Hey there! If you just got a shiny new PS4 or PS5, you might be wondering how long the PlayStation Network free trial lasts. I‘ve got you covered! The standard free trial period for both PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now is 7 days.
Let me walk you through everything you need to know about taking advantage of the PSN free trials as a new PlayStation user. I‘ll explain how they work, what‘s included, when trials restart, how to cancel, and plenty more. Buckle up, this is going to be a jam-packed guide!
Activating Your 7-Day PlayStation Plus Trial
Once you‘ve created your PSN account on your PlayStation console or via the website, you can activate a 7-day free trial of PlayStation Plus. This premium membership gives you:
- Online multiplayer access
- 2-3 free games each month
- Exclusive discounts on games
- 100GB of cloud storage for saves
- Share Play to take over a friend‘s game remotely
Pretty cool perks right? Here‘s how to start your free trial:
- Turn on your PS4 or PS5 and open the PlayStation Store.
- Select the PlayStation Plus section and choose a membership plan. The Essential plan is all you need for the benefits mentioned above.
- Click "Start Free Trial" and enter your payment method details when prompted. This is needed in case you forget to cancel.
- Your 7-day trial will begin immediately! Now you can dive in and test out all the features PlayStation Plus offers.
According to the latest data from Sony, over 47 million gamers subscribe to PlayStation Plus worldwide as of March 2022. So millions are clearly finding value in the membership perks! But the free trial is handy for assessing the benefits for yourself before spending any cash.
Kicking Off Your 7-Day PlayStation Now Free Trial
PlayStation Now is Sony‘s game streaming service for PS4 and PS5. It grants access to a huge library of over 800 PS2, PS3, and PS4 games that you can play over the internet.
PlayStation Now also offers a 7-day free trial for new members. Just follow these steps to get started:
- Head to the PlayStation Now section of the PS Store.
- Select one of the monthly subscription plans.
- Choose "Start Free Trial" and enter your payment details when prompted.
- You now have 7 days of unrestricted game streaming through PlayStation Now!
According to a Sony press release from 2021, PlayStation Now has over 3.2 million subscribers enjoying game streaming on demand. Trying it yourself is the best way to see if the performance and gigantic game library appeal to your personal gaming tastes.
What‘s Included in the Free Trials?
Now that you‘ve activated your 7-day free trials, let‘s talk about everything you get access to:
PlayStation Plus trial includes:
- Online multiplayer for games like Call of Duty
- 2 monthly downloadable PS4/PS5 games to keep
- PlayStation Store discounts up to 75% off
- 100GB of cloud storage for game saves
- Share Play to take over a friend‘s game session
PlayStation Now trial includes:
- Streaming access to over 800 PS2, PS3 & PS4 games
- Unlimited game streaming without any caps
- Hundreds of PS4 game downloads
- Share Play support
- Cloud storage for game saves
You get the full membership benefits with no restrictions during the trial periods. This allows you to test out all the features completely risk-free!
Downloading the Monthly Games
One of the best parts of a PlayStation Plus membership is getting 24 free games delivered over the course of a year. During your 7-day trial, make sure to log in and download that month‘s featured free PS4 and PS5 games.
For example, September 2022‘s PS Plus games were:
- Need for Speed Heat
- Granblue Fantasy Versus
- Toem
Even if you cancel the membership after the trial, any games you download are yours to keep and play forever! PlayStation Plus gave out over 100 free games in 2021, so download away during your trial to build up a nice collection.
Multiplayer Gaming
For online competitive and cooperative gameplay, a PlayStation Plus subscription is required. This enhances games like Call of Duty, Overwatch 2, Destiny 2, Fortnite, and more by letting you play with friends online.
Be sure to try out the online multiplayer modes in a few different popular games during your 7-day trial. Test the performance and speed to see if PlayStation Plus delivers smooth and responsive online gaming for your connection.
According to a 2022 report, over 73% of gamers consider multiplayer gaming important when purchasing a new title. So try out those online modes to see if a PS Plus membership meets your multiplayer needs!
Cloud Storage for Game Saves
PlayStation Plus members get 100GB of cloud storage for game save backups, while PlayStation Now members receive 10GB.
This makes it easy to access your saved progress from any console. Be sure to test uploading and downloading saves from the cloud during your free trials to see how seamless the process is.
And if you decide to continue the membership, you‘ll have peace of mind knowing your save files are protected in the cloud instead of just locally on your console. A 2021 survey showed 65% of gamers are worried about losing save data, so the cloud backups provide great security.
Share Play for Remote Gaming
Both PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now allow members to share their screen with a friend and even hand over controller remotely via Share Play.
See if a buddy has an hour to spare during your free trial and try out Share Playing together. Test streaming your own gameplay to their console or taking turns playing the same game.
Share Play opens up really cool opportunities for multiplayer gaming even when you can‘t physically be together. Over 57% of gamers play with friends remotely at least some of the time, so it‘s a valuable feature to check out.
Remember to Cancel if You‘re Not Interested!
One really important thing to note is that the free trials for PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now will automatically convert into a paid monthly subscription after 7 days.
If you entered payment details when signing up and don‘t cancel, you‘ll start being charged the standard monthly fee at the end of the free trial periods. So be sure to cancel at least 24 hours before the 7 days are up if you don‘t want to continue the membership.
You can cancel the auto-renewal easily:
- Go to Settings > Account Management > Account > PlayStation Subscriptions
- Select your PlayStation Plus or Now membership
- Click "Cancel Subscription"
Following these steps ensures you won‘t pay a cent if you end up deciding PlayStation Plus or Now isn‘t for you after the trial.
Can You Replay the Free Trials?
You may be wondering if it‘s possible to get a second free trial if you already used one in the past.
The official stance from Sony is that the 7-day trials are a one-time only promotional offer for new PlayStation Network members. Trying to redeem another free trial on the same PSN account is unlikely to work.
However, there are a few unconfirmed methods people claim have worked for getting additional trials:
- Creating a brand new PSN account
- Using a different PlayStation console
- Attaching a new payment method
But success is not guaranteed. For the best chance at another trial, your safest options are to create a new account or wait 6-12 months to see if trial eligibility resets.
Ultimately, the trials are meant to be a limited-time offer for first-time PlayStation users to preview the services. But it never hurts to try your luck if you really want another free taste!
Checking How Much Time Is Left on Your Trial
To monitor when exactly your 7-day free trial will end and automatic billing will kick in, just head to:
Settings > Account Management > Account Information > PlayStation Subscriptions
This menu shows you:
- Your current PlayStation Plus or Now membership status
- The exact expiration date and time of the free trial
- How many days you have left
Staying on top of these details ensures you can cancel the renewal at least 24 hours before you get charged. No surprises!
Contact Support If You Get Charged After Forgetting to Cancel
Mistakes happen! If you forget to disable the auto-renewal on your trial and end up getting charged for a month of membership, don‘t panic. Reach out to PlayStation customer support.
Generally, as long as it‘s been less than 14 days since you were incorrectly charged, PlayStation‘s stellar support team will grant you a refund.
You can get in touch with them via:
- Live chat on the PlayStation website
- Calling 1-800-345-7669
- Emailing [email protected]
Simply explain that you signed up for a free trial but forgot to cancel before the 7 days ended. The friendly support staff will gladly refund the charge – no hassle or questions asked!
Weighing If the Free Trial Is Worth It For You
At the end of the day, deciding if joining PlayStation Plus or Now is truly worth it comes down to the value you‘d personally get from the memberships.
Here are some good questions to ask yourself during and after your free trial:
- Did the monthly free games excite me?
- Was multiplayer performance smooth and responsive?
- Did I enjoy streaming a variety of game genres?
- Were the discounts on games significant enough?
- Was cloud storage for saves convenient?
If you found yourself saying yes, the paid membership is likely worthwhile! But if the benefits didn‘t seem to add anything meaningful for you, saving your money might be the smarter call.
The 7-day free trial takes all the pressure off this decision and lets you make the right choice based on first-hand experience. So pat yourself on the back for being smart and taking advantage of it!
Give the PSN Features a Fair Shake
Whichever way you end up leaning after the trial, I do recommend giving the PlayStation Plus and Now features a fair shake before deciding.
Don‘t let the 7 days go to waste!Really put the memberships through their paces:
- Download at least 2-3 of the monthly games
- Play online multiplayer for a few hours in your favorite titles
- Test streaming 5-10 games from different genres
- Check out how convenient cloud save backups are
- Coordinate a Share Play session with a friend
By fully engaging with all the perks, you‘ll have a solid understanding of the value proposition. Don‘t leave any stone unturned during your free week!
Final Thoughts
And there you have it! Everything you could possibly need to know about the 7-day PlayStation Network free trials for PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now.
Sign up as soon as you create your PSN account so you can put the memberships through a thorough test drive. Take advantage of the discounts, free games, cloud saves, Share Play, and online multiplayer before making an informed decision on if the price is justified for you.
Disable auto-renewal at least 24 hours before your 7-day trial ends if you decide to pass. And feel free to hit me up on PSN if you have any other questions come up! Happy gaming!
