Next month, Sony will be expanding PS Plus with a new tier system: Essential (which is essentially PS Plus as it is now), Extra (which includes a library of PS4 and PS5 games), and Premium (which boasts all of that, plus a bigger library of PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3 games), among other benefits. The entire library of PS Plus Premium has yet to be revealed, as while Sony recently showed a good chunk of them, it has previously said it would feature a total of 700 games at launch.
Many see PS Plus Premium as Sony’s challenge/competitor to Xbox Game Pass, which is often hailed as the best deal in gaming. It’s hard to compare a service that’s been around 5 years (as Game Pass launched in 31 markets on June 1, 2017) to one not out yet. At launch, PS Plus Premium will still be in its infancy. However, one can look at the Game Pass launch lineup of 2017 and compare it fairly well to PS Plus Premium’s launch lineup.
Xbox Game Pass’ Launch Titles
When it launched in 2017, Xbox Game Pass was priced at $9.99 and had over 100 Xbox One and Backward Compatible games. This price does not include Xbox Live Gold, which is now bundled in it as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and a factor in PS Plus Premium's packages and pricing. Xbox Game Pass has grown into an absolute behemoth, but it’s worth adding that its launch, while with a bunch of games, did not have the hottest titles quite yet.
Perhaps the highlights of Xbox Game Pass was Halo 5, NBA 2K16, Payday 2, LEGO Batman, Banjo-Kazooie, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Streets of Rage, the BioShock games, Gears of War 1-3, Perfect Dark Zero, Borderlands, Saints Row 4, Terraria, Resident Evil 0, and XCOM: Enemy Within. It was not a bad lineup for 2017, but it was not as mind-blowing as it is now. In fact, many likely passed on it at the time, but thanks to continued support by Xbox, more Backcompat additions, day one additions, and so on, it grew from humble beginnings.
PS Plus Premium Launch Titles
Game Pass was, without a doubt, experimental for the time, and that works to PS Plus Premium’s advantage. Sony had years of watching this, as well as other subscription services, before launching PS Plus Premium. Thus, its benefits are more comparable to Xbox Game Pass as it stands now—like the ability to play online—and its pricing is also more comparable to Game Pass as it stands (depending on the tier).
Not counting the yearly cost/discounts, PS Plus is $9.99, PS Plus Extra is $15.99, and PS Plus Premium is $17.99. It’s also impossible to compare the exact quality of the library, given that a good chunk of the PS Plus games have yet to be revealed, but PS Plus does have some noteworthy games hitting the service on day one. Some highlights include Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls Remake, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, the Infamous games, the Spider-Man games, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Mortal Kombat 11, Red Dead Redemption 2, Syphon Filter, the Jak and Daxter games, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, the Ratchet and Clank games, and more.
In short, if the games revealed so far are only a sampling for PS Plus Premium, then subscribers are in for a bonafide feast at launch.
How Does 2022’s PS Plus Premium Compare to 2017’s Game Pass
What’s clear is that Sony is leveraging the time to gauge the market and its rich library of games for the launch of PS Plus Premium. Its day one lineup looks much richer in terms of content than Xbox Game Pass. In fact, had PS Plus Premium launched alongside Game Pass with comparable games, it may have been a completely different story.
Of course, it didn’t and Game Pass’ lead is no doubt its biggest advantage now. PS Plus Premium in 2022 beats out the 2017 Game Pass, but it’s not 2017 Sony is competing against. How it holds up over the next couple of years will be what proves the differences between the two services. Sony does not want to commit day one games to PS Plus, and that’s one area Game Pass has it beat.
Ultimately, it’s a win-win situation for all games. Both services have their benefits, and just as Game Pass has seen ups and downs, so too will PS Plus Premium. But the idea behind both services is something that fans can expect to be iterated and innovated upon for years to come.
PS Plus Premium releases June 13.