The PlayStation Plus Extra service tier is coming in June and along with it is a significant change in the way that Sony carries out its service. In essence, this new service tiers are basically a combination of the PS Plus Collection, PS Now, and core PS Plus elements. In the process, PlayStation Now is going away forever.
With the rise of PlayStation Plus Extra, Sony seems to be trying to find a new way to take on the Xbox Game Pass. In fact, it appears the company is looking to take it on more directly by going about its subscription service in a similar way. The question now is whether this new approach is the way to go and whether the price of each subscription tier is worth it.
PS Plus Extra at a Glance
The PS Plus Extra tier is the next tier up from the very basic PS Plus that Sony users know quite well. That means it offers everything the lower tier offers as well as the ability to download and stream additional PS4 and PS5 games for an extra $5 a month.
When it comes to really evaluating whether that extra $5 a month over the regular PS Plus asking price is worth it, the deciding factor might be just what kind of games people are looking to play. The next tier up in this new offering is also the highest level and PS Plus Premium offers quite a few more games, though they are also quite a bit older. This higher tier offers PS3 and even some PS2, PSP, and PS1 Games and can allow for people who have a special place for those older games in their hearts.
This highest tier allows people who want to spend $18 a month to get older games the ability to do so. It would certainly seem as though people who came to the PlayStation late might want to check out. There are some very iconic PS3 games that are almost certainly going to be on offer including Killzone 2 and Resistance 3. People who want to check those games out over a longer period of time are going to want to go with the higher tier.
However, if someone doesn't have a lot of interest in playing those older games and instead is far more interested in PS4 and PS5 games that they don't have to actually purchase, then the Extra tier makes quite a bit more sense. Luckily, Sony has confirmed some of the games that will be available on PS Plus extra come June, and although the below list is by no means exhaustive, it could perhaps help sway users on whether this tier is worth it.
No Day One Launch Games
Where these new PlayStation Plus tiers really lose value is Sony's continued insistence that launch games are not going to be included. That means anyone who might have been hoping to get their hands on God of War Ragnarok for no additional charge is going to be quite disappointed. This is also where Game Pass still has a big leg up on the competition.
Not only does Game Pass offer Xbox titles on their launch day like Halo Infinite, but the service has also offered games on launch day that are produced by other studios. The real shot across Sony's bow has been the fact that Game Pass has even offered MLB The Show on release day the last two years.
Side By Side Or One At A Time
When it comes to really deciding whether the PS Plus Extra tier is worth the $15 a month, the real factor is going to be whether a gamer already has Xbox Game Pass. It appears there are more and more people out there that have both consoles. It also seems like a no-brainer that anyone who has an Xbox Series X or Xbox One almost needs to have Game Pass. So then the question becomes whether an additional $15 subscription is worth spending the money on.
There is one more thing that PS Plus Extra has up its sleeve that might really make the service worth the money. It's hard to argue that when it comes to PS Plus the free games that have been on offer every month have been quite a bit better than what Xbox Live Gold has been able to offer up. It's understandable that people might forget that they will still be getting those free games a month even when the new tiers launch. For the most part, the free games that come along every month have made the PS Plus base subscription worth the price; if the quality keeps up, it would seem like the extra catalog of games per month for just an extra $5 isn't out of the question.
The bottom line might just be if someone is a PS Plus subscriber already. It feels like there's a bit of a difference between adding $15 a month to someone's expenses compared to just another $5. All in all, it's just 5 bucks for a ton of games. There are maybe some odds and ends about how much someone uses it, what games they've played, and how many games Sony adds with its monthly refresh, but then there are the core elements like the ability to play online and Essentials games. When taken on its face, this new version of an old reliable service seems like a win.