PS Plus Just Got Pricier — It's Time for a Gaming Subscription Audit

On 20 May 2026, Sony quietly raised PlayStation Plus prices for new and returning subscribers. No big announcement, no fanfare — just a slightly larger number on your next billing statement. If your household has more than one console, this is a good moment to look at the total picture, because gaming subscriptions have crept up to rival streaming in monthly spend for many families.

What Sony Just Changed

The price hike affects all three PS Plus tiers — Essential, Extra, and Premium — on the 1-month and 3-month plans. The Essential tier now costs £7.99/month (up from £6.99) in the UK, or €9.99/month in Europe. The 12-month plans are untouched for now, which is a hint worth taking.

The reason Sony gave was "ongoing market conditions" — the same vague phrase that Netflix and YouTube Premium have used recently. There is no detailed explanation, and there probably won't be one.

Existing subscribers keep their old price as long as they don't let their subscription lapse. If you cancel and come back, you'll pay the new rate.

The Full Gaming Subscription Map for Families

Here is what a typical family with multiple consoles is looking at in 2026:

One parent on PS Plus Extra and one child on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate already puts you at roughly £35/month before you touch Nintendo or Apple. Add a Switch Online family plan (excellent value at £36/year for the whole family) and you're looking at close to £500 a year for gaming access alone.

That is, for many families, more than their combined streaming spend.

What's Actually Worth Keeping

A few things stand out when you lay these out side by side.

Nintendo Switch Online is the clear value winner. The family plan covers up to eight Nintendo Accounts for £35.99 a year — that's under £4.50 a month for everyone in the household. If you own a Switch, the annual family plan is a no-brainer.

Xbox Game Pass actually got cheaper. Microsoft dropped Game Pass Ultimate to €20.99/month in April 2026, down about 22% from its previous price. For the depth of the library — including day-one releases — that is a better deal than it looks compared to PS Plus Extra or Premium at monthly rates.

PS Plus rewards annual subscribers. With monthly prices rising, the 12-month plan becomes even more attractive if you plan to keep it. Switching from monthly to annual PS Plus saves around £35–40 a year at current prices.

Apple Arcade is easy to forget. It is often bundled into Apple One or picked up during a free trial and never cancelled. If no one in the family is actively using it, this is a quick saving.

How to Run the Audit

Start by listing every gaming subscription in your household — not just the ones you actively use, but every one you pay for. Include any that came bundled with hardware or were auto-renewed after a free trial.

Then ask three questions for each:

1. Who uses it, and how often? If it's one person playing occasionally, a monthly plan may be cheaper than an annual. If it's daily family use, annual is almost always better.
2. Is this overlapping with something else? PS Plus Extra and Xbox Game Pass both include a rotating catalogue of free games. You rarely need both.
3. Am I on the most expensive billing cycle? Monthly plans are the highest per-unit cost. If you are keeping a subscription, switch to annual.

SubManager's spending breakdown will show you exactly what gaming subscriptions are active, what each one costs, and when they renew — so you can make these decisions with real numbers rather than rough guesses. The renewal alert (set it for 14 days before the annual plan rolls over) gives you time to act before you're charged for another year.

One More Thing to Watch

Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack tier will see a price increase in September 2026. If you are on that plan, you have a few months to decide whether it is still worth it before the new rate kicks in. Set a reminder now so you are not caught off guard.

A Good Problem to Have

Gaming is one of the places where the "family plan" model genuinely works in your favour — Nintendo's family plan in particular is priced to make individual subscriptions feel wasteful. The issue is not that gaming subscriptions are bad value. It is that they compound quietly, and a family running three consoles can easily end up paying for access they are not fully using.

A 20-minute audit today, before summer kicks in and gaming time increases, is worth doing. You might find you are paying for exactly the right things. Or you might find a couple of quick wins.