PlayStation Plus is the subscription almost every PS5 owner ends up paying for, because online multiplayer in most games sits behind it. Above that baseline, Sony sells two richer tiers with a rotating library of PS4 and PS5 games, retro classics and cloud streaming. In May 2026 Sony raised the price of one-month and three-month plans for new members, leaving 12-month prices where they were. That makes the annual plan the obvious buy, and this review shows the numbers. For the other services, see our gaming hub.
PlayStation Plus deal: up to 42% off by paying for 12 months
- Offer: PS Plus Extra for £83.99 a year instead of £143.88 on monthly billing, a saving of £59.89 (US$79.81 / €71.07)
- Promo Code: No Promo Code needed; the 12-month price is Sony’s standard rate
- Who qualifies: anyone buying direct from the PlayStation Store or playstation.com
- Key terms: auto-renews at the then-current price; cancel before your next payment date
| Offer detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Promo Code | No Promo Code needed |
| Welcome offer | 12-month plans from £59.99 (Essential), £83.99 (Extra) or £119.99 (Premium), up to 42% less than paying monthly |
| Who qualifies | PlayStation account holders buying from the PlayStation Store; prices vary by country |
| Key terms | Renews automatically; downgrades take effect at the next payment date; upgrades are charged pro rata for remaining time |
| How to claim | On PS5, open PlayStation Plus or the PlayStation Store, pick a tier and choose the 12-month option |
PlayStation Plus: key facts
- Official website: playstation.com
- Owner: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Headquarters: San Mateo, California, US
- Founded: 2010 (current three-tier format June 2022)
- Ratings: App Store 4.2 (92K ratings, US App Store, PlayStation App); Google Play 3.5 (about 1.1M reviews, Google Play, PlayStation App); Trustpilot 1.2 (1,952 reviews, playstationnetwork.com)
- Headline offer: 12-month plans from £59.99, up to 42% less than monthly billing (Extra £83.99 vs £143.88)
- Promo Code: No Promo Code needed
- Price from: £7.99 / US$10.99 / €9.99 a month; £59.99 / US$79.99 / €71.99 a year (Essential)
- Free plan or trial: No; no standing free trial
- Payment methods: Credit or debit card, PlayStation Store wallet funds / PlayStation gift cards
- Best features: Game Catalogue of hundreds of PS4 and PS5 games on Extra; Ubisoft+ Classics included in Extra and Premium; Premium cloud streaming of PS5 games, retro Classics Catalogue and game trials
Get the PlayStation Plus offer
PlayStation Plus at a glance
- Price from: £7.99 / US$10.99 / €9.99 a month, or £59.99 / US$79.99 / €71.99 a year (Essential)
- Top plan: Premium at £119.99 / US$159.99 / €151.99 a year
- Tiers: Essential, Extra, Premium
- Free trial: no standing free trial
- Cloud streaming: Premium only; 5Mbps minimum, 15Mbps for 1080p
- Devices: PS5 and PS4
- App rating: PlayStation App 4.2/5 from 92K ratings (US App Store); 3.5/5 on Google Play
What PlayStation Plus is, and who owns it
PlayStation Plus is run by Sony Interactive Entertainment, based in San Mateo, California. It launched in 2010 as a discount club and became the paid key to online multiplayer on PS4. In June 2022 Sony merged it with the streaming service PlayStation Now and split it into the three tiers it sells today.
PlayStation Plus prices: every plan explained
Sony sets prices in each market. These are the rates for new members after the May 2026 increase; existing members on a rolling plan keep their old price unless the subscription lapses.
| Plan | 1 month | 3 months | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential (UK) | £7.99 | £21.99 | £59.99 |
| Extra (UK) | £11.99 | £34.99 | £83.99 |
| Premium (UK) | £14.99 | £43.99 | £119.99 |
| Essential (US) | US$10.99 | US$27.99 | US$79.99 |
| Extra (US) | US$16.99 | US$43.99 | US$134.99 |
| Premium (US) | US$19.99 | US$54.99 | US$159.99 |
| Essential (eurozone) | €9.99 | €27.99 | €71.99 |
| Extra (eurozone) | €15.99 | €43.99 | €125.99 |
| Premium (eurozone) | €18.99 | €54.99 | €151.99 |
Regional differences. Britain is the cheapest of the three for the richer tiers. A year of Extra costs £83.99 in the UK but €125.99 in the eurozone, about £106.17 at our exchange rate, so European players pay roughly a quarter more. US prices are shown before sales tax; UK and European prices include VAT.
Essential covers online multiplayer, a set of monthly games you keep while subscribed, cloud saves, Share Play and member discounts. UK members also get 5% off consoles and accessories bought direct from PlayStation.
Extra adds the Game Catalogue, hundreds of PS4 and PS5 games to download, plus Ubisoft+ Classics, which Sony values at £6.99 (US$7.99) a month. Sony says that from January 2026 PS4 games are only added occasionally.
Premium adds the Classics Catalogue of PlayStation, PS2 and PSP games, time-limited game trials, cloud streaming of PS5 games and, in some markets, a catalogue of Sony Pictures films.
Free trials and official discounts
There is no standing free trial. Sony occasionally runs a trial or bundles a few months with new consoles, but those offers have fixed dates, and the last bundle on the UK site has expired. Its Black Friday sales have discounted 12-month plans in past years.
The reliable saving is billing by the year. We do not list Promo Codes from coupon sites; Sony does not publish any for PS Plus.
A worked example: monthly against annual
A student in Glasgow who wants Extra for the Game Catalogue would pay £11.99 a month, or £143.88 over a year. The 12-month plan costs £83.99, a saving of £59.89, or 42%.
| Tier (UK) | 12 x monthly | 12-month plan | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | £95.88 | £59.99 | £35.89 (37%) |
| Extra | £143.88 | £83.99 | £59.89 (42%) |
| Premium | £179.88 | £119.99 | £59.89 (33%) |
In dollars, Extra costs US$203.88 paid monthly against US$134.99 a year; in euros, €191.88 against €125.99.
Upgrading mid-term. If you start on Essential and decide you want Extra, Sony charges the difference pro rata for the time left, then bills the new tier at your usual frequency. If you have stacked several prepaid years, you must upgrade them all at once, which can make the upgrade fee large.
Game library highlights and catalogue churn
The October 2026 line-up is a fair sample. Essential members got F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 from 6 October to 2 November. Extra and Premium added Mafia: The Old Country, Horizon Forbidden West, Tales of Arise and Mycopunk, the last on its launch day. Premium added Dino Crisis 2 and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, plus trials of Mortal Shell II and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy.
Sony’s own big releases usually reach the catalogue a year or more after launch, not on day one, which is the clearest difference from Game Pass Ultimate. Games also leave the catalogue each month, announced on the PlayStation Blog.
Cloud streaming: what your connection needs
Cloud streaming is a Premium feature for PS5 games and selected classics. Sony asks for at least 5Mbps, and 15Mbps for 1080p. Unlike Xbox, it does not put a monthly hour cap on streaming. Its value is mostly on the console: trying a large game before deciding to download it, or playing PS3 titles that cannot be downloaded at all.
Devices supported
- PS5: every tier, including cloud streaming on Premium
- PS4: Essential and the PS4 parts of the Extra and Premium catalogues
- The PlayStation App on iOS and Android for buying games, managing your subscription and voice chat
The family test. A family of four in Bristol sharing one PS5 needs only one subscription. With console sharing and offline play switched on for the primary console, other users on that PS5 can play online and use the catalogue games. A second console in a bedroom would need its own plan or the parent’s account.
How to subscribe and cancel
- On PS5, go to PlayStation Plus from the home screen, or open the PlayStation Store.
- Choose Essential, Extra or Premium and select 12 months.
- Pay by card, PayPal where offered, or PlayStation Store wallet funds.
- To change tier, go to Settings, Users and Accounts, Account, Payment and Subscriptions, Subscriptions, then Change Plan. On the web, use Account Management.
- To cancel, open your subscription in Account Management and cancel before the next payment date. You keep the benefits until then.
App ratings and customer service
The PlayStation App scores 4.2 out of 5 from 92K ratings on the US App Store and about 3.5 from more than a million reviews on Google Play. Support is at playstation.com/support, with help articles, a chatbot and contact options for account and billing issues.
What users say
PlayStation’s Trustpilot profile (playstationnetwork.com) scores 1.2 out of 5 from 1,952 reviews; Sony does not invite reviews there, so it collects complaints. The recurring themes are rising subscription prices, the feeling that online multiplayer should not need a paid plan, account suspensions with little explanation, and slow support. On the forums, the more measured view is that Extra is good value on a 12-month plan, and that Premium is mainly worth it for retro fans and people who stream on a fast home connection.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 12-month plans save up to 42% and were spared the May 2026 increase
- Large Game Catalogue with recent hits such as Horizon Forbidden West
- Ubisoft+ Classics included in Extra and Premium
- Cloud streaming on Premium has no monthly hour cap
- One subscription covers everyone on a shared PS5
Cons
- Paid plan needed for online multiplayer in most games
- No day-one PlayStation Studios releases
- Monthly and quarterly prices rose for new members
- Eurozone prices well above the UK
- Poor support reviews on Trustpilot
PS Plus vs Game Pass vs the rest
| PlayStation Plus | Xbox Game Pass | Nintendo Switch Online | GeForce NOW | Apple Arcade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan (UK) | £7.99 a month, £59.99 a year | £6.99 a month | £3.49 a month, £17.99 a year | Free tier | £6.99 a month, £49.99 a year |
| Top plan (UK) | £119.99 a year | £16.99 a month | £34.99 a year | Ultimate, US$19.99 a month | Apple One from £18.95 a month |
| Annual billing | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud streaming | Premium | 5 to 15 hours a month | No | 100 hours a month | No |
| Family sharing | Console sharing on PS5 | Home Xbox | Family plan, 8 accounts | No | Up to 5 others |
For Microsoft’s alternative, read our Xbox Game Pass review; for streaming PC games you already own, our GeForce NOW review.
Also worth comparing: Ubisoft+, whose Classics tier is inside Extra; EA Play, sold on PlayStation as a separate subscription; Humble Choice, Amazon Luna and Boosteroid.
PlayStation Plus FAQs
PS Plus Extra vs Premium: which should I buy?
Extra gets you the Game Catalogue and Ubisoft+ Classics. Premium adds retro classics, game trials and cloud streaming for £36 more a year in the UK. Most players are better served by Extra.
Is PS Plus worth it?
If you play online, Essential is close to compulsory. Extra on a 12-month plan is good value for anyone who finishes more than a couple of catalogue games a year.
Is there a PS Plus free trial?
Not a standing one. Sony runs occasional trials and console bundles with fixed dates.
Is there a PS Plus promo code?
No Promo Code is needed. The 12-month plan is the main saving, up to 42% against paying monthly.
How much is PS Plus for 12 months in the UK?
£59.99 for Essential, £83.99 for Extra and £119.99 for Premium.
Did PS Plus go up in price in 2026?
Yes, for one-month and three-month plans for new members from 20 May 2026. 12-month prices did not change.
What internet speed do I need for PS Plus cloud streaming?
At least 5Mbps, and 15Mbps for 1080p.
How do I cancel PS Plus?
In Account Management on the web or in your PS5 subscription settings, before the next payment date. You keep your benefits until it ends.
Can I share PS Plus with my family?
Yes, on one console: switch on console sharing and offline play, and other users on that PS5 get the benefits.
Can I use PS Plus abroad?
Your subscription follows your account. When away, a VPN, such as those in our NordVPN review, protects you on public Wi-Fi, but do not use one to buy from another country’s store, which breaks Sony’s terms.
Verdict
PlayStation Plus is less generous than Game Pass with new releases, but it is easier to recommend on price because the 12-month plans escaped Sony’s latest increase. Essential is the cost of online play; Extra on an annual plan is the sweet spot for a household with one PS5 and a rotating list of games; Premium makes sense if you stream at home or love the PS1 and PS2 era. Avoid the monthly plan unless you only want a month.
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