Why You Can Trust CNET Best PlayStation Plus Deals: Sony Has It on Lock
PlayStation Plus is a deal all on its own, which might be why discounts are so hard to come by.
The PlayStation 5 is an astounding console, with plenty of power, speed and storage. At this point, it's not that far behind a gaming PC. The visuals it can put out, and the games available on it, all make it well worth the price. It's not cheap, however, and the console itself is just one part of the expense: AAA games can often cost up to, or even more than, $70. One of the ways a lot of people choose to save money is by grabbing a PlayStation Plus subscription, which not only grants access to online features, but also a fair few games.
Deals 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 the Days of Play sale. It didn't help when Sony increased the annual pricing in September, either.
We've broken down how the new PS Plus subscriptions work below and explained the best ways to get signed up for less wherever possible. The deals aren't great at the moment, but we'll continue to update this page as more discounts come around. Be sure to check back often if you don't see a price that's right for you just yet.
For even more savings, you can take a look at our roundup of the best bargains on PlayStation games, gear and accessories.
What's changed?
Before last year's revamp, PlayStation offered two different subscription services. PlayStation Plus was a $10-a-month service similar to Xbox Game Pass, which lets you play games online and participate in multiplayer matches. PlayStation Now was 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 different 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, Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima.
PS Plus Premium
A PlayStation Plus Premium membership is the highest tier available, and 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.
PS Plus deals
In the past, we've seen Sony offer direct discounts on PS Plus subscriptions during major sale events like Days of Play. Unfortunately, there aren't any available at the moment -- although that might change soon. Verizon is offering a bundle where you get 24 months of PlayStation Plus Premium with a new PS5 for a total of $820, saving you about $20, but no direct deals on PS Plus subscriptions alone.
An alternative way to save on PlayStation Plus for existing subscribers is by buying PlayStation store credit when it goes on sale. Those funds can then be put towards extending your PS Plus membership.