PlayStation Plus Price Increase Announced for New Members Starting May 20

by

This article first appeared on Game Empress. For more gaming news, visit gameempress.com.

Starting May 20, 2026, Sony will be increasing the price of PlayStation Plus for new subscribers in certain areas. The price changes will mainly affect shorter-term subscriptions: a one-month plan will cost $10.99 (or €9.99 / £7.99), and a three-month plan will start at $27.99 (or €27.99 / £21.99).

The company explained the change was due to current market challenges. Most existing subscribers won’t be impacted, as long as their subscriptions remain active. However, Sony noted that customers in Turkey and India will be affected.

Let’s start with the most important thing: does this change impact you? If you already have a subscription and you’re not in Turkey or India, then no – not unless your subscription ends or you decide to switch to a different plan.

What Is Changing and What Is Not

The confirmed increase covers two plan lengths only.

Plan Old price New price from May 20 Change
1 month $9.99 / €8.99 / £6.99 $10.99 / €9.99 / £7.99 +$1 / +€1 / +£1
3 months $24.99 / €24.99 / £19.99 $27.99 / €27.99 / £21.99 +$3 / +€3 / +£2
12 months No increase announced No increase announced No announced change

Sony hasn’t made any changes to its annual PlayStation Plus subscriptions. It’s currently unknown if the Extra and Premium tiers will be impacted beyond what Sony has already announced. Reports indicate Sony’s recent statement only addressed the one-month and three-month plans, and this article will stick to those confirmed details.

Here’s how this affects you: If you have a yearly PlayStation Plus subscription outside of Turkey and India, your current price won’t change. If you’re on a monthly plan and your subscription ends after May 20th, you’ll be charged the new price when you renew.

Who Is Affected

Sony’s recent announcement uses very specific language, so it’s important to read it closely. The price increase only affects new customers in certain areas. However, Sony hasn’t yet said exactly which regions are impacted, which is a significant omission.

Most existing subscribers will keep their current price, but there are a couple of exceptions. If you’re in Turkey or India, Sony has stated that the new pricing will apply to your subscription, even if you’re already a subscriber.

If you live outside of Turkey and India and are already a subscriber, your current price won’t change unless your subscription ends or you switch to a different plan. If you cancel your monthly subscription and then resubscribe after May 20th, you’ll be charged the new price. Similarly, changing from a three-month plan to a monthly plan after May 20th will also update your rate to the new price.

If you’re already a subscriber and want to keep your current price, simply don’t let your subscription expire and stick with your current plan length. If you were considering switching to an annual plan, it might still be worth it, as Sony hasn’t announced any price increases for annual subscriptions.

Why Sony Is Raising Prices

Sony explains this decision by pointing to “ongoing market conditions,” a reason they also used when they increased PS5 prices earlier in 2026. Back in March, Sony raised the price of the standard PS5 to $649.99, the PS5 Digital Edition to $599.99, and the PS5 Pro to $899.99 in the US, citing economic pressures. At the same time, Sony has been encouraging players with older PS4 consoles to upgrade to the PS5.

The recent price increase for PlayStation Plus is similar to previous ones, but affects fewer options. They’ve raised the prices for shorter subscriptions, but left the yearly plans at the same cost. This makes the annual subscriptions a better value than paying monthly.

As a PlayStation fan, I remember when Sony changed up PS Plus back in 2022, introducing the Essential, Extra, and Premium tiers. This new price hike isn’t changing those tiers though, it’s just making it more expensive if you want to pay for a shorter amount of time. It’s not a total overhaul like last time, just a price increase for those of us who prefer monthly or quarterly subscriptions.

What Sony Has Not Confirmed

Our research revealed some unclear points from Sony, and it’s best to address them directly instead of speculating.

Sony hasn’t revealed all the countries impacted by the recent changes. They’ve only stated that “select regions” will be affected, with Turkey and India being the only ones specifically excluded from the new pricing rules. If you don’t live in the US, UK, or Eurozone, it’s currently unclear how these changes will affect your subscription price until Sony releases more information.

Sony has only announced price increases for the Essential plan so far. It’s unclear if the Extra and Premium plans will also become more expensive, as Sony hasn’t confirmed that information yet.

Sony hasn’t said anything about raising prices this year. While that doesn’t rule it out completely, there’s been no official announcement, and we won’t be guessing about potential price increases in this article.

We’re adjusting prices for new PlayStation Plus members on our shorter-term subscription plans. Current members in most areas won’t be affected – your current price will stay the same as long as your subscription remains active and you don’t switch plans before May 20th.

If you’re considering switching from a monthly to a yearly subscription, now’s a good time. The yearly plan’s price won’t be going up, and you’ll actually pay a lower monthly rate compared to continuing with the month-to-month option.

Okay, so I was a little worried when I heard about the price changes, but it sounds like it’s not that bad. Basically, Sony’s bumped up the price of shorter-term subscriptions by a couple of bucks, depending on where you are and what plan you’re on. Luckily, they haven’t messed with the annual plans, and if you’re already a subscriber, you’re mostly safe for now. They’re saying it’s just due to what’s going on in the market, so hopefully it won’t be a permanent thing!

Read More

2026-05-19 11:59