Sony has quietly increased the price of the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscription tiers as well as the Essential tier, having suggested only the Essential tier would get more expensive.
Earlier this week, Sony announced that starting May 20, PlayStation Plus prices for new customers would increase in select regions, blaming “ongoing market conditions.” Prices, Sony said, would ”start” at $10.99 USD / €9.99 EUR / £7.99 GBP for one-month subscriptions and $27.99 USD / €27.99 EUR / £21.99 GBP for three-month subscriptions, signalling a $1 increase on the monthly sub and a $3 increase on the three-month sub.
Starting May 20, PlayStation Plus prices for new customers will increase in select regions. Due to ongoing market conditions, prices will start at $10.99 USD / €9.99 EUR / £7.99 GBP for 1-month subscriptions and $27.99 USD / €27.99 EUR / £21.99 GBP for 3-month subscriptions.…
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 18, 2026
Many took this to believe only the Essential tier would go up in price, but it turns out Sony has raised the price of all PlayStation Plus tiers. “Prices will start,” it seems, was doing heavy lifting in the wording of the announcement. Here’s the actual breakdown:
PlayStation Plus May 2026 price rises:
1-Month:
- Premium $19.99 (up from $17.99)
- Extra $16.99 (up from $14.99)
- Essential $10.99 (up from $9.99)
3-Months:
- Premium $54.99 (up from $49.99)
- Extra $43.99 (up from $39.99)
- Essential $27.99 (up from $24.99)
As Sony had announced, these price changes do not apply to current subscribers (except in Turkey and India) unless the existing subscription changes or lapses. And it’s worth noting the 12-month subscription option remains unchanged, which to me suggests a push towards the more expensive, longer subscription tiers.
The negativity surrounding the news has continued this week, with many PlayStation fans complaining about the rising cost of gaming. Sony itself raised the price of PS5 consoles back in March, blaming “continued pressures in the global economic landscape.” Earlier this month, Sony said it had yet to decide when to launch the PlayStation 6, nor how much it would cost, as memory shortages fueled by the AI boom continue to hit hard.
PlayStation Plus is still required for online gaming, and with the looming launch of GTA 6, Sony may be getting its price hikes in now ahead of the guaranteed influx of new PlayStation 5 owners when Rockstar’s behemoth finally comes out in November. GTA 6 launches for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S only, which means you have to own a console to play it.
Sony this week announced the next State of Play showcase, set for June 2. We know Insomniac’s Wolverine will be shown there, but Sony is under pressure to deliver the goods, with the cost of PlayStation gaming only getting more expensive.
Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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