Sony has announced the launch date of its PlayStation Plus subscription service that will give gamers access to a diverse portfolio of games and cloud streaming benefits, among others.
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The Japanese firm will start the roll out of its game subscription service in the Asia market on May 24. It will be available in other regions including Japan, North and South America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand by June end.
Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service, which combines its PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now offerings, would take on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass. It will offer three membership tiers: Essential, Extra and Premium (Deluxe in some regions).
Gamers who choose to go with the Essential option would get benefits such as two monthly downloadable games, cloud storage for saved games, online multiplayer access and exclusive discounts.
The next tier or Extra would provide all the benefits from Essential as well as access to up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games, including popular titles from PlayStation Studios and third-party partners, with an option to download them, according to the firm.
The Premium tier would offer gamers features from the previous two tiers and up to 340 additional games, including PS3 games available via cloud streaming as well as classic games (original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations) available in both streaming and download options. It would also provide cloud streaming access (in select regions), and time-limited game trials for customers to try select gaming titles before they buy them.
Titles currently available under time-limited game trials are: Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Horizon Forbidden West, Cyberpunk 2077, Farming Simulator 22, Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, and WWE 2K22.
The game subscription prices and the gaming titles may vary from one region to another, Sony said in a blog post, adding that it also plans to expand the cloud streaming access to more countries in June.
The PlayStation Plus game line-up includes popular titles such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Demon’s Souls, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, and NBA 2K22, as well as classic games like Ape Escape, Super Stardust Portable, Syphon Filter, and Tekken 2. Some classic games will show improved frame rates and higher-quality resolution compared to their original launch versions, according to the game maker.
Additionally, video game company Ubisoft said it will launch a new subscription for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium dubbed Ubisoft+ Classics, with a curated selection of popular games. Initially, it will offer 27 titles and will grow to 50 by the end of this year. The roll out will start on May 24.
The France-based firm’s Ubisoft+ gaming service, which is currently available on PC, Stadia, and Amazon Luna, will be available on PlayStation and Xbox in the future, it noted.
