Rumor mill: Netflix-style gaming may be coming to the PlayStation 5 next year. News has leaked that Sony plans to merge PlayStation Plus and PS Now subscriptions into ane service. The move could be an effort to get more competitive with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

In an apparent attempt to compete with Xbox Game Laissez passer, Sony plans to launch a similar subscription service next yr. Co-ordinate to anonymous PlayStation insiders speaking with Bloomberg, the service, codenamed "Spartacus," volition bundle PlayStation Plus with PS Now.

Currently, the 2 services offer dissimilar features. PlayStation Plus is $threescore per twelvemonth (or $9 per month) and gives subscribers discounts, and a collection of free games with at to the lowest degree ii new titles added every month. Information technology likewise allows online multiplayer gaming.

Sony's PS Now is its cloud gaming service with the same rates equally PlayStation Plus. It was first launched in 2022 with game streaming as its only option and at the time playing from the deject, fifty-fifty with a very high-speed connection, was hardly worth the subscription price. Since then, Sony has vastly improved the streaming quality and recently added an option to download and play games natively.

Current PlayStation Plus and PS Now plans.

Under Spartacus, subscribers can pay one subscription fee for all services. It will essentially give PS4 and PS5 owners:

  • Access to online multiplayer
  • A curated option of complimentary PS4 games
  • New gratis titles offered every month
  • Admission to hundreds of games from all past PlayStation consoles (read: multigenerational backward compatibility)

Leaked documents signal that Spartacus volition launch in Bound 2022 while keeping the PlayStation Plus name and phasing out PS Now branding. Although pricing was not available, the service will have three subscription tiers.

The lowest-priced subscription would be the same benefits that PlayStation Plus offers now. The center tier adds an extensive on-demand library of PS4 games, with PS5 titles eventually making their way into the mix. The premium programme (Spartacus) is all of the previous benefits plus game streaming and downloading of PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP titles.

How Sony decides to toll the service will decide whether it'south an attractive offer comparable to Game Pass. For reference, Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions run $xv per month with no annual option, and so $180 per year. If yous are currently on yearly plans for PS+ and PS Now, y'all're paying $120. It will be interesting to see if Sony jacks its top tier up to $180 per year.

But hold off your excitement until Sony officially announces something. Anything tin can happen between now and next spring.