Updates: We wrote in our original article on PS Plus Premium (and PS Plus Deluxe) that it’s possible Sony may have some surprises in store for its highest membership tier, but the catalog of All PS Plus Games for PS Plus Extra has refreshed today – and there are no additional games for those podding out for PS Plus Premium. That means there are zero extra PS3, PSP, PS2, or PS1 games.
As we mentioned below, Sony may see the value in PS Plus Premium as cloud streaming, but it’s clear from the comments and our own observations that many members are subscribed for the classic games. For the refreshed service to not offer any additional perks in only its second month is extremely poor. No one would accept this if PS Plus Essential effectively took a month off, which is what has happened here.
Original Articles: PS Plus Premium subscribers are understandably baffled by August 2022’s update, which doesn’t appear to include any additional benefits for members of the top-tier. While we’d argue this is another strong month from a PS Plus Extra perspective – the middle tier is clearly establishing itself as good value for money – those podding out the most cash are getting no apparent advantages this month.
Now, while we don’t think it’s likely, we still should entertain the possibility that Sony is staggering its PS Plus Premium announcements. For example, last month it added PSP puzzler Echoshift to the selection, with no prior communication of that fact. We know that Ridge Racer 2 has been added to the PS Storeand Resistance Retribution has been rated for release.
But even in the unlikely instance these titles are added to the service on 16th August, it’s clear that consumers expected the classic games catalog to expand quicker. Sony may argue that PS Plus Premium primarily exists as a means to offer cloud streaming, but judging by our own observations it seems many have subscribed on the promise of retro releases. And that’s not to speak of PS Plus Deluxe.
It’s possible that the platform holder is delaying content while it rectifies the NTSC and PAL issues it’s promised to overcome, but if that’s the case, a bit of communication with consumers wouldn’t go amiss. To be honest, the entire concept of PS Plus Premium seems confused: by the manufacturer’s logic, Yakuza Kiwami and Trials of Mana – two remakes – should be locked to the highest tier service like various other re-releases and remasters already available in the so -called Classics Catalog, but both will be included with PS Plus Extra from 16th August.
While we’re willing to give the company the benefit of the doubt until it’s found its footing with its new subscription plan, we assumed it would be quietly stockpiling content prior to launch to make the first few months as attractive as possible. That no longer looks to be the case – concerningly, Nintendo’s own highly criticised Switch Online option is doing a better job when it comes to offering a consistent flow of classic content.
Hopefully this is just a blip, and Sony is able to add value to its highest tier over time – otherwise we can see members settling for PS Plus Extra and calling it a day. Still, if you’d like to see everything currently available for PS Plus Premium, you can find a full list in our All PS Plus Games guides.