Xbox Game Pass has been losing some of its lustre in recent months. While several smaller titles and stunning indies continue to launch on the service, its prime selling point of housing big Microsoft exclusives upon release for no additional cost has faded into obscurity, thanks to the fact that its platform holder doesn’t have many of them right now. Unless you’re one of the seven people still playing Redfall - yes, that is an actual statistic - then there’s fewer and fewer reasons these days to remain subscribed unless you’re smitten for the smaller stuff and a healthy back catalogue of existing games. Conversation around Game Pass is now fading.
Starfield and Forza Motorsport are right around the corner, and will no doubt attract millions of potential users eager to avoid paying full price for a duo of triple-A bangers, but after that the road is unclear thanks to a mixture of unannounced release dates and a constantly shifting landscape of value when it comes to a service ecosystem that is now normalised. Where do we go from here, and how are the alternatives we’ve long forgotten about holding up? Turns out they’re doing pretty well, and might be finally worth our attention after dragging them all through the mud upon their debut. I’m talking about the ill-fated PlayStation Plus Premium.
For months prior to its unceremonious debut, there was near constant chatter about Sony catching up with the offerings of Xbox Game Pass. The PlayStation giant was living in the past as it stubbornly refused to produce an alternative to the competition, instead opting for its usual selection of prestige exclusives at full price. When that tune changed, and we finally got what we wanted, we basically ignored it entirely. For good reason - it contained a small selection of games while failing to take into account the strength of its own legacy. It was a mixed bag, but in recent months it has become something far more appealing, not that any of us have bothered to take much notice. Perhaps it’s time we start changing our own tune.
Right now, two of the PlayStation Plus subscription tiers will grant you access to a massive library of games not limited to Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal, Horizon: Forbidden West, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and a selection of exclusives which were once deemed too valuable to be given away for a monthly fee. That view clearly changed, even if it took a matter of months for such games to surface on the service. Not to mention the inclusion of several high profile third-party titles which can be downloaded with little to no catch. All you need is an active membership, and in my eyes at least there is now more than enough here to justify the asking price. I’m in a privileged position where I receive review codes for most of the games I play, and I tend to be caught up on most things, but for the average consumer this is an absolute goldmine in ways Game Pass isn’t right now.
Granted, Sony isn’t doing an especially great job of marketing how Premium has evolved in the months since its debut either. It has a permanent icon on the PS5 home screen now and isn’t shy about presenting all of the games and features now available, but it’s also a clumsy mess of icons and options which are hard to parse for me, let alone a filthy casual. Produce a sizzle reel or two or make a point of advertising PlayStation Plus Premium in regular State of Play showcases instead of hoping we’ll catch on ourselves, because all the offerings here could shift consoles with the right attitude. Throw in a few months for free and you’ve given away a substantial library for free while dragging users into your ecosystem where in future they’ll no doubt snap up copies of Spider-Man 2 and The Last of Us Part 3. I’ve always been a PlayStation girl, and that hasn’t changed, but their resurfacing hubris had doubts forming.
PlayStation Plus Premium still doesn’t seem to understand the platform’s legacy, nor does it always respect it with only a handful of classics available to play on-demand, many of which aren’t all that great. Nobody
needs to play 5+ Syphon Filter and Ridge Racer games, and why is the worst Ape Escape on here. Also, where is Vib Ribbon?!
It’s weird and inconsistent, but I can see things getting better with each passing day, and to me that makes it worthy enough to come along for the ride. The service needs work for sure, but for the first time these new tiers emerged, PlayStation Plus Premium is not only worth the asking price, but can stand toe-to-toe with Xbox Game Pass and not look like an absolute fool.