As Microsoft centers its success around the library-bolstering Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation has been long underway on its own iteration of the winning subscription formula but has yet to unveil such plans in an official capacity (although, there have been plenty of rumors). Well, that date has finally arrived, as Sony’s new PlayStation Game Pass competitor is officially announced as an updated and multi-tiered expansion of PlayStation Plus.

As per the PS Blog, Sony is essentially planning to combine its two main services – PS Plus and PS Now – into a single super-sized platform, while also introducing several additional perks. Three membership tiers will comprise the updated service, ranging from the base PS Plus services we already know, the ability to play from an extended PS Now library, to an all-in-one ‘Premium’ plan comparable to Xbox’s own package offering, Game Pass Ultimate.

Breaking things down, the lowest ‘Essential’ tier continues the current version of PlayStation Plus, solely providing online multiplayer, cloud saves, discounts, and a monthly lineup of free games. Pricing is also the same with $10 monthly, $25 quarterly, and $60 yearly subscription rates reserved for the plan. The ball starts rolling with the next tier, PS Plus Extra, which adds the ability to download “up to 400” popular PS4 and PS5 games from first and “third-party partners.” Reflecting these extras, pricing is also increased to $15 monthly, $40 quarterly, and $100 yearly.

PlayStation Plus Premium is where Game Pass’ influence is evident, collecting both Essential and Extra plans and adding timed game trials as well as the ability to stream titles over the cloud. Along with select PS4 titles, this will include “up to 340” additional games from previous PlayStation eras such as the PS1, PS2, and PSP – all of which are fully downloadable or streamable under the plan. While not as comprehensive, PS3 will be included as well, but due to the system’s unique architecture, is only available to play through cloud streaming.

Of course, considering the large array of features, ‘Premium’ is the most expensive of the pack, available in $18 monthly, $50 quarterly, and $120 yearly plans. While functioning as a Game Pass competitor, the new PlayStation Plus isn’t exactly the same as the Xbox service, notably differing in content division and pricing. However, that fact is entirely owed to the two companies’ differing strategies, where Xbox aims to make its games available everywhere and PlayStation has been mainly focused on bolstering value where they’re already at.

As of now, the new PlayStation Plus hasn’t nailed down a release date, but the platform is expected to start rolling out this June. The launch is expected to start with “several markets in Asia,” followed by North America, Europe, and “the rest of the world where PlayStation Plus is offered” by the end of “the first half of 2022.” More details are teased to be unveiled in the next few months, including the new and classic games available in each tier at launch.

​What do you think? Are you interested in this new version of PS Plus or do you feel it’s hardly a fitting PlayStation Game Pass competitor? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day!​

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