Sony increases prices for PlayStation Plus

Sony is increasing the prices for PlayStation Plus on May 20, 2026. New customers will pay more for 1- and 3-month subscriptions. A look at all the plans and their impact.

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Mark Tomson
Managing Director of PlayFront. Mark Tomson shapes the vision of independent PlayStation reporting. His focus: technical analysis, hardware evolution, and the strategic positioning of the gaming industry. He stands for...

Sony Interactive Entertainment is raising prices for PlayStation Plus in select regions for new customers. From May 20, 2026, the one-month subscription will cost $10,99 / €9,99 / £7,79, while the three-month subscription will increase to $27,99 / €27,99 / £21,99.

The price increase is exactly one euro per month for the short-term contract and three euros for the three-month option. The Japanese electronics company justifies the move with "ongoing market conditions." Rates for existing customers will remain stable as long as their current subscription is not changed or expires. The only exceptions are Turkey and India, where the increase also applies to existing contracts.

Hardware and subscriptions are following the same upward trend.

The price adjustment fits seamlessly into Sony’s recent strategy. Back in April 2026, the company had alreadyraised hardware prices for the PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro, while the actual content offering continues to bescaled back to a minimum.

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PlayStation Plus prices (new customers from May 20th)

  • 1 month: Before €8,99 -> After €9,99
  • 3 months: Before €24,99 -> After €27,99
  • Annual subscription: No changes announced (prices will remain stable for now)

This makes entering the ecosystem more expensive across all channels. Those paying monthly will already be paying more. Annualized, the monthly payment under the new tariff amounts to almost €120. For new customers, opting for an annual subscription, which remains unaffected by this increase for now, becomes the only economically viable option.

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Those with an active subscription won’t have to pay more for now. The catch is in the details: anyone who cancels their current membership, even temporarily, will automatically be moved to the new, more expensive pricing model when resubscribing. New customers and returning users only have until May 20 to lock in the old pricing. This matters especially for players who want access to online multiplayer, as it will continue to remain locked behind the PlayStation Plus paywall.

The price increase is noticeable as a percentage, but initially only affects new customers and those paying monthly. This price hike underscores Sony's aggressive approach in the services sector, following the recent hardware price increases. Those who use the PlayStation platform extensively will find it increasingly difficult to avoid annual payments in order to minimize ongoing costs.

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SOURCES:Sony
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Maik Leuschel
22. May 2026 11: 39

Why all the complaining? Are you all new Sony customers?

Screw the 2,3 euros, you only play the same games anyway.

Jens Müller
19. May 2026 23: 32

I keep wondering how Epic, Steam, and others manage to offer free games and allow online play without forcing people into a subscription.

Booker dewitt
19. May 2026 02: 48

Sony should make it cheaper again; they have enough money.

Christian Szybalski
18. May 2026 22: 10

Sony wants to retain its customers long-term. Those who take out an annual subscription naturally save money, and the price increase means even more savings.

Jan Vollenbröker
18. May 2026 18: 50

Oh, how lucky I was to have signed up for PS Plus back then for €60 a year, five years in advance. I don't have to pay the full €72 until July 5th, 4.7.2027... well... I thought ahead...

Andi Wand
19. May 2026 08: 33

Jan Vollenbröker, buying credit online already saves you money. I've never paid full price. 😅

Tepper Mark
18. May 2026 18: 13

Will this now trigger the same shitstorm as with Microsoft? And all for PS Plus, which practically never includes a current blockbuster game.

Cyfer Lockhart
18. May 2026 18: 38
Reply to  Tepper Mark

Tepper Mark, you should do some more research. Since when does PS Plus have "current" blockbuster games? 🤣

It has never been like that and it never will be.

Tepper Mark
18. May 2026 18: 42
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

That's exactly what I said.

Jan Vollenbröker
18. May 2026 18: 47
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

Cifer Lockhart… I think he's referring to the comparison with Xbox Game Pass… yes, there are regularly new blockbusters added there.

Cyfer Lockhart
18. May 2026 18: 54
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

Tepper Mark misunderstood, sorry😅🫡

Tepper Mark
18. May 2026 19: 00
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

No problem. 😊

Mirco Sudwischer
18. May 2026 21: 32
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

Jan Vollenbröker, but he also costs €21 per month.

Dino Antonio Manganelli
21. May 2026 09: 24
Reply to  Tepper Mark

Tepper Mark, by how much € was the GP initially increased before they reversed course?

Tepper Mark
21. May 2026 09: 28

Dino Antonio Manganelli: It doesn't matter at all. When I look at the content of PS Plus Premium and Game Pass Ultimate, which cost practically the same before the price increase, then the increase for Game Pass was perfectly justified. I would have paid the 27 euros without hesitation. I still don't have PS Plus because there's nothing in it that would justify the price.

Dino Antonio Manganelli
21. May 2026 09: 59

Tepper Mark: They lowered the price of the Ultimate Pass from €27 to €21 because subscription numbers plummeted. But in return, they canceled the very Day 1 releases that were the main selling point for many; future Call of Duty titles will now be removed from the Day 1 lineup and will only be released a year later.
This perfectly illustrates that even Microsoft can't simply cross-subsidize the exorbitant costs of current blockbusters through a cheap subscription model without drastically cutting back on service. Exactly what Sony has been saying from the beginning.

Tepper Mark
21. May 2026 10: 03

Dino Antonio Manganelli: I even wrote 27 euros. That was the original price increase. And compared to what PS Plus offers, the price would have been perfectly fine. For how many Game Pass users out there was CoD supposed to be THE deciding factor? And CoD is the only Day One title that's being dropped. I personally don't play CoD because it's always the same garbage. And yet I would have paid the 27. Okay, I only pay 15 anyway, but it would have been worth those 27 euros to me. Basically, I only have to play through three full-price games a year to recoup the cost. I can do that easily. Not to mention that I also play tons of indie titles, almost all of which are included on Day One. And I'm talking about top-tier games like Silksong, Hades 2, etc.

Dino Antonio Manganelli
21. May 2026 10: 15

Tepper Mark: For the mass market, the loss of Call of Duty Day 1 is a huge blow. Microsoft didn't buy Activision for almost 70 billion for nothing; it was their absolute star attraction.
When you factor in €27 per month (almost €324 per year), the argument "I'll just play three full-price games" hardly holds water for most people anymore, especially when you can count the number of true day-one mega-hits from Microsoft itself on one hand. That's precisely why they had to lower the price again now, because they were losing subscribers.

Tepper Mark
21. May 2026 11: 01

Dino Antonio Manganelli: The subscribers left because they didn't understand that the price only applied to new customers and they themselves weren't affected at all. Just plain stupidity. And no, CoD was NEVER the main draw. Game Pass didn't gain significantly more subscribers from the Activision acquisition than it already had. Therefore, that argument doesn't hold water. Game Pass has its subscriber count because people see what value they're getting for their money. Sorry, but if CoD is the deciding factor, then even €15 a month is too expensive, since I can just buy the game for €80 and be done with it. Nobody buys CoD just to play the campaign once. That's just a minor bonus these days. Hardcore CoD fans almost exclusively play multiplayer.
To claim that CoD is THE flagship title is simply wrong.
And Microsoft didn't buy Activision Blizzard to dump CoD on Game Pass, but because it's still a money-printing machine. THAT was the reason.

Dino Antonio Manganelli
21. May 2026 11: 14

Tepper Mark's claim that existing customers are generally protected and everyone else is just "too stupid" is simply untrue. I myself am still paying €11,99 due to a lucky system error in my billing, but that's a very rare exception. Anyone who has Game Pass running directly through Microsoft receives an email when there's a price increase. If they don't actively cancel their subscription, they automatically agree to the new terms and conditions and pay the higher price from the effective date. Microsoft enforces this ruthlessly for the vast majority of users.
And with CoD, your own logic completely contradicts itself: Precisely BECAUSE hardcore fans almost exclusively play multiplayer, the Day 1 integration in the Ultimate plan was such a huge selling point. You need a subscription for online multiplayer on Xbox anyway. If the game is included right away, this huge community saves itself the €80 purchase at launch.
The idea that CoD isn't a major draw is pure wishful thinking. Microsoft didn't buy Activision for almost $70 billion because they wanted Candy Crush, but to boost subscriptions with the world's biggest shooter franchise. If that very argument is now faltering due to costs, it's a huge deal for the market. It doesn't matter how much you personally try to rationalize it. 🤷

Tepper Mark
21. May 2026 11: 46

Dino Antonio Manganelli: Immediately after the price increase, Microsoft sent an email stating that the price for existing customers would NOT change. This has nothing to do with a system error; it's a fact. You're seeing the same thing with Sony now. Only new customers are affected by the increase.
I already said that Microsoft bought Activision partly because of Call of Duty. But not to sell it off cheaply on Game Pass. If Call of Duty is so crucial to Game Pass, how do you explain the fact that subscription numbers haven't increased significantly since the purchase of Activision Blizzard? I don't need to sugarcoat it, since I don't play Call of Duty at all. For me, Game Pass has immense value. And it probably does for millions of others as well, otherwise the subscription numbers wouldn't have been huge even before the purchase.

And you completely missed my point. No hardcore CoD fan is going to pay for Game Pass annually just to play CoD. In that case, buying it for €80 is significantly cheaper. And anyone who only wants to play the campaign can get Game Pass for a month. But practically no one buys CoD just for the campaign anymore.

Cyfer Lockhart
18. May 2026 17: 54

Marc Schmidt, yeah, 1 euro, that's so crazy, it was clear you couldn't afford that anymore 🤣👍

Mark Schmidt
19. May 2026 15: 38
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

Cifer Lockhart, why do you have to justify your price increase number 10 again? 😂

Cyfer Lockhart
19. May 2026 16: 05
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

Marc Schmidt, all right, like a little idiot answering, you can do that, come on, I don't discuss things with such intellectual lightweights like you 🤣🖕

Cyfer Lockhart
18. May 2026 17: 53

God, what stupid comments again! 🤣

Annual subscription remains the same, 1 month 1 euro more, 3 months 2 euros more….

Wow, that's a crazy price increase! 🤣

Timo Schwabe
18. May 2026 17: 38

I haven't participated for a long time... The value is simply too low for me.

Jan Vollenbröker
18. May 2026 18: 53
Reply to  Timo Schwabe

Timo Schwabe… that's right. I only used it for cloud saves back then too… the three free games per month are mostly garbage. It's all stuff that's been languishing in the store for years because nobody wants it. Cloud streaming? What's that?

Patrick Sonntag
18. May 2026 19: 09
Reply to  Timo Schwabe

Timo Schwabe: But Saros seems to have impressed you, even though it offers little value for €80 🌝

Timo Schwabe
19. May 2026 04: 09

Patrick Sonntag I only paid 50 😄

Markus Bugi
19. May 2026 04: 50
Reply to  Timo Schwabe

Timo Schwabe, it's working. I've already found one or two really great indie games in the premium subscription. I'm currently playing A Space for the Unbound from the subscription.
Yes, it's not cheap. Everyone should decide for themselves. ☺️✌️

Thoralf Jackowski
18. May 2026 17: 14

Enough is enough, Sony. How much more expensive can they be?

Cyfer Lockhart
18. May 2026 17: 54

Thoralf Jackowski, woah, 1 euro for the monthly subscription while the annual subscription stays the same 🤣
sO lOGsAm rEiChT eS sönY🤣

Cyfer Lockhart
18. May 2026 19: 43
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

Thoralf Jackowski, can't you think of anything else, lad? 🤣

Your poverty 🤮 makes me cringe, go collect deposit bottles 🤣🖕

Cyfer Lockhart
19. May 2026 13: 04
Reply to  Cyfer Lockhart

Dævíð Ønðz, go collect deposit bottles, then you'll get your euro, you laughingstock 🤣

Shane Rocky Berger
18. May 2026 19: 54

Thoralf Jackowski: Everything is getting more expensive. And Sony has to pay for servers and so on. Sure, it's annoying, but that's just how it is. And unlike Xbox, Sony isn't overdoing it. Even though Xbox has lowered its prices again recently. But anyone who isn't willing to pay these prices anymore can simply choose not to. No one is forcing them. And no, the argument that you have to play multiplayer games... No, you don't have to play multiplayer games.

Daniel Siebert
19. May 2026 07: 03

Thoralf Jackowski, seriously? You're whining over a single euro? Especially since the annual subscription price remains the same. This is just meant to encourage people to potentially sign up for a longer subscription because the savings are simply greater. In my opinion, the one-euro increase is more symbolic than anything else.

But to make a fuss about it now is really inappropriate. If it fails over one euro, that's not Sony's problem.