Soapbox: PS Plus may be the best subscription service in gaming right now

While Sammy doesn’t see subscription services becoming the industry standard in the future, I at least think so PS Plus This is the best you can be a member of right now. After a long and impressive series of monthly updates, I believe what Sony is doing with its three-tier setup Xbox Game Pass.

After a somewhat shaky start — to PS Plus Premium In particular – the service has really come into its own in the last four months. Game library updates are plentiful, adding more PS5, PS4 and classic titles that anyone can play right before the next content refresh (never ending!) for all types of gamers to enjoy. There’s always at least a few things for, but even if you don’t find anything you like, the next batch of games is only two weeks away when PS Plus essential is brought into the equation.

In January, 13 games were added PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium. A month later in February, another 17 The titles arrived — including Horizon Forbidden West. This was followed by 17 more games in March, and then 16 games came into service last month. While not every one of them will be to your taste, that’s 63 games in four months’ time. Add the three monthly PS Plus essential games from January to April on top and you’re looking at 75 titles. At a subscription of £13.49/$17.99 per month, it works out like this, much less than £1/$1 per game. I know most of us subscribe on an annual basis, so the transition can be even better. That is pretty amazing value.

Of course, this monetary value would mean nothing if the games were garbage, but they are anything but. The sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn arrived in February, and just before that we saw the likes of Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition and Back 4 Blood. March brought Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Immortal Phoenix Rising. More recently, the indie hit Kenna: Bridge of Spirits served alongside Riders Republic and Doom Eternal. It’s hard enough to find a truly bad title in any of the game editions of the past four months.

All of this provides a great foundation for the PS Plus, but where Sony really starts to go above and beyond is with the reintroduction of day-one games. Stray launched directly into PS Plus Extra when the service underwent its major overhaul last year, but it was radio silent on that front then. Unexpectedly, however, Techia launched directly into service last month and Humanity will do the same later this month.

Of course, this has been the mantra on Xbox Game Pass for some time now, but if Sony continues with this course, I actually believe PS Plus is handling the approach better. You see, Xbox Game Pass seems to have quietly shifted its focus to delivering more titles as they launch, and has largely neglected the healthy back catalog of games it owns. made a name of This has resulted in lackluster bi-weekly game updates; The customer already knows what’s coming, and the idea of ​​adding older titles seems to have mostly been left by the wayside.

Just take a look at what Xbox Game Pass is coming for the first two weeks of May: Redfall, ravenlok, Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2, a PC version of the Shadowrun Trilogy, and an Xbox Series X|S version of Weird West, which was already on the service as an Xbox One title. As an informed Xbox Series X owner, this doesn’t excite me. I already knew about the first three games, the fourth is for PC, and the fifth is something I can already play. Of course, this is just one example from the first four months of 2023, but it’s been a running theme for some time. I have been consistently disappointed as a member.

While Microsoft is dropping the ball, this is where Sony is picking up the slack. We all know that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has never had a launch day and date on PS Plus, so the platform holder is focusing heavily on that extensive back catalog instead. This adds a lot of excitement to PS Plus announcements, introducing one or two brand new titles to the service starting day and date. Along with getting — on average — 15 PS5, PS4, and classic games to play all at once, there’s a good chance I’ll get a whole new experience on top. I think this is starting to be reflected in social media and gamers in general: the monthly PS Plus updates are so good that they’ve reached a point where they get more attention than an Xbox Game Pass refresh. goes I really hope Sony continues this approach of delivering at least one brand new title every other month or so — it makes my membership a much more enticing prospect.

Is PS Plus perfect? No, not at all. The PS Plus Premium offering still needs work, and I think Sony needs to improve how it communicates upcoming expiration dates. Right now, you can just constantly check the last chance to play section on your PS5 console, or rummage through hundreds of game lists. This is not a good setup.

It’s an easy fix, though, and it doesn’t take away from the excellent subscription service that I think PS Plus has turned into. As long as Sony maintains this approach and commitment, I believe it has the best gaming subscription on its hands. It’s got the right formula, with a heavy focus on the high-quality back catalog and some new experiences from third parties sprinkled in there. I am currently a happy PS Plus member, long may it continue.

Are you as high on PS Plus as Liam is? Cast your vote in our poll and expand on your thoughts in the comments below.