Here’s How the New PlayStation Plus Will Work in Australia
Whether you like it or not, change is coming for PlayStation Plus. Sony is planning to revamp its online gaming subscription service in 2022 to a tiered system that will offer players a bunch of new options. Because things run a little differently in Australia to the rest of the world (thanks, slow internet) we’re not getting the same PlayStation Plus as everyone else.
To help you understand it all we’ll break down all the pricing and release date details you need to know about the new PlayStation Plus.
New PlayStation Plus tiers in Australia
PlayStation Plus has always been a fairly basic subscription offering when compared to the likes of Xbox Game Pass. The new PlayStation Plus system aims to change that with a bunch of new services and games on offer for subscribers.
Here’s a breakdown of the new PlayStation Plus tiers:
PlayStation Plus Essential
Provides the same benefits that PlayStation Plus members are getting today including:
- Monthly downloadable games
- Exclusive discounts
- Cloud storage for saved games
- Online multiplayer access
There are no changes for existing PlayStation Plus members in this membership plan.
Australian price:
- 1 month: $11.95
- 3 months: $33.95
- 12 months: $79.95
PlayStation Plus Extra
- All the benefits of the PlayStation Plus Essential tier
- Plus a catalogue of up to 400 of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games
Australian price:
- 1 month: $18.95
- 3 months: $54.95
- 12 months: $134.95
What games are available (so far)?
- Alienation PS4
- Bloodborne PS4
- Concrete Genie PS4
- Days Gone PS4
- Dead Nation Apocalypse Edition PS4
- Death Stranding and Death Stranding Director’s Cut PS4/PS5
- Demon’s Souls PS5
- Destruction AllStars PS5
- Everybody’s Golf PS4
- Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut PS4/PS5
- Ashen PS4
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla PS4/PS5
- Batman: Arkham Knight PS4
- Celeste PS4
- Cities: Skylines PS4
- Control: Ultimate Edition PS4/PS5
- Dead Cells PS4
- Far Cry 3 Remaster PS4
- Far Cry 4 PS4
- Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition PS4
PlayStation Plus Deluxe
- Provides all the benefits from Essential and Extra tiers
- Adds a catalogue of beloved classic games available to download from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations.
- Time-limited game trials will also be offered in this tier, so customers can try select games before they buy.
Australian price:
- 1 month: $21.95
- 3 months: $63.95
- 12 months: $154.95
What games are available (so far)?
- Ape Escape PS1
- Hot Shots Golf PS1
- I.Q. Intelligent Qube PS1
- Jumping Flash! PS1
- Syphon Filter PS1
- Super Stardust Portable PSP
- Mr. Driller PS1
- Tekken 2 PS1
- Worms World Party PS1
- Worms Armageddon PS1
Remastered games
- Ape Escape 2 PS4
- Arc The Lad: Twilight of the Spirits PS4
- Dark Cloud PS4
- Dark Cloud 2 PS4
- FantaVision PS4
- Hot Shots Tennis PS4
- Jak II PS4
- Jak 3 PS4
- Jak X: Combat Racing PS4
- Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy PS4
- Rogue Galaxy PS4
- Siren PS4
- Wild Arms 3 PS4
- Bioshock Remastered PS4
- Borderlands The Handsome Collection PS4
- Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition PS4
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning PS4
- LEGO Harry Potter Collection PS4
Game trials available at launch
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, PS5
- Horizon Forbidden West, PS4/PS5
- Cyberpunk 2077, PS5
- Farming Simulator 2022, PS4/PS5
- Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, PS4/PS5
- WWE 2K22, PS4/PS5
One of the main selling points of the new PlayStation Plus is the offer of a back catalogue of streaming titles from the PS3 era.
Unfortunately, in Australia, seeing as we don’t have access to cloud streaming services like PlayStation Now, we also won’t have access to the PlayStation Plus Premium tier that is offered elsewhere in the world.
Instead, we’ll have to make do with the Deluxe package which offers a catalogue of PS1, PS2 and PSP era games for download as well as limited game trials.
When will the new PlayStation Plus be available in Australia?
Sony has announced a phased release for the new PlayStation Plus service. In Australia, like with everything, we’ll be a few weeks behind in the rollout for the new PlayStation Plus.
Availability is currently targeting June 23 in Australia.
Asia will get the service first on May 23 with Japan following on June 1 and Americas on June 13. Europe is in the same boat as us with the June 22 rollout date.
What does this mean for existing subscribers?
If you’re content with your current PlayStation Plus subscription, rest assured that nothing will have to change.
The PlayStation Plus Essential tier, which is the equivalent of what is currently available in Australia, will not come with a price increase and Sony has promised that all existing subscriptions will simply roll over into their equivalent tiers.
For those wishing to upgrade to a higher tier, this will apparently be quite easy to do. Sony shared in an email to PlayStation Plus subscribers this message:
You can easily upgrade to a higher benefits plan at any time. To do so, you’ll need to pay the difference between your current plan and your new plan, adjusted for the remaining time of your subscription.
Of course, one of the determining factors of whether you’d even want to upgrade to a higher tier is the library of games on offer. Sony has revealed some of the games that will be available at launch for PlayStation Plus subscribers, but has promised more will be added in the coming months and a full list will be uploaded when the service goes live.
We’ll keep you posted on any new information about the new PlayStation Plus service until it launches on June 22.
This article has been updated with additional information.
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