With the PlayStation 5 set to arrive in just a matter of days, thousands of gamers are preparing to jump into the next generation. But some are wondering if there’s any benefit to having Sony’s PlayStation Plus service.
Those of you that owned a PlayStation 4 – or, for that matter, maybe even the PS3 and PlayStation Vita — know that there are some benefits. But for those that have forgotten – or simply need a reminder as they prep for the PlayStation 5 – we’ve decided to break down what awaits those that subscribe to the service. So let’s list some of the big features:
Free Games
So, those of you that have had the PlayStation Plus service already know that each month brings two titles that you can play on your PlayStation 4. Well, those benefits will automatically carry over to the PlayStation 5, since it’s backwards compatible with 99 percent of the PS4 library. That means you can play these titles on your shiny new system, adding them to your collection at no additional charge.
For November, we already know that Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will be offered up as freebies. However, PS5 owners will also get a game exclusively for their platform. For this month, it’ll be the quirky indie favorite Bugsnax, with more to come in the months ahead – including Destruction Allstars, which will debut sometime in February. You can see Bugsnax in action below.
These games already pay for the price of monthly admission in themselves. But there’s more where that came from when it comes to benefits.
Online Play and Benefits
Obviously, save for some free-to-play titles, you’ll need PlayStation Plus to play alongside your friends in online games. This is pretty much across the board, from Star Wars: Battlefront II to Overwatch to more current favorites like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. And with crossplay enabled for a lot of these games, you’ll want to make sure your membership is secured so you don’t miss a beat on the online action.
But there’s more where that came from. PlayStation Plus also grants about 100GB of online storage for game saves alone. That means you can carry over your progress from one console to another without missing any of the action. Which, to be honest, is rather nice if you’re trying to show off something to your friends.
Plus, along with the free games you get above, there are also discounts on other games, as well as access to special trials and demos. Sony hasn’t broken down what these will be just yet, but we should learn more shortly following the console’s launch. And the latest patches? They’ll download automatically, instead of just prompting the next time you start up your system.
The PlayStation Plus Collection
It’s great to have fresh new games each month, but it’s also nice to have a reliable game collection to turn to, and that’s where the PlayStation Plus Collection comes in. Featuring
around 20 playable PS4 favorites, fans can download and enjoy them easily. These include first- party hits like God of War and Days Gone, which are greatly enhanced on the console; as well as third-party favorites like Batman: Arkham Knight and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which should see their own technical improvements. These will be worth experiencing again, and give you something to play while you wait for the next PS5 game to download.
So there you have it. Lots of reasons to pick up a PlayStation Plus membership. Haven’t done so yet? Check this page for more details, and get that membership going!