Sony has revealed new plans for PlayStation Plus, and it may finally become a rival to Microsoft's popular Xbox Game Pass service. PS+ has been around since 2010, becoming required for online multiplayer games with the release of the PlayStation 4, but will undergo a major transformation in June 2022. Game Pass has been widely celebrated by gamers because of its impressive catalog of games, available on both console and PC. Sony's revamped PS+ is bringing exciting additions, including its own selection of included games, but is it good enough to truly rival Game Pass?
As it stands, PlayStation Plus' direct Microsoft counterpart is Xbox Live Gold. Both offer access to online multiplayer, and give subscribers free games every month, in addition to some other features. For the most part, the PS+ offerings have been more impressive than Xbox Live Gold's, with some notable exceptions like February's disappointing PlayStation Plus games. Despite its name, however, Xbox Live Gold is not the golden child of Microsoft's gaming ecosystem, since Game Pass has been considered one of the best deals in gaming for the better part of the last four years.
Xbox Game Pass launched in 2017 and has gradually grown into a powerhouse, becoming available not only on Xbox consoles, but PC as well. Initially conceived as being something of a cloud-based games rental application, Game Pass eventually grew into the subscription service it is today, becoming a major part of Xbox's business model. Even without a direct Game Pass competitor, Sony has managed impressive console sales for both the PS4 and PS5, but PlayStation Plus' new subscription tiers will likely entice even more players.
PlayStation Plus' New Prices & Features
PlayStation Plus will soon have three separate subscription tiers: Essential, Extra, and Premium. According to the PlayStation Blog announcement of the coming changes, PS+ Essential is just a rebranding of what subscribers are already paying for (all following prices are in U.S. Dollars). At the same price of $9.99 monthly/$24.99 quarterly/$59.99 yearly, PS+ Essential grants online multiplayer access, cloud storage for saved game data, free games each month, and discounts on the PlayStation store.
The next highest tier, PlayStation Plus Extra, begins the real competition with Game Pass, and is priced at $14.99 monthly/$39.99 quarterly/$99.99 yearly. In addition to all the benefits granted by Essential, Extra entitles subscribers to a catalog of PS4 and PS5 games, all available for download to the console. Although this includes first- and third-party games, it won't have launch day releases from PlayStation Studios, meaning upcoming titles like God of War Ragnarök will only potentially be available for Extra and Premium subscribers at a later time. However, the PlayStation Blog does claim the Extra tier's catalog will contain up to a very impressive 400 games.
PlayStation Plus Premium, the highest subscription tier that will be available, is essentially a combination of current PS+ and PlayStation Now. PS+ Premium will cost $17.99 monthly/$49.99 quarterly/$119.99 yearly, and include everything from the Extra tier. The catalog for Premium subscribers will also include games from the original PlayStation, PS2, PS3, and PlayStation Portable (the Vita is notably excluded). Although this will add up to 340 more games, it should be noted that PS3 titles are only streamable, and cannot be downloaded, contrary to rumors suggesting PS5 could get PS3 backward compatibility. While every other game in the Premium catalog is downloadable, they can also be streamed on a PS4, PS5, or PC. The final new feature for PS+ Premium is access to time-limited demos, so players can try select games before they decide to purchase.
Xbox Game Pass' Prices & Features
The entry level subscription for Xbox Game Pass costs $9.99 per month, and differs slightly whether it's being bought for console or PC. Longer subscriptions can be found from retailers for better value (and dedicated savers can occasionally find steep discounts), but there doesn't appear to be any bulk options on the Xbox website. Buying Game Pass for PC also has the added benefit of the first month only costing $1. Both grant access to a catalog of over 100 games which tend to shuffle, and releases from Xbox Games Studios come to the service on launch day, including 31 confirmed day one games in 2022. Subscribers are also entitled to discounts on games and add-ons in the Microsoft Store. Game Pass for PC also includes EA Play at no extra cost, bringing an extra library of games published by Electronic Arts.
Game Pass Ultimate is Microsoft's premium tier, granting access to the Game Pass catalog on console, PC, and mobile devices for $14.99 per month (with the first month also costing a dollar). Ultimate also includes EA Play for both consoles and PC, and has the added benefit of including Xbox Live Gold. Those with regular Game Pass for console will need a separate membership to play games online and get the free monthly titles. Game Pass Ultimate will also give subscribers the occasional free in-game content. The latest addition to Game Pass Ultimate is the ability to stream next-gen games before buying them thanks to the xCloud beta. Provided a reliable internet connection, Ultimate subscribers could play Series X/S exclusive games on their Xbox One, smart phone, tablet, or Windows device.
Is New PlayStation Plus Or Xbox Game Pass The Better Deal?
From a monetary standpoint, PlayStation Plus Essential and Extra line up with the monthly cost of Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate respectively. The quarterly and yearly price options for PS+ are convenient, but there are plenty of ways to find Game Pass deals. Comparing features for each is essentially splitting hairs, since Game Pass Ultimate is Microsoft's best deal and comes with access to online multiplayer like all the PS+ tiers. One area that further conflates the comparison is backward compatibility. Microsoft's latest consoles let owners play the retro games they already have without a Game Pass subscription, and the Series X boosts FPS for backward compatible games. PS+ Premium's access to retro PlayStation titles isn't as user friendly, but the immediate availability of over 300 games from the PS3 and earlier is incredibly enticing. Streaming games is another issue that will come down to personal preference and access to sufficient connection speeds.
The real differentiator between the two services is their games catalog. Both PS+ (Extra and Premium) and Game Pass will let players download games for no additional cost, but the day one release of Xbox Game Studios titles on Game Pass is a huge benefit. PlayStation exclusives arguably give Sony a leg up on Microsoft from a pure games standpoint, and if games like God of War Ragnarök and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 were coming to PS+ immediately, it would probably tip the balance in Sony's favor. There are already some exclusives among the PS+ Extra and Premium launch games, but Game Pass can save a lot of money in the long run for those who like to play games as soon as possible. Game Pass subscribers recently got Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5 on day one, and have the releases of titles like Starfield and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II on the way. The new tiers of PlayStation Plus finally provide enticing competition, but Xbox Game Pass is still a better deal almost solely because Microsoft is willing to put its first-party games on the service the day they're released.
Sources: PlayStation Blog, Xbox