Whether you like it or not, change is coming for PlayStation Plus. Sony is planning to revamp its online gaming subscription service in 2022 to a tiered system that will offer players a bunch of new options. Because things run a little differently in Australia to the rest of the world (thanks, slow internet) we’re not getting the same PlayStation Plus as everyone else.
To help you understand it all we’ll break down all the pricing and release date details you need to know about the new PlayStation Plus.
New PlayStation Plus tiers in Australia
PlayStation Plus has always been a fairly basic subscription offering when compared to the likes of Xbox Game Pass. The new PlayStation Plus system aims to change that with a bunch of new services and games on offer for subscribers.
Here’s a breakdown of the new PlayStation Plus tiers:
PlayStation Plus Essential
Provides the same benefits that PlayStation Plus members are getting today including:
- Monthly downloadable games
- Exclusive discounts
- Cloud storage for saved games
- Online multiplayer access
There are no changes for existing PlayStation Plus members in this membership plan.
Australian price:
- 1 month: $11.95
- 3 months: $33.95
- 12 months: $79.95
PlayStation Plus Extra
- All the benefits of the PlayStation Plus Essential tier
- Plus a catalogue of up to 400 of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games (includes Death Stranding, God of War, Mortal Kombat 11, Returnal, Marvel’s Spider-Man etc.)
Australian price:
- 1 month: $18.95
- 3 months: $54.95
- 12 months: $134.95
PlayStation Plus Deluxe
- Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers
- Adds a catalogue of beloved classic games available to download from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations.
- Time-limited game trials will also be offered in this tier, so customers can try select games before they buy.
Australian price:
- 1 month: $21.95
- 3 months: $63.95
- 12 months: $154.95
One of the main selling points of the new PlayStation Plus is the offer of a back catalogue of streaming titles from the PS3 era. Unfortunately, in Australia, seeing as we don’t have access to cloud streaming services like PlayStation Now, so we also won’t have access to the PlayStation Plus Premium tier that is offered elsewhere in the world.
Instead, we’ll have to make do with the Deluxe package which offers a catalogue of PS1, PS2 and PSP era games for download.
When will the new PlayStation Plus be available in Australia?
Sony has announced a phased release for the new PlayStation Plus service. In Australia, like with everything, we’ll be a few weeks behind in the rollout for the new PlayStation Plus.
Availability is currently targeting June 22 in Australia.
Asia will get the service first on May 23 with Japan following on June 1 and Americas on June 13. Europe is in the same boat as us with the June 22 rollout date.
What does this mean for existing subscribers?
If you’re content with your current PlayStation Plus subscription, rest assured that nothing will have to change.
The PlayStation Plus Essential tier, which is the equivalent of what is currently available in Australia, will not come with a price increase and Sony has promised that all existing subscriptions will simply roll over into their equivalent tiers.
For those wishing to upgrade to a higher tier, this will apparently be quite easy to do. Sony shared in an email to PlayStation Plus subscribers this message:
You can easily upgrade to a higher benefits plan at any time. To do so, you’ll need to pay the difference between your current plan and your new plan, adjusted for the remaining time of your subscription.
Of course, one of the determining factors of whether you’d even want to upgrade to a higher tier is the library of games on offer. Sony is yet to release a catalogue of which games will be available with the new PlayStation Plus tiers so it’s probably best to hold off on making any decisions until that information is available.
We’ll keep you posted on any new information about the new PlayStation Plus service until it launches on June 22.