PlayStation Now Subscription Program: All The Details

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PlayStation Now Subscription Program: All The Details

You’ve been able to rent games through PlayStation Now for several months now, but many of you have asked –- what about a subscription? I’m pleased to announce that starting January 13th, we’ll launch a subscription service for PlayStation Now that will provide instant and unlimited access to a catalog of more than 100 PS3 games. And since you’re using PlayStation Now, you can enjoy the freedom to quickly discover and play a wide range of full games without downloads, installs, or patches (not to mention trips to the store). The subscription service will be available first on PS4 across North America, and will come to other PlayStation Now enabled devices in the future.

You’ll be able to choose from two subscription plans: one month for $19.99, or a three-month package for $44.99 (about $15 per month). The subscription provides access to a large and diverse catalog of PS3 games, ranging from action to RPG and everything in-between. Check out our launch trailer for a sneak peek.

PlayStation Now Subscription Program: All The Details

We know that there are many PS4 owners who never owned a PS3 or had a chance to play some of the great games it offered, and this subscription provides an easy way to catch up on games you may have missed.
Want to try before you buy? Well, good news! We’ll also offer a free seven-day trial to the subscription program when it launches.

PlayStation Now subscription will have strong and growing support from our publishing partners, and at launch you’ll find great games in your catalog from the likes of SCE Worldwide Studios, Warner Brothers, SEGA, and many others, including indie developers. Here’s a look at some of the key titles:

PlayStation Now subscription (US)

There’s strong value with the subscription, as you’re getting access to over a hundred great games and lots of hours of game time. What’s more, we will be adding even more games over time, so you will always have something great to play.

Also, to celebrate the launch of the subscription service, a free PlayStation Now theme will be available for PS4 users in early January. If you download the theme before January 31, you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing for a chance to win a one-year subscription to PlayStation Now. I hope you will give the new PlayStation Now subscription a try, and I look forward to hearing your continued feedback as we grow the service.

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686 Comments

22 Author Replies

  • I think I get why it is priced as high as it is, but it does feel steep if you are already paying for Plus. I get what you get out of the service since it means you don’t have to buy a lot of these games, but at the same time DLC is unavailable to them.

  • Wooow its way over priced. Ill probably subscribe if it was like $10.00-$15.00 a month but its good that you’re adding a subscription.

  • also, if we already own a PS1/2/3 game then that game should be streamable to other systems for FREE. We already OWN it on PSN

  • Love that you have been listening to us you’re loyal customers but its overpriced i would have gladly been purchasing 2 yearly subscription now for $50 each PS Plus of course and PS Now but you guys didn’t even mention a yearly subscription…. plus it’s way overpriced @ $45 for 3 months???…. come on really spill the beans whose bright idea was that…. #ijs

  • Alright, now we’re talking!

    So, any plans for discounts / combo pricing for the Now subscription if you have PlayStation Plus?

  • Its a good idea… but what about when you internet connection goes dodgy. I have a good virgin fibre optic connection but once in a while it goes crap. What if you are in a boss fight on a JRPG etc. Do you lose you position, will the game fauto pause until your connection sorts itself out. Plus that’s way to expensive. Ten pounds a month maybe, but nearly 20 pounds is way to much.

  • Finally, a subscription model with reasonable pricing!

    Seriously, $15~$20 a month for access to PS3 game library is great, since a lot of PS4 buyers either never owned PS3’s or missed out on some of the games before the 4 came out.

    I fondly remember 10~20 years ago at arcades spending $10 easy at coin-op games for a few hours of fun, and really, calling this pricing model overpriced should do some history.

    Nice job, Sony! Bring it to other regions!

  • Not at that ridicilous price.

  • Excellent news! Was hoping to see this type of plan implemented. NOW on my Vita gonna be sweet.

  • Well this is a disappointment. You have overpriced your rental fees, and your subscription prices. You know You can really only play one game at a time! So for the price of almost a brand new game that I would play for maybe 3 months or so, you give me the ability to play more than one??? This is including me using up a whole bunch of bandwidth? If you really wanted to be competitive you should have priced it in a way that the average gamer could not say no to the deals.

    You are not making a case for yourself at all for digital distribution. You are actually making me further consider Steam. Better prices, options, etc.

    Bad move Sony!!!

    FYI I have 2 PS3’s, 3 PS4’s, and Two Vita’s in my house! So I have the money but I would not consciously spend the money you are asking for for this service.

  • i was hoping they’d package it together with ps plus say instead of 59.99 a year make it 79.99 or 89.99 but its a start

  • Still nothing ” The legend of Dragoon ” in EU.

  • Nice! Sign me up…Price is very fair!!

  • @BernalGarcia

    Looks like your last statement says what is wrong about your accusation. This program is pretty much for people without access to a PS3 and only have a Vita, a PS4, a Sony TV, or a Sony Phone.

    This is a fantastic deal for them. I have a PS3/4/Vita but my PS3 broke and I would much rather play games on Vita while I watch Netflix or something rather. I also have the option of playing those games on my PS4, which makes it a good deal for me.

  • Overpriced, and i hope it for my psvita.

  • I like that if you do the math it’s actually a few cents more expensive to buy a multi month package than to buy a month at a time. That’s fun, that’s a fun game. I like games.

  • People who comment on blogs are dumb

  • Gamefly rent BRAND NEW games at these prices…BRAND NEW….NEW…NE…never mind any way untill they start offering rentals for ps4 games this service is pointless or even use it to demo the latest games

  • And what about a 1-year subscription??
    most people think in terms of a yearly basis.
    playstation is about 50$ a year.
    so a Playstation Now 1-year subscription should be around 70$ a year to be fair.
    And perhaps Sony should eventually make a playstation plus and playstation Now subscription bundle!

  • sony I think that you are being a bit harsh with that request expecting more money out of us for another service after alot of us gamers have already purchased a psn+ subscription already surely there must be away of offering it for next to nothing as a psn+ exclusive you seem to find it easy to do with digital versons of ps1, ps2, ps3, psp, ps vita titles though the psn store. i would understand if they were completely new to ps4 have no account or anything like that but speaking for myself I have been a member for 2 years shy of the whole of the ps3 era and had a ps2 psp and a ps1 consoles before and during that time too and to ask us all to pay more for it is like an increase on a ppv of boxing or pro wrestling and that is what I call unfair treatment to your gamers through out the world not to mention how much the console cost alone, please rethink this stratagy regarding this because you are acting like king john and the sheriff of nottingham take take take and not treat you poorest of gamers farely

  • I have to agree with Tristan77 that having to pay $220/$180 a year to play games that I’ve already purchased via digital download on the PS3 seems ridiculous. I’ve already paid up to $60 for those games and can not return or trade them in. It seems like your target price point is $180. If that is the case why not charge Plus subscribers $10.99 a month and still hit that same price point. The content of the service is severely lacking for that price point, missing PS1/PS2 and any PS3 top tier games. I will check out the service during the free 7 day trial, but unfortunately will pass on subscribing based on the comments above.

  • i Also Hope Sony will Add all The PS1 and Ps2 Classics as well as Ps4 Releases down the Road.
    if that is the case it could be worth it for a fairly priced yearly subscription.
    it would need to have every game on ps1,ps2,ps3, Psp, that has ever existed! full psvita cross play also!!

  • 20 a month is a lil too much
    8 bucks like netflix would be more sufficient

  • $45 for three months? NO WAY!

  • Looks like a collection of ps+ games over the past 3 years. I agree with others quit trying to milk gamers by charging a ridiculous amount of money for old titles or tyring to re-sell us games that no longer work on our new systems instead of offering backwards compatibility. Gamefly will rent you NEW releases for the same money this is not a service I will use or am interested in.

  • bring out some JRPG’s and anime games and im all in

  • Also (1250 character limit), money is money and you are clearly in the business to make some. I feel that your commitment to extreme pricing with this service to going to ultimately lead to its failure. If you were to adjust the pricing I fell like you could achieve more bottom line profit from this service than you are going to achieve based on the current pricing structure. Would you rather 50,000 people sign up at $180 a year or 150,000 Plus subscribers sign up at $120 a year? I think the choice is pretty clear and the success of this service depends on adjusting your current position.

  • Step in the right direction, but still too costly. Bring the price down. You’re not charging for an MMO here and those of us who have been with PS+ for years don’t seem to be getting any favors. It’s like you’re trying to justify your prices without the subscription.

    It’s about Value right? show us the value.

  • Expensive.

  • Should have been free for ps+ members.

  • As is usually the case with most games, this service would be best suited for the PlayStation VITA. It can then have access to PS1/PSP/VITA/PS3/PS4 games to be played through the device in some shape or form. Just missing those PS2 games, but I’m patient.

    As far as the pricing, this is great! I just wish it wasn’t PS4 first, cause I have no reason to use this until it’s on the VITA, or my PSTV.

    I was hoping for a longer 6/12 month buy ahead discount, or some sort of tier system for a lesser bandwidth collection of games. Obviously streaming The Last of Us and Spelunky are not in the same category of data-use, although both fantastic games.

    As this service is more accessible to all devices, iOS/Android/Windows(???)/Steambox even(???)/Linux/Smart TVs or whatever else you guys plan, just throwing it out there, this subscription will make much more sense. For the hardcore, I have a VITA, and it wants this service. I hope it comes by February, and not by Mid-April.

  • This is a bit of a joke really, none of these games were ever intended to be pay to play games and subscription payments are not worth paying for old content most of us have already payed for the first time around. I think Sony should have just released all the ps3 games avalable in a small pay to upgrade system. This would mean a small payment of say a 5er to get access to ps3 games you have already previously owned but wish to play on the next gen.

  • Great idea. How about we can to stream games that we already bought from PSN. That would make playstation now the best service. As it stands now I wouldn’t download. I prefer to buy my games. Great option for those that prefer a subscription though.

  • As others have said, I think $15 is a fairer base price, with discounts for multiple month subscriptions.

  • $229.95 a year for 12 months of PS Plus & PS Now…that’s a lot to handle for many gamers.

    Sony you really should look into at least two more pricing models, the first being a yearly subscription to PS Now, with a even greater discount for those that take that route, or offer a further discount to PS Plus subscribers to promote both services.

    Or better yet, market it as something unique unto itself.

    Introducing…

    The PlayStation Ultimate Gaming Annual Access Pass. $149.99 (or other feasible pricing) for a 12 month subscription, includes a full 12 month subscription to PS Now and PS Plus.

  • Love that this is a subscription based service! I can’t wait to see what PS2 and PS One titles will be added, too. Fingers crossed for Skyrim, BioShock and Mass Effect series, too!

  • This alienates the hardcore, it is not a good value for people who may hesitate based on the fact that they own the majority of the games already. I would offer a significantly discounted yearly subscription of 80-100, to secure a wealthy load of people that will pay and rarely play.

  • Awesome! I do have 1 question. Without a subscription, can we use PS Now to play our PS3 digital games we own? My house was broken into and my PS3 was stolen =( and now I only have a PS4 which my insurance replaced so I’m hopeful I can get back to Platinumin’ Ni Nu Kuni! =)

  • Let us play the games we already own digitally on PS3 for free…

  • to all you ppl saying that its overpriced get a clue. Anywhere you go it’s at least 1$ a day to rent a game and this is .75 a day to access hundreds of games. “Oh but gamefly is cheaper derp” and gamefly’s catalog isn’t downloadable and if you feel like switching you get to wait about 4 days just to get your new one.

  • I hope there is a decent discount for PS Plus subscribers (10% to 20% off) for these PS Now subscriptions at least.
    The subscription prices for PS Now is a little bit steep.

  • As a few others have said, I’d be happy to pay a smaller fee for streaming access to my existing digital library. I have over 120 digital PS3 games in my backlog. I would pay $5 to $8 a month for the convenience of streaming them on my Vita (and to a lesser extent, my PS4). I don’t think I would pay for the full library, as there are too many games I already own and haven’t played and not enough that I want but don’t own to justify the cost.

  • Yay! <3 Yay! <3 Yay! :3

  • The better deal is the $45 for 3 months. I will def sign up once its available for Vita and PS TV. Wondering if all games on PS Now will be available to play? Finally Bioshock on the the Vita in some form LOL.

  • JibJab, I see where you’re coming from, but if I’m understanding this properly, PlayStation Now operates via a stream rather than a download. This method requires computing to be conducted on Sony’s end. It’s more costly than simply maintaining servers for digital downloads.

    I’m curious to know how much profit Sony is drawing from this. On a consumer level, $15 a month for access to full games is not bad. Compare that against buying one game every four months (although, admittedly, you would own that game permanently). Another point to ponder would be if this is to be applied to the current generation of games, would online access be included or separate?

  • Glad to see the subscription model, disappointed in the pricing. Paying for this on top of a PSN subscription is not going to happen from me. A flat 9.99 would be more tolerable.

  • Really just wanna be able to play ALL my PSN purchased digital titles ( like PS1 classics, and PS3 “arcade” games) on PS4 like we could on PS3.

  • How about $59.99 for 6 months? I’d go for that one.
    For those wanting this on Vita, it’s already there.

  • Please bring Demon’s Souls to PSNOW!!!

  • Now I feel this is worth it!

    I’ll try it. My connection is all wired and the connection tests always passed.

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