PlayStation Plus

PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) is Sony’s subscription for PS5 and PS4. It unlocks online multiplayer, gives you free monthly games and, on higher tiers, a catalog of hundreds of games and classics. There are three tiers: PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra and Premium.

PlayStation Plus prices (US, 2026)

Tier	1 month	12 months	Includes
Essential	$10.99	$79.99	Online multiplayer, 2-4 monthly games, cloud saves, discounts
Extra	$16.99	$134.99	Essential + Game Catalog of PS5/PS4 games
Premium	$19.99	$159.99	Extra + classics, game trials and cloud streaming

Monthly prices went up on May 20, 2026. How much is PlayStation Plus for a year? $79.99 for Essential, $134.99 for Extra and $159.99 for Premium. A PlayStation Plus 12 month membership is far cheaper than paying monthly, so most players wait for a PlayStation Plus 12 month deal: Sony usually takes 25-30% off yearly plans around Days of Play (June) and PlayStation Plus Black Friday (late November). See PlayStation deals and sales.

Do you need PlayStation Plus to play online?

Yes for most paid games: you need at least PlayStation Plus Essential for online multiplayer on PS5 and PS4. That is the main PlayStation online cost. The exception is free-to-play games.

Do you need PlayStation Plus to play Fortnite? No. Fortnite, Warzone, Apex Legends, Rocket League, Marvel Rivals and other free-to-play games work online without PS Plus. Sony also runs a PlayStation Plus free weekend a few times a year, when anyone can play online multiplayer without a subscription.

PlayStation Plus free games

Every month Essential members can claim the monthly games and keep them while subscribed. Here are the recent lineups:

PlayStation Plus free games January 2026

The PlayStation Plus January 2026 games were Need for Speed Unbound (PS5), Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and Core Keeper, claimable from January 6 to February 2. Extra and Premium added Resident Evil Village, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and more on January 20. It was the first month after Sony said PS4 games would only appear occasionally from 2026.

PlayStation Plus free games March 2026

The PlayStation Plus March 2026 games were PGA Tour 2K25, Monster Hunter Rise, Slime Rancher 2 and The Elder Scrolls Online Collection: Gold Road (March 3 to April 6). The Game Catalog added Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Madden NFL 26 and Persona 5 Royal.

PlayStation Plus May 2026

PlayStation Plus May 2026 brought EA Sports FC 26, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Nine Sols.

PlayStation Plus Premium game list and PlayStation Now

PlayStation Now was Sony’s old streaming service. It shut down as a separate product in June 2022 and was folded into PlayStation Plus Premium. The PlayStation Plus Premium game list includes everything in Extra plus PS1, PS2, PSP and PS3 classics (PS3 games are cloud-only), game trials and cloud streaming of PS5 games. Premium is also what powers cloud streaming on the PlayStation Portal.

How to cancel PlayStation Plus

1. On PS5, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Account > Payment and Subscriptions > Subscriptions.
2. Select PlayStation Plus and choose Turn Off Auto-Renew.
3. On the web, sign in at playstation.com, open Subscription Management and choose Cancel Subscription.

You keep your benefits until the end of the paid period. Refunds are only possible in limited cases; see how PlayStation refunds work.

What happened to PlayStation Stars?

PlayStation Stars was Sony’s free loyalty program. Sony stopped accepting new members in May 2025, stopped campaigns on July 23, 2025, and the program fully ends on November 2, 2026. Redeem any remaining points before that date.

Essential vs Extra vs Premium: which tier is worth it?

Essential is the right choice if you mostly want online multiplayer and the monthly games. The monthly lineup alone often adds up to more than the $79.99 yearly price, as long as you claim the games every month while subscribed. Remember that the monthly games stay playable only while you keep an active membership.

Extra is the best value for most single-player fans. The Game Catalog includes big Sony first-party games such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal and Ratchet and Clank, plus hundreds of third-party games, and new additions arrive every month. If you would otherwise buy four or five games a year, Extra usually pays for itself.

Premium only adds classic games, timed trials of new releases and cloud streaming. It is worth it if you own a PlayStation Portal and want to stream without your PS5, if you love PS1, PS2 and PSP classics, or if you want to try games before buying. Otherwise Extra gives you most of the value for less.

How to get the best PlayStation Plus 12 month deal

1. Wait for Days of Play in June and Black Friday in November. Sony usually takes 25-30% off 12-month memberships for new members and sometimes for upgrades.
2. Stack prepaid cards. Retailers sometimes sell 12-month Essential cards below list price. You can stack time up to a limit before it starts.
3. Upgrade, don’t rebuy. Going from Essential to Extra mid-year charges only the difference for the remaining time, which is often cheaper than starting a new 12-month plan.
4. Check your region. Prices vary a lot by country; always buy cards for the same region as your PSN account.

PlayStation Plus on PC and PS4

PS Plus Premium cloud streaming used to work on Windows PCs through the PlayStation Plus app, but Sony has been moving the PC experience toward native ports on Steam and the Epic Games Store instead. On PS4, PS Plus still unlocks online play and you can claim monthly games that support PS4, but from 2026 Sony said PS4 games will only appear occasionally, so PS5 owners get more value from the service.

Common PlayStation Plus problems

• Monthly games not appearing: make sure you add them to your library during the claim window, not just download them.
• Online play locked after renewing: sign out and back into PSN, then restore licenses in Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses.
• Charged after canceling: auto-renew can bill before you cancel if the renewal date passed; see how PlayStation refunds work and contact PlayStation support.

PlayStation Plus vs Xbox Game Pass

Game Pass Ultimate puts new first-party Xbox games into the subscription on launch day, while Sony keeps its biggest new releases out of PS Plus at launch and adds them to Extra a year or two later. PS Plus Essential and Game Pass Essential are now close in price and both unlock online multiplayer. If you own both consoles, the usual approach is Essential on PlayStation for online play and Ultimate on Xbox for new releases. Compare details on the Xbox Game Pass page and in Xbox vs PlayStation.

A short history of PlayStation Plus

PlayStation Plus launched on June 29, 2010 on PS3 as an optional extra with free games and discounts; online play on PS3 was still free. With the PS4 in 2013, Sony made PS Plus mandatory for online multiplayer in paid games, which is why it became the default subscription for most players. In June 2022 Sony merged PlayStation Now into PS Plus and split the service into Essential, Extra and Premium. Since then the biggest changes have been the 2023 and 2026 price rises, the focus on PS5 games from January 2026, and cloud streaming for the PlayStation Portal.

How to check your PlayStation Plus status

On PS5, open Settings > Users and Accounts > Account > Payment and Subscriptions > Subscriptions to see your tier, renewal date and auto-renew setting. In the PlayStation App, tap your profile, then Settings, then Subscriptions. If your tier shows correctly but games stay locked, restore licenses and set your PS5 as your primary console under Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play.

Checked October 28, 2026.