In current media, gamers can't look anywhere without there being some form of subscription service. Whether that is for TV shows and movies like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max or for video game services, they're everywhere. Of course, in talking description, PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass stand out. The latter has been hailed by many as the best value in gaming today, offering a library of hundreds of games for a cheap price, but PS Plus is no slouch either.
In terms of form, PS Plus is more comparable to Games with Gold, but there's really no comparison there. At the same time, comparing PS Plus now to PS Plus in the entirety of 2020 proves one big point that may not need it: PS Plus is Sony's premier service, with value that is hard to believe.
Breaking Down the PS Plus Value Thus Far in 2021
When considering PS Plus merits, there's three main things to consider: the price of it, the value of the games made available, and the viability of someone downloading those games. After all, concerning the latter, if no one wants to play it then it's not really savings. Notably, 2020 saw an increase in downloads of PS Plus, and it's highly likely that it's continued this year. Thus far in 2021, more launch games have been offered to coincide with PS5 releases, and that itself is hard to ignore. At any rate, even a fraction of games last year made up the subscription cost (which, full priced, comes in at about $119.98 every year without discounts), and it can be said now that roughly claiming a sixth of the available games makes up the value of this year alone.
When all was said and done, PS Plus had offered $750 in free games in 2020. This number was compared to the base price as available on the PlayStation Store, but there's two factors to consider in that pricing (before getting to 2021's). First, PS Plus offered less games each month in 2021, and even one game can clearly make a large difference. Several games made available last year were in the $9.99 to $14.99 range, with one game being as low as $4.99. In contrast, the cheapest game offered thus far this year retails at $19.99. Considering the improved game values (and especially those that launched on the service), it should not come as a surprise then when, in May 2021, PS Plus has already offered $609.84 in video games (price based on the PS Store):
- Maneater PS5 (Jan) - $39.99
- GreedFall (Jan) - $49.99
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Jan) - $59.99
- Destruction: Allstars PS5 (Feb) - $19.99
- Control: Ultimate Edition PS5/PS4 (Feb) - $39.99
- Concrete Genie (Feb) - $29.99
- Maquette PS5 (March) - $19.99
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake (March) - $59.99
- Farpoint (March) - $19.99
- Remnant: From the Ashes (March) - $39.99
- Oddworld: Soulstorm PS5 (April) - $49.99
- Days Gone (April) - $39.99
- Zombie Army 4: Dead War (April) - $49.99
- Wreckfest PS5 (May) - $29.99*
- Battlefield 5 (May) - $39.99
- Stranded Deep (May) - $19.99
*NOTE: Because PS Plus subscribers got Wreckfest's PS5 edition early, there is currently no listed price on the PlayStation Store. Instead of assuming it would be full priced, we opted for the PS4 edition's non-discounted price.
Comparing PS Plus in 2021 to PS Plus in 2020
To reiterate, PS Plus in 2020 offered $750 in free games, while PS Plus in 2021 so far has already hit $610 (rounded up). The rate at which games are made available and the quality/quantity of those made available truly cannot be understated. At this rate, PS Plus in 2021 will pass the 2020 offerings in a month or two (crudely), and if this rate holds, players could expect to see close to $1400 made available this year. Of course, this remains to be seen and there's a lot of variables, but at this rate that is indeed something.
There's still 7 months after May, and that's a lot of time to either slip up or triple down on the insane value of PS Plus. If, later in the year, Sony begins to offer smaller and smaller games, it's possible that it doesn't quite hit the numbers mentioned above. That doesn't quite seem to be what Sony is aiming for with PS Plus though, and even if that were the case, it's already set to absolute demolish 2020.
PS Plus get a handful of free games every month.