The short answer is no, there are currently no free 1 month trials for any of the PlayStation Plus tiers. However, PS Plus deals are available that can lower the cost for 1 month of access.
PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) is Sony‘s premium subscription service that unlocks a variety of benefits for PS4 and PS5 gamers. With the recent overhaul of PS Plus, there are now three membership tiers available, each with their own monthly price.
Many gamers interested in trying out PS Plus often wonder – can I get 1 month for free? Especially with the more expensive Premium and Extra tiers, being able to test them out first with a free trial month would be ideal.
In this detailed guide, I’ll cover everything you need to know about getting 1 month free PS Plus, including:
- Why free trials were removed
- How much 1 month costs for each tier
- Tips for discounts on monthly memberships
- What happens when your membership expires
- And much more!
By the end, you‘ll have a complete understanding of how PS Plus memberships work, allowing you to maximize your savings. Time to dive in!
A Quick Refresher – What is PlayStation Plus?
For those unfamiliar, PlayStation Plus is Sony’s premium online service that provides a bunch of useful benefits, including:
- Online multiplayer – PS Plus is required for multiplayer gaming on PS4 and PS5.
- Free monthly games – Download 2-3 free games every month to play as long as you’re a member.
- Exclusive discounts – PS Plus members get special sales and discounts not available to regular users.
- Cloud game saves – Online storage for your game save files.
- Share Play – Stream your gameplay to let friends watch or even try playing your games.
There are also some great bonus perks like access to the PlayStation Plus Collection on PS5 which gives you titles like God of War and Uncharted 4.
Now, let’s take a quick look at what‘s included with each of the new PlayStation Plus tiers:
PlayStation Plus Essential
- Online multiplayer
- 2 monthly downloadable games
- Exclusive discounts
- Cloud storage
- Share Play
Price: $9.99/month
This tier offers the same benefits as the original PlayStation Plus.
PlayStation Plus Extra
- All Essential tier benefits
- Game catalog of 400+ PS4 and PS5 titles
Price: $14.99/month
A step up from Essential, this mid-tier option adds access to a library of downloadable games.
PlayStation Plus Premium
- All Extra tier benefits
- 340+ additional PS1, PS2, PSP games
- Time-limited game trials
- Streaming access for classic games
Price: $17.99/month
The highest tier, Premium offers an extensive catalog of classic PlayStation titles along with time-limited game trials.
Now that you know what each PlayStation Plus tier includes, let‘s get into the important details on how to maximize your membership value.
Why Were Free Trials Removed for PlayStation Plus?
First, it’s important to clear up why free trials are no longer offered for any of the PS Plus tiers.
Previously, Sony provided 7-day free trials for new subscribers to test out PS Plus. When the revamped PS Plus tiers launched earlier this year, the Extra and Premium levels also came with 1-week trials.
However, in September 2022 Sony decided to remove all free trials across the PS Plus service.
According to gaming industry reports, this decision came in response to players exploiting the free trial system. Some users were repeatedly creating new accounts to get continuous 1-week access to PS Plus for free.
To combat this abuse, Sony eliminated free trials for all new subscribers. The only exception is rare promotions in certain regions that may bring back free trials for a short period.
But as of now, there is no way to get 1 month free PS Plus in the US or most countries. This applies to all three tiers – Essential, Extra, and Premium. Free trials are gone and standard pricing applies if you want to gain access.
I know this is disappointing if you were hoping to test out the PlayStation Plus improvements risk-free. But unfortunately, that is no longer possible due to people misusing the trial system.
On the bright side, there are still some great ways to save on a 1 month membership which I’ll explain shortly.
How Much Does 1 Month of PS Plus Cost?
With no option for a free trial, how much will you have to pay if you want PS Plus for just 1 month? Here‘s a quick breakdown:
- PlayStation Plus Essential: $9.99 per month
- PlayStation Plus Extra: $14.99 per month
- PlayStation Plus Premium: $17.99 per month
These are the standard monthly prices across most regions for each tier. Occasionally, you may find small variations in certain countries and currencies.
For a limited time access, the cheapest option is naturally the Essential tier at $9.99. However, you won’t get any game downloads or access to the 400+ title PS Plus catalog offered on the Extra and Premium tiers.
Here is a chart summarizing the key differences in monthly pricing across the PS Plus options:
| PlayStation Plus Tier | Monthly Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Essential | $9.99 |
| Extra | $14.99 |
| Premium | $17.99 |
As you can see, PlayStation Plus Premium is the priciest choice at nearly $18 for only 1 month. But for serious gamers, the huge vault of classic PS titles and ability to try new games may be worth the cost.
The Extra tier sits in the middle at $15 monthly, adding a Netflix-style game catalog to the Essential benefits. Think of Extra as the "middle ground" option.
Now let‘s go over some tips to hopefully save on these 1 month prices.
Tips for Discounts on 1 Month of PS Plus
Since free PS Plus trials are no longer an option, your next best bet is to find discounts on a 1 month membership.
Here are 5 handy tips and tricks I recommend using:
1. Check for Limited-Time Promotions
Every so often, Sony runs special PS Plus promotions for a short period.
For example, around the holidays they may offer 1 month for 50% off or deals like $1 for your first month. It never hurts to check the PlayStation Store for any limited-time promotions.
2. Buy Discounted PS Plus Gift Cards
Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart frequently sell 1 year PlayStation Plus gift cards at a 10-20% discount.
You can then redeem the gift card for 1 month of PS Plus if you don‘t want the full year. Essentially, you‘re pre-paying at a lower price.
3. Stack Multiple Gift Cards for Savings
Similarly, stacking a few discounted 1 or 3-month PlayStation gift cards can add up to solid savings on a 1 month PS Plus membership.
Retailers regularly run gift card sales, so be on the lookout and take advantage!
4. Check Third-Party Sellers
Websites like CDKeys sell discounted PlayStation Plus memberships, usually 5-10% cheaper than direct from Sony.
Just be sure to only use well-reviewed, trustworthy third-party sellers when going this route.
5. Team Up for a Family Plan
If you can join friends or family for the new PlayStation Plus Premium family plan, you can share the cost across up to 5 people.
This lets you upgrade to Premium for as low as ~$3-$4 per person! Though you would need to stay subscribed for the whole year.
Those are just a few simple tips for reducing the standard $9.99-$17.99/month cost for a single month of PS Plus. Taking advantage of gift card deals, third-party seller discounts, and even sharing a family plan are great options to maximize savings.
And remember, joining for 1 year is always cheaper per month compared to paying month-to-month, so keep that in mind.
What Happens When Your Free Trial or PS Plus Expires?
Now you might be wondering – what exactly happens when your 7-day free trial ends or your paid PS Plus subscription runs out? Let‘s quickly go over:
Monthly Free Games
- You lose access to any free monthly PS Plus games you downloaded.
Online Multiplayer
- You won‘t be able to play online multiplayer games until you re-subscribe.
Game Discounts
- You lose access to exclusive PS Plus discounts and game sales.
Cloud Saves
- Your PS Plus cloud game saves will remain stored for 6 months after expiration.
Game Catalogs
- You cannot stream or download any games from the Extra/Premium catalogs until resubscribing.
So in summary, you lose access to all key benefits like online multiplayer, free monthly games, exclusive discounts, and game streaming/downloads.
Luckily, your cloud saves are retained for 6 months, and any free PS Plus games you downloaded previously are locked, not deleted forever. You can access them again if you resubscribe down the road.
The takeaway here is that a PS Plus membership is absolutely required to enjoy essential PlayStation benefits like playing with friends online and accessing free games every month.
Once it expires, you‘re very limited in what you can do without resubscribing. So having an active membership is crucial for any serious PlayStation gamer.
While free trials are no longer an option, hopefully the savings tips I provided help cut down the monthly cost. And take advantage of any promotions you find!
Common Questions about Getting Free PS Plus
Let‘s wrap up with answers to some frequently asked questions:
Q: Are there any free PS Plus codes or discounts codes online?
A: Outside of occasional official Sony promotions, free PS Plus codes online are never legitimate. Stick to real deals, not fake free code offers.
Q: Can I gameshare PS Plus with a friend to get it free?
A: Gamesharing does allow 1 other person to use your PS Plus on their system. But this only works for 1 extra person.
Q: Can I get a refund if I don‘t want to renew PS Plus monthly?
A: Yes, you can cancel an auto-renewing subscription anytime and receive a refund for the remaining time.
Q: If my PS Plus expires, do I lose my purchased games?
A: No, you will still have access to any games you bought. Only the monthly free PS Plus games become inaccessible until you renew membership.
And there you have it! Hopefully this guide gave you a comprehensive overview explaining exactly how to approach getting 1 month free PlayStation Plus.
While official free trials are gone, take advantage of limited-time promotions, discounted gift cards, and even sharing with family to save money on a 1 month membership.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy gaming!
