Don't buy PS Plus this Prime Day – I mean it

News
By Vic Hood
published

Trust me on this one

DualSense PS5 controller in front of the PlayStation Plus logo
(Image credit: Miguel Lagoa/Shutterstock)

Are thinking about picking up or renewing a PlayStation Plus subscription this Prime Day? Well, don't. 

Leave aside the fact that this year's PS Plus Prime Day deals are beyond disappointing; even if they weren't I would be offering you the same advice. Prime Day is not the best time to pick up or renew PS Plus if you want a decent discount, especially if you want to benefit from savings for years to come.

Instead, I strongly advise waiting until Black Friday 2022 for a substantial PS Plus deal – here's why.

An abysmal offering

ps plus

(Image credit: Sony)

First things first: let's look at the extremely scarce deals that are available on Amazon for PS Plus right now. From what I can see there's just one discount (if you can even call it that) in the UK and one in the US. 

In the US you can save 10% on 12 months of PS Plus, and in the UK you can literally save pennies on a three-month membership. (Not in the UK or US? Scroll down for deals in your region). These aren't necessarily Prime Day deals, per se, but even if we look at third-party retailers like CD Keys, there's not much in the way of discounts available right now.

You can check out Amazon's offerings below – although you'd be wasting your time:

PS Plus 12-Month Membership: $59.99 $54 at AmazonSave 10%

PS Plus 12-Month Membership: $59.99 $54 at Amazon
Save 10% - You can save $6 on PS Plus right now at Amazon, but we advise holding off until Black Friday if you want a truly great deal, as we've seen PlayStation Plus prices drop considerably lower than this before.

View Deal
PS Plus 3 Month Membership: £26.99 £26.53 at Amazon

PS Plus 3 Month Membership: £26.99 £26.53 at Amazon
Unless you're extremely keen to renew your PS Plus membership, or to pick one up, then we advise against going for this deal. The 46p saving is so minimal as to be meaningless.

View Deal

So when should I renew?

Ratchet and Clank

(Image credit: Insomniac Games)

Black Friday is the perfect time to renew PS Plus, or get it for the first time. You'll find other discounts throughout the year, sometimes priced just as competitively as we see during the Black Friday period (the day itself is November 25 this year), but Black Friday is the one time you can actually guarantee the price will drop across a number of retailers.

Last year, for example, we saw a 12-month PS Plus subscription fall to just £29.95 at ShopTo in the UK, and to just $36.99 at CD Keys in the US. 

The best part of renewing or picking up a 12-month PS Plus subscription during this period is that when you need to renew next year it'll be Black Friday again, so you'll get a discount again. It's a genius strategy. You can even stack memberships, so you can buy up several years' worth of subscriptions at a discount if you're concerned that the price won't be as low again.

Even if you're at the critical point where your subscription is due to run out before Black Friday, I advise picking up a cheaper three-month subscription to tide you over until then (check out our cheapest PS Plus deals page for more).

However, during the sales period itself, I strongly suggest getting a 12-month membership rather than three months, as I've found this offers the best value for money. Plus, if you purchase a three-month membership during Black Friday, it'll run out at the end of February 2022, when there are typically no sales. 

How will the PS Plus revamp affect deals?

PS Plus Collection logo

(Image credit: Sony)

Great question. We're not entirely sure yet, but given that what was previously the standard PS Plus membership is now the Essential tier, we imagine that this tier at least will continue to see discounts. 

But we're hoping that the new Extra and Premium tiers, which are pricier than the regular subscription, will also get discounted. 

The revamp does, however, strengthen the argument that waiting until Black Friday for a good PS Plus deal is wise. As the revamp finds its feet and new games are gradually added to the tiered libraries, it's certainly worth holding off until November to see what tier does appeal to you.

Are you happy with your current PS Plus offering? Then sticking with the Essential tier may be best. Do you want to play a catalog of PS4 and PS5 games? Then maybe consider Extra. Want access to all that, plus retro PlayStation games? Then Premium could be for you.

Essentially, there's nothing wrong with waiting to see how it all shakes out and then deciding what is the best-value option for you.

More PS Plus deals

No matter where you live, you'll find all the lowest prices for PS Plus around the web right here, with offers available in your region. 

More Prime Day deals in the US

More Prime Day deals in the UK

Vic Hood
Vic Hood
Associate Editor, TechRadar Gaming

Vic is TechRadar Gaming's Associate Editor. An award-winning games journalist, Vic brings experience from IGN, Eurogamer and more to the TechRadar table. You may have even heard her on the radio or speaking on a panel. Not only is Vic passionate about games, but she's also an avid mental health advocate who has appeared on both panels and podcasts to discuss mental health awareness. Make sure to follow her on Twitter for more.