Sony has declared that price for PlayStation Plus will increase for new users in “select” regions. However, if you are already a member, the price increase won’t affect you unless your subscription expires or changes. or unless you’re in India or Turkey.
PlayStation announced in a post on X:
“Starting May 20, PlayStation Plus prices for new customers will increase in select regions. Due to ongoing market conditions, prices will start at $10.99 USD / €9.99 EUR / £7.99 GBP for 1-month subscriptions and $27.99 USD / €27.99 EUR / £21.99 GBP for 3-month subscriptions. This price change does not apply to current subscribers (except in Turkey and India) unless the existing subscription changes or lapses.”
The reference to “prices will start at” presumably refers to the lowest PlayStation Plus Essential tier, however I will attempt to make this clear. In the UK, this subscription presently costs £6.99 per month, therefore the cost increases by one pound per month. This is a two-pound increase from the existing three-month pricing of £19.99.
The announcement coincides with price increases in the video gaming industry, especially for hardware. In March, Sony increased the cost of PS5 systems, citing “continued pressures in the global economic landscape.” Due to memory shortages brought on by the AI boom, Sony announced earlier this month that it had not yet decided when to release the PlayStation 6 or how much it will cost.
Sony PlayStation enthusiasts have responded harshly to the announcement about the increase in price, as you might imagine. Some claim that PlayStation Plus shouldn’t be necessary for online gaming in the first place and that the new price increases make PlayStation gaming even more expensive.
Some have criticized Sony, attributing the price increases to “ongoing market conditions,” pointing out that Microsoft just lowered the cost of Xbox Game Pass.
Whether this will impact the more costly Extra and Premium tiers is not mentioned. The entry-level product, PlayStation Plus Essential, offers a limited number of free titles and allows social play. In this sense, the more costly Extra and Premium tiers—which include games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Star Wars Outlaws in May’s PlayStation Plus lineup—offer far more.
It’s important to note that this price increase for PlayStation Plus occurs six months prior to the anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto 6, which is anticipated to attract a significant number of new players to the current platform generation. GTA Online requires an ongoing PlayStation Plus subscription, and there is no indication that this will alter when GTA 6 is released.
It is possible that Sony is raising prices now in anticipation of the influx of new PlayStation Plus members who will only want to play Grand Theft Auto 6 online when game launches.
