PS Plus Essential vs Extra vs Premium: which tier is right for you?
PS Plus has three tiers, each including everything in the one below. Essential covers online play and Monthly Games, Extra adds the Game Catalog, and Premium adds Classics and Game Trials.
PlayStation Plus comes in three tiers: Essential, Extra and Premium. Each tier includes everything in the one below and adds more on top. PS Plus's November games unlock today too, so it's a good day to work out which tier you actually need.
Essential: the base membership
According to Sony's PS Plus page, Essential includes:
- Monthly Games: games you can add to your library each month. November brings Dead Island 2, Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered and Monster Train 2; details are in this article.
- Online multiplayer: needed for the multiplayer modes of paid games. Free-to-play games don't need PS Plus to play online.
- Exclusive discounts and exclusive content.
- Cloud storage for your game saves.
- Share Play: share your game with a friend online.
If you mostly play online and a few games a month are enough, Essential is all you need.
Extra: the Game Catalog
Everything in Essential, plus:
- Game Catalog: a large library of PS5 and PS4 games. You can download and play them while your membership lasts; games leave the catalog from time to time and new ones are added.
- Ubisoft+ Classics: a selection of Ubisoft games.
If you like trying several different games a month, Extra makes more sense.
Premium: Classics, trials and the cloud
Everything in Extra, plus:
- Classics Catalog: games from earlier PlayStation generations.
- Game Trials: try some games for a limited time before buying.
- Sony Pictures Catalog: a selection of films.
- Cloud streaming: play without downloading. Sony notes that this is not available in some territories.
What each tier includes can vary by country; check the PS Plus page for your country.
A note on PS4 games
Sony says that from January 2026, PS4 games are added to the Game Catalog and Monthly Games only occasionally. Keep that in mind if you play on PS4.
Buying a membership code
- The code's region must match your PlayStation account. Our gift card region article explains why.
- Membership codes are redeemed in the Redeem Code section of the PlayStation Store; the steps are in our PlayStation gift card guide.
- If you'd rather buy the membership in the store, you can add balance with a PlayStation gift card.
Membership codes for your account are on our PlayStation Plus page, and every card is on the gift cards page.
Source: PlayStation: PlayStation Plus. Tier contents are as listed on Sony's page; if Sony changes them, we will update this article.