As we’re coming up on the third anniversary of the release of the PlayStation 5, the consoles are finally readily available at Best Buy and Amazon and other top retailers. And if you’re itching to grab life by the controller and get gaming, you probably have a list of titles you can’t wait to start playing. One great way to gain access to tons of games without going broke is skipping the game shop and snagging a PlayStation Plus subscription.
Deals on PS Plus subscriptions have been hard to come by since the service was redesigned last year, with Sony offering direct discounts only during major events like the Days of Play sale. It didn’t help when Sony increased the annual pricing in September, either. But there are some third-party offers you can take advantage of right now. Though the PS Plus subscriptions aren’t included as part of the brand’s Extended Play salehappening now, you can save on a number of popular titles for a limited time, with some discounted by as much as 75%.
Below, we’ve broken down how the new PS Plus subscriptions work, as well as the best ways to get signed up for less. We’ll continue to update this page as more deals and discounts come around, so be sure to check back often. And for even more savings, you can take a look at our roundup of the best bargains on PlayStation games, gear and accessories.
Watch this: PlayStation Plus: Picking the Best Tier
What’s changed?
Before last year’s revamp, PlayStation offered two different subscription services. PlayStation Plus was a $10-per-month service similar to Xbox Live Gold that let you play games online and participate in multiplayer matches. PlayStation Now was a $10-per-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. There are three different membership packages available, combining different features and benefits of both previous subscriptions.
PS Plus Essential
At $10 per 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 per 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, Death Stranding, and Ghost of Tsushima.
PS Plus Premium
A PlayStation Plus Premium membership is the highest tier available, and clocks in at either $18 per 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 a purchase. If you had a subscription to PS Now before the revamp went live, it was automatically converted to a PlayStation Plus Premium membership.
PS Plus deals
In the past, we’ve seen Sony offer direct discounts on PS Plus subscriptions during major sale events like Days of Play, but unfortunately, there aren’t any available at the moment. There’s still a way to save, however, if you’re only interested in an Essential-tier membership.
CDKeys is just about the only place you’ll find savings on Sony’s gaming subscriptions at the moment. This offer is technically for an original PS Plus subscription from before the revamp, which will automatically convert to an Essential membership. We haven’t had a chance to test this deal ourselves, but several reviewers have stated that they’ve had no problem redeeming one of these older codes. An Essential membership is typically $80 for the year, which is already a reasonable discount on the monthly plan pricing. But right now at CD Keys, you can get an annual subscription for $70, which drops the monthly cost to less than $6. You won’t get access to the massive library of games, but you will be able to play online and you will receive two free games every month.
