subscribers won’t see the price increase until their next renewal date which occurs on or after November 6.
The price hike does not come bundled with any sort of extra value being offered to customers. The next month of PS Plus Essential will offer Saints Row, Black Desert Traveller Edition, and Generation Zero for free. The announcement of those games comes from the same blog post that declared the new increased prices.
When do PS Plus prices go up?
PS Plus prices are set to go up on September 5. PlayStation owners can purchase subscriptions from now until then in order to get more time at the current price.
PS Plus subscribers who already have active subscriptions locked in do not have to worry about the jump in price. All subscription renewals after September 5 will have the new prices.
Is Xbox Game Pass cheaper than PlayStation Plus?
Xbox Game Pass is still more expensive than PlayStation Plus, especially at higher tiers.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $17 a month, which comes to $204 per year. PS Plus Premium costs $160 per year. However, there are ways to make Game Pass even cheaper. The famous Gold Upgrade for $1 trick has been essential in keeping Game Pass prices down for keen-eyed gamers.
Sony fans have been baffled by some of the company’s recent moves, like the recent PlayStation Portal announcement. Naturally, the reaction is considerably more negative for the PS Plus price hikes. While Microsoft also increased Game Pass prices in August 2023, the relative cost increase was significantly lower and Game Pass also includes day-one access to major releases like Starfield.
