PlayStation Plus, the premiere gaming subscription service from Sony, is nearing the end of an era. When PlayStation Plus was first introduced, it gave subscribers exclusive perks, discounts, and access to a selection of free games that could be claimed every month and kept forever as long as one stayed signed up for the service. PS Plus has evolved since its early days, with the service going through some rather dramatic transformations over the years.
PS Plus was originally released during the PS3 era and offered games for that platform as well as the PSP. Eventually, Sony abandoned the PS3 and PSP and shifted the focus of PS Plus to PS4 and PS Vita. PS Vita was dropped, and while there are still free games released for PS4, Sony has declared that PS5 is its primary focus for the service. PS Plus has added new features over the years as well, most significantly when it essentially absorbed the PlayStation Now streaming service to offer its own streaming options. This saw PS Plus split into three distinct tiers. Essential is PS Plus as fans have always known it, while Extra includes a rotating library of PS4 and PS5 games similar to Xbox Game Pass. Premium, meanwhile, is the priciest tier of the service and comes with everything that the lower tiers do, plus access to retro games and the ability to stream games on PC.
PS Plus PC App is Shutting Down
Unfortunately for any PC gamers that were signed up for PS Plus Premium to stream games, that particular perk is being discontinued. Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation Plus app for PC is shutting down, with the app shuttering on Thursday, December 10. From that point forward, PS Plus Premium subscribers will no longer be able to stream games from the catalog on their PC, which is a shame, but it won’t be impacting all that many people. When it confirmed that it would be shutting down the PS Plus app on PC, Sony also clarified that less than 0.4% of PS Plus Premium subscribers were even utilizing the feature.
Still, it’s always a bummer when a subscription service loses one of its perks, even if they weren’t used all that much. On the bright side, those on PS4 and PS5 shouldn’t expect any disruption to their PS Plus services. Everything advertised will continue to be available to them, though one has to imagine that Sony will completely phase out PS4 support for PS Plus at some point down the line.
The PS4 is slowly being left behind. The 13-year-old console is losing popular live-service games, with Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Warzone already ending PS4 support. Sony itself has already said that PS4 is no longer a focus for PS Plus, and so a complete abandonment of the legacy console is likely only a matter of time.
In the meantime, PS Plus subscribers on PS4 and PS5 can claim the November 2026 monthly free games and look forward to the new Extra and Premium additions coming later in the month. They should also pay close attention to November 17, as that is when some of the service’s best games are leaving PS Plus.
