Is PlayStation Plus Worth It In 2026? Essential, Extra, And Premium Compared

With everything happening in the news with Sony's decision to move to digital-only gaming coming 2028 moving into the next generation of consoles, we imagine, it's tougher than ever to know if you should take the dive into their online world and cough up the cash to subscribe to PlayStation Plus.

With three different price points each offering a vastly different subscription service, and costs rising on ways to experience your favorite games, this digital subscription for your PlayStation 5 has long been Sony's solution. We're breaking down the value for the price point for each tier of PlayStation Plus.

Should You Get PlayStation Plus In 2026?

If you've got a PlayStation 5 and are wondering if it's worth it to subscribe to PlayStation Plus with the increasing costs to subscribe and the recent news that Sony will be moving away from physical releases come 2028 as we segue into a new console generation, then it might be worth it for you to subscribe.

The bulk of the subscription service remains unchanged, with three price points that allow you varying kinds of access to a slew of benefits from Sony, including but not limited to free monthly game downloads, access to online multiplayer for your favorite PS5 titles, discounts in the PlayStation Store, and much more. You can choose whether to subcribe monthly for a sample of what's to come, every three months in the quarterly payment cycle, or, if you're ready to commit, for a full year at a time.

There have been a few changes so far in 2026, though, that may impact your decision on whether or not to subscribe to PlayStation Plus. These include:

• A price increase to every subscription tier at the monthly and three-month billing frequencies. Essential rose by $1 a month and $3 quarterly, Premium by $2 monthly and $4 quarterly, and finally Essential by $2 monthly and a steeper $5 per quarter. These PlayStation Plus price increases came into effect in May 2026 and make yearly billing sound that much more apparent for potential subscribers, since the annual prices were not impacted by the price hikes.
• Sony staggering releases of free games on PlayStation Plus, to drop a few games throughout the month to keep you coming back for more versus a large dump of games on the first day of the month.
• As we march further from the console's 200X launch, Sony is no longer guaranteeing PlayStation 4 games will be included in the list of monthly PlayStation Plus titles. You may see them eventually, but you'll now primarily see PlayStation 5 games being included in your PlayStation Plus subscription.

Currys

Below, you can see a complete breakdown of all three tiers of PlayStation Plus broken down by price and what's included for that cost. Essential is the basic plan at the lowest price, Extra is the mid-tier subscription, and Premium is the most expensive PlayStation Plus subscription model (with the most features for the cost).

What's Included In Each Tier Of PlayStation Plus?

The Premium tier naturally comes with the highest number of features, including access to all kinds of older-console games in the Classic Catalog, free demos for Game Trials, access to the Sony Pictures Catalog for movies on Sony's streaming functionality, and more. If you're looking for bells and whistles, it definitely has them, but if they're worth their price is truly up to you.

Price Breakdowns And Billing Cycle Payment Differences

If you choose to subscribe for a year at any price point other than the annual billing price, though, expect to pay a bit more for the decision. Given their current price points at the time of publishing this guide in July 2026:

• Paying for Essential will cost $111.96 if you choose to pay every three months, and $131.88 if paid monthly.
• Paying for Extra will run you $175.96 during the three-month billing cycle, and $203.88 if you subscribe to monthly billing.
• Paying for Premium is much steeper if not done in bulk, with a year in the three-month billing cycle costing $219.96 and the monthly payment for it totaling a staggering $239.88.

The Verdict

PlayStation

With the news around Sony's move to digital-only gaming in the future, it seems they're trying to push for more PlayStation Plus memberships, but it's truly up to you if you feel the games and the services included are worth the price.

You should consider subscribing to if you're:

• Looking for access to a constantly-updating list of digital games, though you might want to be aware that they're not all triple-A titles, and the price of your subscription is the same each month no matter what they're offering. This is a great feature for anyone who wants to try new games on a regular basis without paying for them piecemeal.
  • Premium and Extra feature the Game Catalog, while Essential does not. Extra might be the way to go, though, if you're looking for the Game Catalog without the additional frills of Premium.

• Someone who plays a lot of online gaming with your PlayStation 5. Certain free-to-play games don't require this access, but for the most part, you'll need a subscription to PlayStation Plus if you're trying to play multiplayer games online, especially when it comes to triple-A titles.
  • All PlayStation Plus subscription tiers feature access to online gaming functionality.

• Buying digital games fairly often from the PlayStation Store, since the PlayStation Plus subscription model offers a plethora of discounts on whole games and DLC packs in the store for your subscription. These PlayStation Plus discounts are most often found on games that are not currently in the PlayStation Plus game catalog, to offer you a chance to purchase a new game for a lower price if they're not yet offering it rolled into your subscription costs.
  • All PlayStation Plus subscription tiers feature access to digital discounts.

• Someone who plays a lot of games and is looking for a way to maintain cloud saves for games not currently installed on your console. You can save console space when installing a new game by uninstalling games you're not currently playing, but access to your cloud storage is exclusive to PlayStation Plus members.
  • All PlayStation Plus subscription tiers feature cloud saving abilities.

via PlayStation

On the flip side, you might want to avoid subscribing to PlayStation Plus if you:

• Mostly play physical games, since the PlayStation Plus subscription feature is Sony's online Game Catalog. You'll still need access to the online multiplayer if you're playing any game that requires it, but if you're not interested in the Game Catalog or the digital discounts in the PlayStation Store if you're not shopping there, you don't need to subscribe to PlayStation Plus.
• Primarily enjoy single-player games, since the online multiplayer component is a massive reason people subscribe to PlayStation Plus - for the ability to play online with friends.