PlayStation Plus Premium/Extra Has Only Half The Subscribers Of Game Pass

Sony has revealed in its 2023 Business Segment that the Premium and Extra tiers of PlayStation Plus collectively have 14.1 million subscribers. This accounts for 30% of all the users on the service, with the pricier Premium tier having more subscribers than Extra. However, the more costly tiers still have a long way to go before they reach the Xbox Game Pass, as it currently has less than half of its 29 million users count.

As per the documents of the 2023 Business Meeting, PlayStation Plus has 47.4 million Subscribers as of March 2023. The Premium and Extra tiers, first introduced in May 2022, account for a decent 30% of these users. More specifically, 8 million of the PS Plus subscribers are enrolled in the Premium tier, which accounts for roughly 17%. Hence, the more costly PlayStation Plus tier at $119.99 has more consumers buying it.

On the other hand, the less pricey of the higher tiers, PS Plus Extra, has 6.1 million subscribers. This accounts for 13% of the 47 million plus players using any PlayStation tier. Costing $99.99 yearly and $14.99 monthly, Extra is the less expensive of the higher tiers. But, for some reason, it has fewer subscribers than PlayStation Plus Premium. However, collectively both of these tiers have amassed 14.1 million users, which is a great feat.

Sony only introduced these tiers to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in May of 2022. Therefore, in only 10 months, these new variations of the subscription service have increased PS Plus users by 30%. Unsurprisingly, this means that PS Plus Essential, the most basic tier of the service, has 33 million subscribers. Considering how it has been around for much longer, Essential having the most users isn’t a shock.

Even with this competent performance, the more costly PS Plus tiers are still behind Xbox Game Pass. When you compare the Premium and Extra PlayStation Plus tiers to the Microsoft service, it only has half of its subscriber count. As per the latest reports, the Xbox Game Pass has over 29 million subscribers. Obviously, Microsoft’s last official update only puts it as 25 million, but considering that was over a year ago, the new number makes more sense.

Whatever the case, PlayStation Plus’ more costly tiers, which directly compete with Game Pass, are far behind it. No doubt, they have been only out for under a year while the Microsoft service is enjoying its fifth year. But, as Sony itself said, the PlayStation Plus is still trailing the Xbox Game Pass by some margin. The availability of the Xbox service on more than one platform is also undoubtedly a major factor.

But, compared to Game Pass, PlayStation Plus also lacks content on any of its tiers. Obviously, both of the gaming giants have different subscription strategies with Microsoft putting more emphasis on its service. The American company’s possible acquisition of Activision Blizzard also works to add value to the Xbox Game Pass. Hence, only time will tell if PlayStation Plus ever overtakes its competitor or stays behind in this valuable facet.