There’s nothing worse than paying full price for a game that, for lack of a more succinct word, sucked. Hell, we don’t even pay for most of the games that come Stuff’s way and yet, we often still feel like we’ve been ripped off. But we do have some advice for all the paying folks out there to help ease that sting: don’t buy Gollum at full price (or at all), and nab yourself a subscription to PlayStation Plus instead.
If only it were that simple, though. For years, PlayStation Plus — a staple in the community — was a singular subscription that netted its customers a couple of free games every month, plus the ability to play those games online. It was… easy. That was until Sony began meddling with the whole thing to better copy Microsoft’s Game Pass, introducing Netflix-like tiers that unlock more benefits the more money you throw Sony’s way. Not that we’re complaining. Unless we’re talking about that major price hike Sony foisted on customers earlier this year.
We get it. It can all be a little daunting — but there’s no way you’re letting your younger sibling teach you stuff, right?
What is PlayStation Plus?
First and foremost, a PlayStation Plus subscription is a necessary piece of kit for anyone looking to get online and start handing out goals in whatever the latest EA Sports FC (FIFA) is on the market. Unless you’re only pulling games from PlayStation’s list of freebies, which don’t require any sort of subscription to get online.
You’d be right to think that charging for access to online multiplayer was at least a little bit dodgy. Our guess? PlayStation knows it too. We’re betting that’s why it’s lodged so deep in amongst all this other stuff. Speaking of which… Games. Sure, you might only be here for the online multiplayer access, but it can’t hurt to check out some of those “free” titles, too.
No matter the subscription you end up picking — Essential, Extra or Deluxe — you’ll always be privy to at least two free games per month. These can vary greatly in quality, with PlayStation occasionally feeding its customers with something excellent such as Bloodborne or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, PGA Tour. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that any games claimed on the monthly carousel will be linked to that account forever, but they will be automatically locked if the subscription lapses until renewed.
Anyone willing to step it up a notch and pick up an Extra or Deluxe subscription will be getting hold of all the stuff we already mentioned, plus a sizeable catalogue of games that can be downloaded and discarded the second your PS4 or PS5 start getting a bit full of themselves. Games featured on that list might not stick around forever, though they’ll usually be replaced by something of equal or greater value.
Only the Essentials
For anyone who’s only looking to play online and nothing else, then Essential is the way to go. It’s the cheapest of the lot, coming in at R120 for a month, R320 for three months and R950 for a year’s worth of play. In addition to online multiplayer access, Essential will unlock a rotating selection of two (sometimes three) monthly games that are yours to keep — as long as you have an active subscription. The additional member-only discounts and cloud storage aren’t anything to scoff at, either.
A little bit Extra
We’ll be honest, we’re a little biased towards Extra. It’s our personal favourite of the lot (even if we maybe forgot to turn off auto-renewal for the more expensive Deluxe tier) and for good reason. Not only is everything from Essential included here, but it’s also touting a massive collection of games — consisting mostly of decent titles that can be hunted down, completed and deleted at your leisure. We’d recommend Demon’s Souls to anyone who’s got a PS5 and is looking for a couple hundred hours to kill over the holidays.
We’ve personally never ventured forth into the crop of Ubisoft+ Classics also included in Extra, but they’re there if that’s your thing. We’ve already played and beat Far Cry 3, but thanks. A subscription to a decent library of games (and Ubisoft+ Classics) isn’t cheap, however. A single month will cost R180, three months R520 and a 12-month commitment will set you back R1,610.
Going all-out deluxe
Arguably the most disappointing of the bunch is the Deluxe tier. It’ll end up taking more money — R210 for a single month, R610 for three and R1,880 for twelve — all for a weaker return than we’d have liked. Of course, it’s got everything we mentioned in the Essential and Extra tiers, but doesn’t do much to justify it’s overly-inflated price.
The biggest addition is a new hoard of games known as the Classics Catalogue (not to be confused with Ubisoft+ Classics). These feature a truly random mix of games leaning on the older side — usually from the PS1 era — with the occasional foray into more modern times with titles like Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. Nostalgia hunters might find solace here, but regular folk? Best to stick with Extra.
And finally, we have Game Trials. These are hour-long demos of those games that you’re teetering on the edge of purchasing, but just can’t quite justify without getting your hands on it, first. It’s a great idea that’s personally helped us purchase at least a couple of games that are unfortunately marred by PlayStation’s rather limiting stranglehold on which games are included. That’s another list you’ll need to scour before making any big decisions about your future with PS Plus.
