Sony PlayStation Plus offers new benefits

Tech Tools: Three tiers of membership to choose from but it is curtains for PlayStation Now

Sony has launched new PlayStation Plus plans: Customers will still get the monthly titles on the “Essential”, or entry-level, tier for €9 per month, and the “Extra” tier gets you access to the PS4 and PS5 game catalogue. Photograph: iStock
Sony has launched new PlayStation Plus plans: Customers will still get the monthly titles on the “Essential”, or entry-level, tier for €9 per month, and the “Extra” tier gets you access to the PS4 and PS5 game catalogue. Photograph: iStock

Sony’s has overhauled its PlayStation Plus offering, combining it with PlayStation Now and offering three tiers of membership that cover everything from basic online gaming to cloud streaming and game trials.

Customers will still get the monthly titles on the “Essential”, or entry-level, tier for €9 per month, while the “Extra” tier gets you access to the PS4 and PS5 game catalogue.

The top tier, “Premium”, is the most interesting. For €17 a month, customers get access to all the benefits of the Essential and Extra tiers, while also getting Playstation games on cloud streaming, access to the original Playstation, PS2 and PSP originals and PS3 remasters, time-limited game trials and original PS3 games on streaming. It opens up access to hundreds of games titles, both new and classic, to players.

The good news is that if you are on the original PlayStation Plus plan, you automatically move over to the new Essentials tier. The bad news? No separate PlayStation Now option, so if you were a customer, you’ll have to move to PlayStation Plus.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist