PlayStation 5 owners have a lot of games to choose from, but PlayStation Plus remains the best subscription option. It not only offers access to all of the online features -- which many view as being essential -- but also gets you a couple of free games a month. There are some fairly impressive exclusive discounts and potentially a massive library of games, too. It's usually worth it for most gamers, but you can always make it a better value by saving money on your subscription.
It's important to note that there are three membership tiers. To help you find the one that's best for you, Max McHone -- an avid PlayStation player and one of CNET's dedicated deals writers -- has broken down the features and prices of each tier below.
What is the best deal right now?
The best deal right now is on PlayStation Plus via PlayStation. Opting for a 12-month subscription saves you up to 33% compared to paying monthly. The discounted amount is based on which tier you choose, so keep that in mind.
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The best PlayStation Plus deal
You can find a discount on all tiers of PS Plus at the moment.
The basic Essentials plan is currently down to $80 for a year, which is $40 cheaper than paying monthly.
The Extra tier is down to $135 for a year, which is $45 off versus paying monthly, which is nice.
Then you've got the Premium tier, which is down to just $160 for a year, making it a decent $56 off versus paying monthly. That's a massive savings.
PlayStation Plus membership packages
Originally, Sony offered two gaming subscriptions, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now. But since 2023, both subscriptions have been rolled into a single service with multiple tiers. So three membership packages are available: PlayStation Essential, Extra and Premium. To help you choose, we've broken down the prices and what's included for each tier below.
PS Plus Essential
At $10 a month, $25 for three months or $80 for a year, PlayStation Plus Essential isn't very different than the previously offered PS Plus subscription. It offers all of the same features, including access to online play, monthly games for free, one Sony movie credit, cloud storage and exclusive discounts at the PlayStation Store. And if you had a PS Plus membership before the revamp, it was automatically converted to an Essential membership.
PS Plus Extra
At $15 a month, $40 for three months or $135 for a 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 provides access to a catalog of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. The selection includes plenty of hit titles like Ghost of Tsushima and Red Dead Redemption 2.
PS Plus Premium
A PlayStation Plus Premium membership is the highest tier available, and it costs $18 a month, $50 for three months or $160 for a full year. In addition to the benefits of Essential and Extra subscriptions, it offers 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 valuable storage space.
You also get access to time-limited game trials, so you can test new games before you commit to buying them. If you had a subscription to PS Now before the revamp went live, it was automatically converted to a PlayStation Plus Premium membership.
How we choose PlayStation Plus deals at CNET
Savings on PlayStation gaming subscriptions can be pretty tough to come by. So to help you get signed up for less, we scout the best deals being offered by Sony directly, as well as trusted third-party retailers like CDKeys. We evaluate the membership tier, subscription length and discount to help you get the best monthly price on the plan that works best for you.
