Sony has announced that the price of its PlayStation Plus subscription service is increasing. PlayStation Plus is Sony’s monthly subscription service for PS4 and PS5 consoles. It provides access to online multiplayer gaming, monthly downloadable games, and exclusive discounts on the PlayStation Store. Starting from 20 May, new customers in select regions will face higher prices, according to Sony’s announcement. The company attributed this decision to “ongoing market conditions.”
Prices for new subscribers will start at $10.99 USD, €9.99 EUR, or £7.99 GBP for a 1-month subscription, and $27.99 USD, €27.99 EUR, or £21.99 GBP for a 3-month subscription. This means the monthly subscription will go up by $1, and the three-month subscription by $3. However, existing subscribers will not see this price change unless their current subscription changes or lapses. The exception to this is in Turkey and India, where the increase will apply to all customers.
These price increases come at a time when the video game industry is seeing price rises across the board, particularly for hardware. In March, Sony itself raised the price of the PS5 console, citing “continued pressures in the global economic landscape.” Earlier this month, Sony revealed that it had yet to decide on the launch date or cost of the PlayStation 6, as memory shortages fueled by the AI boom continue to impact the industry.
PlayStation fans have reacted negatively to the news. Some argue that PlayStation Plus should not be required for online gaming in the first place, and that these new price rises make gaming on PlayStation even more expensive. Others have criticised Sony for blaming the price rises on “ongoing market conditions,” noting that Microsoft recently cut the price of Xbox Game Pass.
The price hike for PlayStation Plus comes just six months before the planned release of GTA 6, which is expected to attract a large number of new players to the current generation of consoles. An active PlayStation Plus subscription is required to play GTA Online, and there is no indication that this will change with the release of GTA 6.
Sony has forecast annual sales at its gaming business to fall by 6% to 4.42 trillion yen (approx. $28 billion) for the current financial year. This is due to lower hardware sales, with the PS5 now more expensive than ever and approaching its sixth birthday. However, Sony expects gaming profit to rise by 30% due to higher first-party software sales, and the absence of a significant impairment loss recorded against struggling Marathon developer Bungie.
