Sony has combined PS Now and PS Plus to create a three-tier subscription service

In a glance:

• Sony fixes game subscription offerings to create three tiers: PS Plus Essentials, PS Plus Extra, and PS Plus Premium
• Extra 400 includes PS4 and PS5 games, but no simultaneous releases for new first-party launches
• The premium tier features a legacy library, streaming, and limited gaming experiences
• The PS Plus Deluxe tier was created for the no-stream markets, prices for all tiers range from $59.99 to $119.99 per year

PlayStation is uniting PS Now and PS Plus to form a new, three-tier subscription service.

The new service, which falls under the PS Plus brand, is set to launch in June and will include a number of new features.

PS Plus Essentials is the same service as PS Plus today, which includes two downloadable games per month, access to online multiplayer, game discounts and cloud storage. It also costs the same: $9.99 / €8.99 / £6.99 per month, $24.99 / €24.99 / £19.99 for three months, or $59.99 / €59.99 / £49.99 per year.

PS Plus Extra includes all of the above but adds a collection of 400 PS4 and PS5 games to download. These games will include the likes of Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, God of War, Returnal, Mortal Kombat 11, and Death Stranding. More titles, including those from third-party developers, will be announced soon. Additional titles will be added on a regular basis. The PS Plus Extra costs: $14.99 / €13.99 / £10.99 per month, $39.99 / €39.99 / £31.99 for three months, or $99.99 / €99.99 / £83.99 per year.

PS Plus Premium includes all of the above, but also adds classic PS1, PS2 and PSP games (which can be downloaded or streamed), limited-time gaming experiences and PS3 and PS4 game streaming. This service will cost: $17.99 / €16.99 / £13.49 a month, $49.99 / €49.99 / £39.99 for three months, or $119.99 / €119.99 / £99.99 a year.

For countries where PlayStation streaming is not currently available (such as Latin America, South Korea, and Singapore), the third tier is called PS Plus Deluxe, and it includes all of the above but without the game streaming stuff. Sony says it plans to expand its cloud streaming benefits to additional markets, with more news on that.

PlayStation decided not to put first-party games into service on the day of their release, unlike the Xbox Game Pass equivalent. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan says doing such a thing will result in less investment in its studios, and may result in lower quality games.

Sony’s combined PS Plus and PS Now install base is around 50 million, of which 48 million are PS Plus subscribers. Sony hopes to convert more of the PS Plus audience to the higher tiers, while lowering the overall price for those who currently subscribe to both services.

“We’ve amassed over 50 million sign-up numbers now, and we’re excited about that. That’s a good number,” Ryan said. GamesIndustry.biz. “But we really feel we can do a better job in the way we provide these services to our players and subscribers. For example, 75% of PlayStation Now subscribers also subscribe to PlayStation Plus. We think we should do a better job by these people. And that’s Just one example.”

For our full interview with Jim Ryan, click here.

To hear what analysts think about the new PS Plus, click here.