New PlayStation Plus: 3 reasons to buy on PS5 – and 1 reason not to

If you have been lucky enough to get your hands on a PS5 then you might be thinking about getting the new PlayStation Plus, the new and improved game streaming service from Sony.

Clocking in at around 700 games, the service promises to rival Xbox Game Pass and then some, especially if you like retro games (more on that later).

PS Plus – or PS+ depending on your preference – will be split into three tiers when it arrives later in June: Essential, Extra, and Premium. These get more expensive as they go up, as you might expect, with more features to boot.

In very basic terms, all three tiers offer two or more downloadable games per month alongside exclusive deals, cloud storage for game saves, and multiplayer games. The Extra and Premium tiers add more games and various other benefits.

The catalogue of games itself is good, although perhaps not as good as Xbox Game Pass, but it very much depends on what you're into and what you already own. 

So, let's jump into three reasons for PS+ and one reason against.

Reason to buy: Three tiers offers flexibility 

Not everyone is in the same place when it comes to gaming – some people spend hours per day, others spend a few moments per month – and Sony seems to have masterfully navigated this situation by offering three distinct tiers. 

As we said above, the tiers offer a sliding scale of add-ons for more money, from the basic Essential tier (two games per month, cloud storage, and so on) for £6.99/month to the top Premium tier (700+ games, cloud streaming, etc) for £13.49 per month. 

It doesn't much matter which one suits your personal preference because Sony offers all three and you can switch between them from month to month. 

By contrast, Xbox Game Pass offers essentially one tier which varies based on whether you use a PC or console. 

Reason to buy: A superb catalog of retro games 

It's worth taking a look at the PlayStation Plus games catalogue because, well, there's an awful lot of it, around 700 games and counting in total. 

But where PS Plus really shines is the PS1 and PSP classics range, including Tekken 2 and Worms Armageddon. If you're interested in playing old-time games on a brand new console, PS Plus is ideal. 

More are sure to be added over time, too, making the selection even better for anyone feeling nostalgic. 

The only downside is that you're going to need to get the PS Plus Premium tier to make full use of the PlayStation, PS2, and PSP games. 

Reason to buy: You're a diehard PS4 or PS5 user 

This one is pretty self-explanatory but if you are already locked into the PlayStation ecosystem, as so many of us are after the massive success the PS4, then getting PS+ makes a lot of sense.

It also works well with the new disc-less world we live in, letting gamers access almost infinite games (well, 700) without having to get an actual piece of hardware.

We would recommend getting a PS5 SSD to cope with the load, especially if you plan on playing newer titles that take up 50GB+ of space, but overall one of the three tiers will be ideal for you.

Reason not to buy: Xbox Game Pass offers more value

Okay, okay, not everything about PS+ is great and if you're an Xbox user (or a PC gamer) then Xbox Game Pass is the smarter choice of the two. 

The selection on PS+, while impressive in absolute terms, leaves something to be desired if you want the absolute AAA+++ games that are available – and that's a deliberate strategy from Sony. 

In fact, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has spoken about why the newest titles aren't on PS+ and the reason is that the company fears it will undercut sales. 

Fair enough, we say, but it does give Xbox Game Pass an edge for now. 

• Get the new PlayStation Plus for half price with this clever trick