Major Sony and PlayStation executives recently discussed the profitability of PS Plus at a company meeting when asked about possible future price increases. Given that the cost of everything is going up, with the PS3/Vita Store shutting down and disc production ending in 2028, it should not be surprising that PS Plus price increases are apparently on the table, but it may not be bad news—emphasis on the word “may.”
While the future of PS Plus, consoles, and a lot more is up in the air, sometimes it is better to focus on the here and now. And in the here and now, subscribers do have a few days left to download the PS Plus free games for June 2026 (the Essential tier). Popular survival game Grounded: Fully Yoked Edition, brand-focused platform fighter Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, and brutal co-op action game Warhammer 40K: Darktide are currently up for grabs until July 7, at which time they’ll rotate out for the PS Plus free games for July. Those include popular shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, co-op roguelike RPG For the King 2, and 2D action RPG CrossCode.
Official PlayStation Disc Petition is Blowing Up
Gamers upset about Sony’s decision to cease production of physical PlayStation discs start a petition that is quickly gaining steam.
PS Plus Price Increases Hinge on the Cost vs. Value of the Service
At a recent company meeting (& first reported by Insider Gaming), Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and President Hideaki Nishino, Studio Business CEO Hermen Hulst, and Senior Vice President of Finance and Corporate Development Lynn Azar fielded questions. One of those questions was about possible future PlayStation Plus price increases (following the one in May 2026), as well as the role it serves in the PlayStation model. Specifically, they were asked about the pace and scale of the service.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
In short, PlayStation is working on balancing the value of the service (what it provides) versus the cost to consumers, with multiple factors focused on improving profitability and the efficiency of content on PS Plus. While not stated who answered, one of the execs added,
“PS Plus offers strong value to players, and we continually balance that value against customer cost. We are using multiple levers to improve profitability, including pricing, tier mix, and content acquisition efficiency. Higher tiers now account for 40% of subscribers, which reflects strong demand for the service. PS Plus remains a key driver of profitability, and we achieved record-high PS Plus profitability in FY2025.”
On the one hand, this should be a relief to those concerned about the possible price of the PlayStation 6 console, the changes to game distribution, and everything else going on in the industry. It’s a record-high profitability in fiscal year 2025 after all. On the other hand, there’s a lot of record-high profitability seemingly going around, and yet that has not prevented ongoing economic strain. It’s a boilerplate answer that sounds fine for now, but it could also change at any time.
It’s worth noting that neither Sony nor PlayStation has officially announced anything regarding the PlayStation 6, but as studio closures at Xbox loom, PlayStation has its own structural issues (like Bluepoint’s closure), and plans are made as far out as 2028, it might as well exist. It’s just now the announcement anyone would have wanted to see. Perhaps things can change between now and the PS6’s reported 2027 release, but it’s not something worth holding your breath over.
