Brace yourself – there's a PS Plus price hike headed for South Africa

It’s only been a couple of days since Sony raised the prices of its PS5 consoles across several territories (which notably excludes the US, where the so-called “high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates” currently stem), and already, it’s hitting gamers with yet another price hike – this time where it hurts. South African gamers are already receiving warning emails of a PS Plus price hike slated for June 2025.

It’s almost as though Sony forgot that it admitted to only prioritising higher quality, more expensive titles on the service starting in 2026, and not a minute sooner. Why, then, are gamers suffering tomorrow’s pricing today? The answer to that is a simple one. It’s the same affliction that wormed its way into Nintendo’s head and gave it the idea to charge $80 for Mario Kart World. Reminder – Tears of the Kingdom went for $70.

Tomorrow’s pricing, today!

PlayStation Plus, if you aren’t familiar, is Sony’s game-based subscription service that offers access to online multiplayer and a couple of free games every month on the ‘Essential’ tier. Bump that up to ‘Extra’, and you’ll receive all that, plus an additional library of games that Sony can do with it as it pleases. Finally, players who spend to upgrade to the ‘Deluxe’ tier can also experience a library of classic games.

On paper, it’s a fair deal. Even the most basic PS Plus subscription guarantees that you’ll always have something to play, even if that something turns out to be Gotham Knights or something similar. But with the price of just about everything else going up, not to mention PS Plus itself in 2023, is it worth it?

Not after Sony gets its way. According to several emails sent out to South African PS Plus subscribers (we should note that we haven’t yet received any email of the sort) earlier today, the company warned customers that their PS Plus bills would look a little bigger, starting on or after 24 June 2025:

“This price increase will not take effect until your next payment date that occurs on or after 24 June 2025,” the email confirmed. “However, any membership changes you make prior to your next payment, such as upgrades, downgrades or buying additional time, will update your plan based on the new prices. You can change or cancel your subscription at any time.”