Sony has announced that it is raising the price of its online PlayStation Plus service for new subscribers.
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PlayStation Plus is split across three tiers – Essential lets subscribers access a select number of games that change every few weeks, Extra lets players choose from a library of “hundreds of games from genre-defining blockbusters to innovative indies” and Premium features iconic classic titles as well as game trials. PlayStation owners also need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play a majority of online games.
Last night (May 18), Sony confirmed that it would be raising the price of PlayStation Plus for all new subscribers. Existing members won’t be charged the new rate unless their membership lapses.
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.…
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 18, 2026
Sony has only confirmed a price rise for the basic Essential tier so far, which will now cost £7.99 instead of £6.99. But the company did say that “prices start from” in their announcement post on social media, with some fans expecting Extra and Premium to also get more expensive in the near future.
The increased cost of PlayStation Plus has been blamed on “ongoing market conditions” but the move has angered fans. “Due to market conditions I guess I’ll have to cancel my subscription then,” wrote one fan on Reddit. “I still don’t understand how we all agreed to pay for playing online,” said another. “Sony are getting incredibly greedy again. There’s no reason to increase the price of a digital product that has no bearing on the RAM shortage. This is corporate greed,” added a third.
In March, Sony raised the price of the PlayStation 5 for the second time in 12 months. The company blamed the “continued pressures in the global economic landscape” for the hike. “We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide,” explained Sony’s Vice President of Global Marketing, Isabelle Tomatis.
Last year, Microsoft made its Xbox Game Pass service a lot more expensive but backtracked last month.
In other news, Forza Horizon 6 has comfortably become the best-reviewed game of 2026 so far, according to aggregate site Metacritic.
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