PlayStation reportedly taking on Xbox Game Pass with new subscription service in spring Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. PlayStation reportedly taking on Xbox Game Pass with new subscription service in spring Bundling together PlayStation Plus, Now, and more. News by Matt Wales Reporter Updated on 3 Dec 2021 159 comments Sony is reportedly working on a new PlayStation subscription service to rival Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass, which will bundle together the existing PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus as part of a multi-tier membership approach. The news comes via Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who reports the project - code-named Spartacus and expected to launch in spring 2022 - will provide subscribers with access to a range of both modern and classic for a monthly fee. Citing sources familiar with the project, as well as documents it has reviewed directly, Bloomberg says the launch of the service will see Sony's two existing PlayStation subscription offerings - PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus - merged into a single package, with Sony retaining the PlayStation Plus branding while phasing out PlayStation Now. Watch on YouTube PlayStation Plus Monthly Games - December 2021. Currently, Plus is required to play the majority of online games on PlayStation, and provides subscribers with a small collection of games each month, while Now enables members to stream and download both recent and older titles in the PlayStation catalogue. Although details are reportedly still to be finalised, Bloomberg says Sony plans to offer three subscription tiers for its new service. The first would be functionally identical to the existing PlayStation Plus offering, while the second would give subscribers access to a large catalogue of PlayStation 4 and, eventually, PlayStation 5 games. However, PlayStation Now's streaming functionality is planned to be reserved for a third subscription tier, which will also offer extended demos and a library of classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games. Microsoft's own offering, Game Pass - which is available on both Xbox and PC - has continued to grow since its launch in 2017, with the company reporting over 18 million subscribers in January this year. A second subscription tier, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, was launched last June, combining Game Pass' extensive all-inclusive library of titles with Xbox Game Pass Gold, required to play Xbox games online. More recently, the company has expanded its Game Pass Ultimate offering - which costs £10.99 a month, compared to its £7.99 standard Game Pass tier - to include perks, access to EA Play, and streaming via Xbox Cloud Gaming. As such, Ultimate would be the closest equivalent to the third subscription tier Sony is reportedly currently considering. If the spring 2022 launch for Sony's reported new PlayStation subscription service proves to be true, it likely won't be too long before the company makes it official. Until then, I've asked Sony for comment and will update the story if I hear more. In the meantime, do check out Chris Tapsell's brilliant investigation into the future of subscription gaming, Is Xbox Game Pass too good to be true? Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store