Sony says it will continue to adjust PS Plus pricing as more players choose higher tiers
CEO Hideaki Nishino says subscribers are “increasingly choosing” higher tiers despite price increases
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s CEO says PlayStation Plus prices will continue to change, noting that subscribers continue to opt for higher tiers despite price hikes.
In its latest business segment meeting, Sony noted that in financial years 2022, 2023 and 2024, the percentage of PlayStation Plus subscribers on higher tiers has continued to grow.
“Subscribers are increasingly choosing our Premium and Extra tiers, which now represent approximately 38% of total subscribers,” SIE president and CEO Hideaki Nishino said during the presentation.
This was supported with a chart showing that while 17% of PS Plus subscribers were on the Premium tier and 13% were on Extra in FY2022, this had increased to 22% and 16% respectively by FY2024.
In a ‘Fireside Chat’ video released alongside the presentation, Nishino explained the situation further, addressing the topic of increased PlayStation Plus subscription fees.
“PlayStation Plus is highly valued by our players and continues to drive engagement,” he said. “We’re already seen a trend toward the option of higher tiers within our service, as evidenced by the subscriber mix we achieved in FY2024, where approximately 38% of players are now subscribed to PlayStation Plus Premium or Extra tiers.
“This is even after the global price increases we implemented in FY2023, and more recently, the local price increases in selected countries, to improve our pricing strategy across certain market clusters, and also to account for [foreign exchange] movements.
“These price increases were partly a result of increasing value we bring to the players, through the quality and diversity of content we continue to add, as well as investment in the features to improve the service further, such as player personalisation and enhanced content discovery.
“The PlayStation Plus service offers great value for our players, and we will continue to add more value and adjust our pricing strategy in a dynamic way to maximise profitability.”
In September 2023, Sony increased 12-month PlayStation Plus subscription prices by as much as 35% in some regions, with the Premium tier increasing from $119 / £99 per year to $159 / £119.
Defending the decision at the time, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s senior vice president and head of global marketing Eric Lempel said: “Like practically everything else in the world, we have to look at our pricing and we have to adjust to market conditions.
“I’m happy to say, unlike a lot of other subscription services out there, we haven’t touched the PlayStation Plus pricing for 85% of the world in many years. So, this was the first time we did something there.”
It wasn’t to be the last, however, as in April 2025 PS Plus prices increased again in Canada, meaning a Premium subscription that had previously cost $139 per year, and had then increased in 2023 to $189, had risen even further to $224.
