PlayStation Plus For PS4: Everything You Need To Know

Playing video games used to be so simple. You'd pop in a disc, press power, and you were good to go. Nowadays, things are a lot more complicated. Incredibly popular games/modes like Overwatch, Destiny 2, and GTA Online won't even let you play without an internet connection. And if you want to play most games online on a PS4, you'll need one other thing: a PlayStation Plus membership.

Online Gaming

PlayStation Plus is a service from Sony that lets you play multiplayer games online. If you want to play many of the biggest games on the market nowadays, there's really no way around having a subscription.

That said, it's possible to get by without one if you're cool with playing mostly offline games. You don't need PS Plus for non-gaming online activities like streaming media from services like Netflix and Spotify. And here's something you might not know: You don't even need it to play free online games like Fortnite: Battle Royale or Smite.

Free Games



Aside from online gaming, the biggest added bonus to being a PS Plus member is that you get a selection of free games to download each month. Often, some of the games are Cross-Buy, which means you can play them on more than one system, meaning PS4 owners might get three or four games in any given month.

And this point is worth driving home: many of the games Sony has given away in the past have been fantastic. From Bloodborne and Ratchet & Clank to Metal Gear Solid V and XCOM 2, you can generally count on getting high-quality freebies most months. Just don't expect any big games that came out recently.

PS Plus-Exclusive Discounts



Every Tuesday, Sony launches a new weekly sale on the PlayStation Store, with discounts on an array of select digital games. Among the sale items are deals that are either exclusive to PS Plus members or give PS Plus members an extra percentage off the sale price.

PlayStation Plus Pricing

As usual for subscriptions, the longer you commit, the better deal you get. Here's how the pricing breaks down.

14 day trial -- Free
One month -- $10
Three months -- $25
One Year -- $60