Why You Can Trust CNET Best PlayStation Plus Deals: Save More With Sony's Days of Play Sale
Now is a good time to take up or renew a PS Plus subscription, thanks to Sony's two-week Days of Play celebration.
PlayStation Plus deals are usually difficult to come by, with Sony tending to keep the cost of its PlayStation 5 subscription at a fixed price. The good news is that, right now the games maker is hosting its Days of Play event, meaning for the first time in a long time, there are some decent discounts to take advantage of. So if you fancy some free games every month, alongside the ability to play online and a bunch of other PlayStation goodies, you might want to sign up while the deal lasts.
As mentioned, offers on PS Plus subscriptions have been hard to come by since the service was redesigned in 2023, and Sony offers direct discounts only during major events -- like Days of Play -- so now is a good time to buy.
We've broken down the deals currently on offer below. We also explain how PS Plus subscriptions work and the best ways to get signed up for less wherever possible. For even more savings, take a look at our roundup of the best bargains on PlayStation games, gear and accessories.
PS Plus deals
Sony is hosting its Days of Play celebration from May 29 to June 12. During this time, a deal on a 12-month PS Plus subscription is worth taking advantage of. If you're an existing subscriber, there's another way to save on PlayStation Plus: You can buy PlayStation store credit when it goes on sale. Those funds can then be put toward extending your PS Plus membership when the time comes.
Any PlayStation Plus member can save up to 30% off a subscription during the Days of Play sale. The deals featured are 20% off PS Plus Essential, 25% off PS Plus Extra and 30% off PlayStation Premium. This can be done by renewing your 12-month subscription via Sony's PlayStation site. Simply sign in to your PSN account to locate the offers.
What's changed?
Before 2023's revamp, PlayStation offered two different PS Plus subscription services: a $10-a-month service similar to Xbox Game Pass, which let players game online and participate in multiplayer matches, and PlayStation Now, a $10-a-month cloud gaming service that gave players access to a huge library of classic titles from the PS2, PS3 and PS4. The new version of PS Plus has essentially rolled both memberships into a single service with multiple subscription tiers. There are three membership packages available, combining different features and benefits of both previous subscriptions.
PS Plus Essential
At $10 a month, $25 for three months or $80 for the year, PlayStation Plus Essential is basically no different than the previous PS Plus subscription. It offers all the same features, including access to online play, two monthly games for free, cloud storage and exclusive discounts at the PlayStation Store. If you had a PS Plus membership before the revamp went live, it was automatically converted to an Essential membership.
PS Plus Extra
At $15 a month, $40 for three months or $135 for the year, a midtier PlayStation Plus Extra subscription is somewhat similar to the Game Pass Ultimate membership offered to Xbox users. It includes all the benefits and features of an Essential membership but also gives you access to a catalog of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. The selection includes plenty of hit titles like God of War, Horizon, Uncharted, Demon's Souls, Kingdom Hearts, Doom, Red Dead Redemption, Ratchet & Clank, Spider-Man, Final Fantasy and tons more.
PS Plus Premium
A PlayStation Plus Premium membership is the highest tier available, and it clocks in at either $18 a month, $50 for three months or $160 for a full year. In addition to all the benefits of both an Essential and Extra subscription, it gives you access to a massive library of more than 700 games. That includes the recent PS4 and PS5 hits from the Extra subscription, but also a catalog of more than 300 classics from the PS1, PS2 and PS3 eras (similar to the previous PS Now subscription). It allows you to stream many of these classic titles, so you don't have to worry about them eating up your valuable storage space.
You also get access to time-limited game trials, so you can try out new games before you commit to buying them. If you had a subscription to PS Now before the revamp went live, it was automatically converted to a PlayStation Plus Premium membership.