TL;DR: Sony joins an ever-growing list of companies raising the cost of their subscription offerings. Starting next month, the price of a 12-month PlayStation Plus subscription will go up for everyone. Sony stated that the price increase will allow them to continue to provide high quality games and value-added benefits through the service.
In the US, the new price looks like this:
- PlayStation Plus Essential 12 Month Membership – $79.99 (from $59.99)
- PlayStation Plus Additional 12 Months Membership – $134.99 (from $99.99)
- PlayStation Plus Premium 12 Month Membership – $159.99 (from $119.99)
new price point to be effective Starting 6th September. Sony said that its annual plan discount will remain intact compared to the one-month and three-month billings, but did not mention any change in the one-month and three-month pricing. The new price won’t apply to gamers who already have a 12-month subscription until their renewal date.
Membership price gouging has become a serious problem lately, and almost everyone is guilty of participating in it. Microsoft raised the price of Xbox Game Pass on July 6th. Nearly every major music and video streaming service has raised its rates in recent months.
A modest increase in the range of five to 10 percent would be perfectly reasonable, but a 33-35 percent jump (which we’re seeing here) feels like a punch in the stomach. So, what recourse do you have?
Well, no one is twisting your arm and forcing you to subscribe. As Sony notes, customers are free to Cancel their PS Plus membership at any time. Conversely, you can take advantage of current pricing.
In addition, subscriptions can be stacked, so it’s possible to load up multiple years of PS Plus at the current price. I’m not aware of any limits on stacking (if you know of any please let me know), and at least one coworker has been paid for up to five years at one point.
Image Credits: Lee Paz