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First launched in 2010, PlayStation Plus is Sony’s subscription service which allows PlayStation users to play online multiplayer. As of March 2023, the service had over 47.4 million subscribers, a decrease from its peak of 48 million subscriptions in December 2021. In June 2022, Sony combined its PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now cloud gaming services and the revamped PlayStation Plus service now features a three-tier subscription model. The existing service became PlayStation Plus Essential, with higher priced tiers PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium adding access to downloadable and streamable gaming titles which were formerly available under PlayStation Now.

PlayStation Plus perks

As well as enabling gamers to play with their friends online, PlayStation Plus comes with several other perks. PS Plus members are given early access to upcoming games and are given discounts on PlayStation Store items. One of the biggest perks is the gift of two PlayStation 4 and one PS5 game every month. These so-called Instant Game Collection games have ranged from blockbuster games such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (PS4) and A Plague Tale: Innocence (PS5), to smaller games such as a limousine driving game, Roundabout, and Knowledge is Power, a local multiplayer quiz game. In total, PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers were offered 1,304 U.S. dollars’ worth of free video games in 2022.  

PlayStation still going strong

Announced in 2019, Sony's PlayStation 5 was released in November 2020. The PS5, along with Microsoft's Xbox Series S and Series X consoles, which were launched in the same month, are part of the ninth generation of video game consoles. Industry estimates that the PS5 will generate over 67 million unit sales by 2024. However, the rollout of the flagship console was marred by limited supply and scalpers taking advantage of the situation, driving up the price of the console for thousands of dollars in the secondary market.