A History of PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now

Since launching in 2010, PlayStation Plus has grown to support over 47 million subscribers. PlayStation Now launched in 2014 and grew to a catalog of over 800 downloadable and streaming PS4, PS3, and PS2 games, before it was incorporated into the new PlayStation Plus service, which launched in June 2022. This timeline shows the history of PS Plus and PS Now up to the present day.

2022

  • Jun. 22 — the new PS Plus launches in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand
  • Jun. 13 — the new PS Plus launches in the Americas
  • Jun. 1 — the new PS Plus launches in Japan
  • May 23 — the new version of PlayStation Plus, which includes and replaces PlayStation Now, launches in Asia
  • May 10 — Sony announces that PlayStation Plus had 47.4 million subscribers at the end of 2021
  • May 3 — the final batch of monthly games are released on PlayStation Now
  • Mar. 29 — the new version of PlayStation Plus is officially announced
New PlayStation Plus service announcement trailer

2021

  • May 31 — PlayStation adds PlayStation Now streaming support for 1080p resolution to PS4/PS5 consoles and PC
  • May 27 — Sony announces that PlayStation Now had 3.2 million subscribers at the end of March 2021
  • Feb. 3 — Sony announces that PlayStation Plus had 47.6 million subscribers at the end of December 2020

2020

  • Nov. 12 — PS Now launches on PS5 in the US.
  • Nov. 12 — PlayStation Plus Collection launches with 20 classic games as part of the PlayStation 5 launch
  • Oct. 28 — Sony announces that PlayStation Plus has 45.9 million subscribers as of September 30, 2020
  • May 19 — Sony announces that PlayStation Now has 2.2 million subscribers

2019

  • Oct. 1 — PS Now reduces its pricing to $9.99 per month, $24.99 per quarter, or $59.99 per year
  • Apr. 26 — Sony announces that PS Now has 700,000 subscribers
  • Mar. 12 — PlayStation Now launches in Italy 🇮🇹, Spain 🇪🇸, Portugal 🇵🇹, Finland 🇫🇮, Sweden 🇸🇪, Denmark 🇩🇰, and Norway 🇳🇴
  • Jan. 30 — PlayStation Plus cloud storage limit increased to 100 GB
  • Jan. 30 — Sony announces that February’s PS3 and Vita games are the last to be added to PlayStation Plus and that from March onwards only PS4 games will be added

2018

  • Dec. 4 — PS Now adds 50 games to the service
  • Sep. 20 — PS Now launches support for downloading PS4 and PS2 games
  • May 1 — PS2 games (ported to run on PS4) added to PS Now
  • Mar. 15 — PlayStation Now launches in Austria 🇦🇹, Switzerland 🇨🇭, and Ireland 🇮🇪
PlayStation Now adds download support for PS4 and PS2 games

2017

  • Oct. 30 — PS Now launches in France 🇫🇷
  • Aug. 31 — PlayStation Plus subscription prices increase in the UK (monthly plan £5.99 to £6.99; 3-month plan £14.99 to £19.99; 12-month plan £39.99 to £49.99) and in Europe (monthly plan €6.99 to €7.99; 3-month plan €19.99 to €24.99; 12-month plan €49.99 to €59.99)
  • Aug. 24 — PS Now launches in Germany 🇩🇪
  • Aug. 15 — PS Now discontinued on PS3, PS Vita, PS TV, Sony Bravia TV, Sony Blu-ray players, Samsung TV
  • Jul. 6 — PlayStation Now adds PS4 games to the service and reaches 500 games in the catalog
PS4 games added to PlayStation Now

2016

  • Sep. 22 — PlayStation Plus subscription prices increased to $24.99 for 3 months and $59.99 for 12 months
  • Aug. 30 — PS Now launches on PC
  • Jun. 6 — PS Now adds 50 games to the service
  • May 24 — PS Now open beta launches in Belgium 🇧🇪 and The Netherlands 🇳🇱
  • Jan. 5 — PlayStation Now adds 40 PS3 exclusives to the service

2015

  • Dec. 5 — PS Now introduces an annual $99.99 subscription as a limited-time offer
  • Nov. 3 — PS Now adds 105 games to the service
  • Oct. 9 — PS Now launches in the UK 🇬🇧
  • Sep. 16 — PS Now launches in Japan 🇯🇵
  • Apr. 2 — Sony acquires OnLive (a game-streaming competitor) and shuts it down
  • Jan. 13 — PlayStation now launches in the US 🇺🇸 along with a subscription option priced at $19.99 per month or $44.99 every 3 months. A 7-day free trial is also available
PlayStation Now launch trailer

2014

  • Oct. 14 — PS Now open beta expanded to PS Vita and PS TV
  • Sep. 18 — PS Now open beta expanded to PS3
  • Jul. 31 — PS Now open beta launched on PS4 in the US and Canada. Games are available on a rental basis, starting at 4 hours (to try the game), along with 7-day, 30-day, and 90-day options.
  • May 19 — PS Now US closed beta expanded to include PS4
  • Jan. 28 — PS Now closed beta launched in the US on PS3
  • Jan. 7 — Sony announces PlayStation Now at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
E3 2014 PlayStation Now trailer

2012

  • Nov. 21 — PlayStation Plus launches on the PlayStation Vita
  • Jul. 2 — Sony acquires Gaikai, the streaming technology used as the platform for PlayStation Now
  • Jun. 5 — the Instant Game Collection is added to PlayStation Plus, with 12 games available to play
PlayStation Plus E3 2012 announcement trailer

2010

  • Jun. 29 — PlayStation Plus launches with the PSN game WipEout HD, PSP minis and PS One Classics Fieldrunners, Age of Zombies, and Rally Cross, a game trial of inFAMOUS, and free monthly episodes of the interactive gaming lifestyle show, Qore.
  • Jun. 15 — PlayStation Plus announced at E3 2010 by Jack Tretton
PlayStation Plus E3 Announcement Trailer