Sony announced its long anticipated answer to Xbox Game Pass in April, with a revamp of its PS Plus subscription service offering up to 700 games. The three-tiered subscription model folds PlayStation Now and streamed PS3 titles into its highest cost category, but if you're based in Australia, things will work a little differently. Now, a couple of weeks after its announcement, Sony has quietly announced prices and a launch date for the new PS Plus subscription services in Australia. Scroll down to check them out.
They're a little different in Australia compared to the United States and Europe, and that's mainly thanks to the local absence of PS Now. First launched in the US in 2014, Sony's PS Now streaming service has never rolled out in Australia. With Sony's new PS Plus subscription changes, PS Now has been bundled into the PlayStation Plus Premium tier, which costs $15 a month in the United States. That tier won't be coming to Australia, nor will any other streaming features, thus ruling out PS3 game availability, as well as the regular PS Now catalogue.
That said, there's still value to be had, and the list of PS Plus Premium and Extra games released so far look very tempting, though do be reminded that Australia won't get the PS3 library. The new services will launch on June 24 in Australia.
PlayStation Plus Essential price in Australia
PlayStation Plus Essential is the same as the current PS Plus service. It offers online multiplayer access, three free games per month (two for PS4, one for PS5) and various other bonuses, like exclusive discounts. What it doesn't include, is access to the Game Pass-like Game Catalog. The prices are:
1 month: AU$11.95
3 months: AU$33.95
12 months: AU$79.95
PlayStation Plus Extra price in Australia
This tier gets you all the benefits of PlayStation Plus Essential, plus access to the PS Plus Extra games library, which offers "hundreds of downloadable PS4 and PS5 games," according to Sony. The list of games announced so far include Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Bloodborne, Demon's Souls for PS5, God of War, Ghost of Tsushima and more. Check out the whole list of PS Plus Extra games.
1 month: AU$18.95
3 months: AU$54.95
12 months: AU$134.95
PlayStation Plus Deluxe price in Australia
This deluxe tier gets you everything in the first two tiers, as well as game trials, and access to the Classics Catalogue, which includes older PlayStation games from the PS1, PS2, and PSP era. Titles confirmed so far include Ape Escape, Tekken 2, Syphon Filter, and remasters ranging the Jak and Daxter trilogy, BioShock, Borderlands and more. Check out the full list of PS Plus Premium games. This tier also includes time-limited game trials for titles ranging Tiny Tina's Wonderland, Cyberpunk 2077, and more.
Unlike in other countries, Australia won't be getting streamable PS3 games, or indeed, any other streaming features.
1 month: AU$21.95
3 months: AU$63.95
12 months: AU$154.95
We reached out to a local Sony representative to find out if PS Plus streaming features will ever make their way to Australia; we were told "we have no news to share at the moment". Sony isn't alone in skipping Australia—Google's Stadia service has never launched down under—nor is it entirely unjustified, given the country's ropey online infrastructure. On the other hand, Microsoft has rolled out its own Xbox Cloud Gaming service in Australia, so it's not an impossibility.
Still on the hunt for a PS5 to take advantage of the new PS Plus model? check out our regularly updated guide on where to buy a PS5 in Australia.
