PlayStation taking on Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch Online with new subscription tiers

Sony Interactive Entertainment is revamping its PlayStation Plus subscription service in an effort to take on competitors Xbox Game Pass and Nintendo Switch Online. 

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Starting in June, PlayStation Plus will offer three new subscription tiers: Essential, Extra and Premium

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PlayStation Plus Essential will offer the two monthly downloadable games, exclusive discounts, cloud storage for saved games and online multiplayer access that PlayStation Plus members currently receive. It will cost customers $9.99 per month, $24.99 per quarter or $59.99 per year in the United States.

Meanwhile, the PlayStation Plus Extra tier, which will cost $14.99 per month, $39.99 per quarter or $99.99 per year in the United States, includes all the benefits from the Essential tier plus a catalog of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. 

The PlayStation Plus Premium Tier, which will cost $17.99 per month, $49.99 per quarter or $119.99 per year in the United States, includes everything in the previous two tiers as well as 340 additional games, including PS3 games via cloud streaming and a catalog of games from the original PlayStation PS2 and PSP generations. It also includes time-limited game trials that allow players to try select games before they buy. 

"With these tiers, our key focus is to ensure that the hundreds of games we offer will include the best quality content that sets us apart," Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said in a blog post. "At launch, we plan to include titles such as Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11, and Returnal. We’re working closely with our imaginative developers from PlayStation Studios and third-party partners to include some of the best gaming experiences available with a library that will be regularly refreshed."

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PlayStation plans to roll out the new offering in a phased regional approach. 

"In the June timeframe, we’ll begin with an initial launch in several markets in Asia, followed by North America, Europe and the rest of the world where PlayStation Plus is offered," Ryan explained. "We aim to have most PlayStation Network territories live with our new PlayStation Plus game subscription service by the end of the first half of 2022. We also plan to expand our cloud streaming benefit to additional markets, and will provide more details at a later date."  

When the new PlayStation Plus service launches, the company's PlayStation Now subscription service will be added to the offering and no longer be available as a standalone service. PlayStation Now customers will migrate to PlayStation Plus Premium with no increase to their current subscription fees at launch.  

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Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass currently offers separate PC and Console plans for $9.99 per month. The plans offer 100 high-quality games, with new games added every month, along with member deals and discounts. Neither includes access to online multiplayer, but the PC plan includes access to EA Play, a library of top Electronic Arts titles on PC, exclusive rewards and member-only content.

Xbox also offers a $14.99 per month Ultimate Plan, which includes 100 games for console, PC and mobile devices that can be played from the cloud. It also includes benefits from Xbox Live Gold, such as exclusive member discounts and deals and free perks such as in-game content and partner offers. 

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Notably, all three Game Pass plans offer Xbox Game Studios titles on the same day they're released in retail stores. Ryan told gameindustry.biz that the new PlayStation Plus service will not offer new first-party games at the same time as their release in retail stores. 

"It's not a road that we're going to go down with this new service," he said. "We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous cycle will be broken. The level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible, and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want."

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Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch Online plans allow customers to enjoy a library of 20 NES and Super NES games at launch as well as online play in compatible games like Splatoon 2, ARMS, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Nintendo Switch Online members in the U.S. and Canada also have access to exclusive special offers, such as the option to purchase specially designed classic game controllers for use with the classic game libraries.

Individual Nintendo Switch Online memberships are available in the U.S. for one ($3.99), three ($7.99) and 12 months ($19.99), while a family plan is available for $34.99 per year. Customers can also purchase a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack plan, which offers over 130 classic NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games, for $49.99 per year for individuals and $79.99 per year for families.