The short answer is – yes, PlayStation Plus does offer free trials for new subscribers.
Specifically, new PS Plus members can access:
- A 7-day free trial for the Essential tier
- A 30-day free trial for the Extra and Premium tiers
These trials allow you to experience the benefits of a PS Plus membership before committing to a paid subscription.
Now let‘s dive deeper into everything you need to know about getting and maximizing a free PlayStation Plus trial.
What Does a PS Plus Membership Include?
Before we look at the free trial, let‘s recap what features you get with a PlayStation Plus subscription:
Online Multiplayer
The core function of PS Plus is to enable online multiplayer gaming. A membership is required to play most PS4 and PS5 games online against or with others.
Free Monthly Games
Subscribers can download and play a selection of free games every month. As long as your membership is active, these games are yours to keep.
Here are some examples of popular titles offered in the recent past:
| Month | Free PS Plus Games |
|---|---|
| August 2022 | Tony Hawk‘s Pro Skater 1 + 2, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Little Nightmares |
| September 2022 | Need for Speed Heat, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, Toem |
| October 2022 | Hot Wheels Unleashed, Injustice 2, Superhot |
As you can see, there is a great variety each month spanning different genres from platformers to RPGs to racing and fighting titles.
Exclusive Discounts
Members get access to special sales and discounts each month in the PlayStation Store on games, movies, and more. This allows you to save money on top of the free games you receive.
Cloud Saves
PS Plus enables cloud storage for your game saves. This allows you to easily restore your progress if you get a new console.
Share Play
Share your gameplay sessions with a friend, even letting them try out your games for up to 60 minutes. Great for showing off new titles together.
So in summary, a PS Plus membership enhances your online experience, gives you free games, saves you money on purchases, and lets you access your save data from anywhere.
What‘s Included in Each Membership Tier?
PlayStation Plus is now available in three membership tiers offering different benefits:
Essential – This base tier includes online multiplayer, monthly games, exclusive discounts, and cloud storage. Essential costs $9.99 per month.
Extra – Adds access to a catalog of 400+ downloadable PS4 and PS5 games. Extra costs $14.99 per month.
Premium – The highest tier that also includes 340+ more games from PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP, time-limited game trials, and game streaming. Premium costs $17.99 per month.
The higher tiers build on Essential by expanding the game catalog. But the core online features remain consistent across all three membership levels.
What‘s the Eligibility for a Free Trial?
Sony offers PlayStation Plus trials to help new subscribers evaluate the service. Here are the requirements to get a free trial:
- You must be a new PS Plus member and not have an active or previous paid subscription.
- Only one free trial is allowed per PSN account lifetime.
- The free trial is available only on the web PlayStation Store – not directly on your PS4 or PS5.
- A valid credit/debit card or PayPal account is required to begin the trial.
As long as you meet these criteria, you can sign up for the free trial offer that matches your desired tier:
- Essential – 7-day free trial
- Extra and Premium – 30-day free trial
So both new members and those upgrading get an extended free look at the expanded tiers.
How Do I Start My Free Trial?
Signing up for your free PS Plus trial is quick and straightforward:
On a web browser, visit the PlayStation Store and select the PS Plus tab.
Choose the membership tier you want – Essential, Extra or Premium.
Click "Start Free Trial" or "30-Day Free Trial" and then select "Confirm Purchase."
Enter your PSN sign-in info and payment details when prompted.
Your free trial will begin immediately and you‘ll receive confirmation emails.
Download any free games you want and enjoy online multiplayer.
Cancel before the trial ends if you don‘t want recurring billing.
And that‘s it! Within a few minutes you can be trying out PS Plus risk-free.
What Should I Do During the Free Trial?
To get the most value from your PlayStation Plus trial period, here are some key things you‘ll want to do:
Download that month‘s free games – Add them to your library so they‘re yours to keep.
Try online multiplayer – Experience the performance benefits of PS Plus online play.
Check for discounts – Look for exclusive deals and sales only for members.
Upload cloud saves – Enable automatic cloud backup for any supported titles.
Share your gameplay – Stream or Share Play with a friend who‘s online.
Browse the game catalog – For Extra/Premium, sample the hundreds of downloadable titles.
Maximizing these benefits will reveal the full potential of what a PS Plus membership enables.
What Happens When the Free Trial Ends?
An important thing to remember is that your PlayStation Plus trial will automatically convert to a paid monthly subscription when the free period concludes.
So if you started with a:
7-day Essential trial – You‘ll be charged $9.99 at the end for your first month.
30-day Extra trial – You‘ll be charged $14.99 at the end for your first month.
30-day Premium trial – You‘ll be charged $17.99 at the end for your first month.
You‘ll also receive an email notification before the trial ends reminding you that billing will begin.
To avoid being charged if you don‘t want to continue, you must cancel your membership before the free trial expires. This can be done on the PlayStation website.
Are There Any Other Ways to Get Free Access?
In addition to the standard free trials for new members, PlayStation occasionally offers other forms of free or discounted PS Plus access.
Free Online Multiplayer Weekends
A few times per year, Sony will make online multiplayer free for all PlayStation owners for a limited time, typically a weekend. This usually coincides with a big game launch.
While this isn‘t the full PS Plus membership, it does let non-members sample playing online.
Promotional Discounts
Around major holidays and events, PlayStation may offer special PS Plus deals like 25-50% off a 1-year membership. This can make joining more affordable.
PlayStation Console Bundles
When you buy a new PS4 or PS5, it typically comes with a free 14-day PS Plus trial code in the box. This lets you test out online play and other features right away with your new system.
So while not a full membership, these promotions do provide additional opportunities to access PS Plus perks.
What About PS Plus Discounts for Existing Members?
Unfortunately, the free trials are only for entirely new PS Plus subscribers. If you previously had an active paid membership, but it has since expired, you are not eligible for another free trial.
However, PlayStation does frequently offer discounts for renewing or extending your existing membership. Common deals include:
- 25% off a 1-year PS Plus renewal
- $10 off a 3-month PS Plus extension
- $1 for your first month back on PS Plus
So while you may not get another free trial, there are often discounted incentives to renew your lapsed membership. Keep an eye out for these in the PlayStation Store.
Can I Share PS Plus with a Friend?
While you can‘t directly share a PS Plus membership between separate accounts, PlayStation does allow you to share certain benefits with others through console sharing.
Here‘s how it works:
On your PS5, set that console as your "primary system".
Other users on your primary system can play your games and access PS Plus for online multiplayer.
You can then play your games on a second console while signed in to your account.
So with console sharing, your family and friends get some of the PS Plus perks on your primary device. But each account still needs its own membership for full features.
What Experts Say About PlayStation Plus Value
According to Michael Higham, an entertainment reporter at GameSpot, PlayStation Plus remains an excellent value:
"The quality and consistency of PlayStation Plus make it easy to recommend. Having a great new game to check out each month at no extra cost is a huge perk."
Gaming industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis also continues to see upside for PS Plus:
“Sony has managed to expand the appeal of PlayStation Plus through its tiering…the Extra and Premium tiers give further options to subscribers and we believe Sony will continue adding content and value.”
So both journalists and analysts agree that PS Plus provides strong ongoing value, especially with the expanded Extra and Premium plan options.
In Summary
Let‘s recap the key points on getting a PlayStation Plus free trial:
- New PS Plus subscribers are eligible for a 7-day Essential trial or a 30-day Extra/Premium trial.
- These free trials allow you to experience the benefits like online multiplayer, free games, discounts etc.
- Make sure to enable cloud saves, download games, and try online play during your trial.
- The membership auto-renews at full price after the trial unless you cancel ahead of time.
- Occasional promotions like free weekends provide free limited access for non-members too.
- While you can only get one free trial per account, PS Plus deals can lower the renewal cost.
- Console sharing allows you to share some benefits with family and friends as well.
Using the free trial periods wisely provides a risk-free way to explore everything PlayStation Plus offers. So be sure to sign up and maximize your free access today!
