It’s possible to own a PS4 and not have a subscription to PlayStation Plus, but if you’re a serious gamer, you’re unlikely to be satisfied with that arrangement.

For many people, the best part of having a PS4 is multiplayer gaming, and you need a PlayStation Plus subscription to be able to do that. But in addition to PlayStation Plus, there’s also PlayStation Now.

Now, you might be wondering if you need both, so here’s a breakdown of what’s in both subscription packages, and what they cost.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

PlayStation 4 (From $299.99 at Best Buy)

PlayStation Plus Membership (From $59.99 at Best Buy)

How much PlayStation Plus costs, and what it offers

PlayStation Plus

Foto: With a PlayStation Plus subscription you can enjoy PS4 online multiplayer features.sourceSony

While you get certain elements of the PlayStation Network for free by virtue of owning a PS4, like access to entertainment apps and the ability to watch content on PlayStation Video, most of the valuable features are only included in a subscription to PlayStation Plus.

That includes the ability to play multiplayer games online, access to free games each month - which, once downloaded, you can continue to play for as long as you have a subscription - and exclusive early access to game demos and betas.

PlayStation Plus also features 10GB of online storage for saved game files.

There are several different subscription options for PlayStation Plus:

  • A 12-month subscription costs $59.99 (which is $4.99 per month)
  • A 3-month subscription costs $24.99 ($8.33 per month)
  • A one-month subscription costs $9.99.
  • There is also a 14-day free trial available if you've never used PlayStation Plus before.

How much PlayStation Now costs, and what it offers

PlayStation Now

Foto: With PlayStation Now you can stream and play games on your computer without a PS4 console.sourceSony

PlayStation Now has some elements in common with PlayStation Plus, but it's really a very different kind of service.

While the main selling point of PlayStation Plus is multiplayer gaming, you can think of PlayStation Now as more of a Netflix for games - it's a subscription-based streaming service that lets you play any number of games from Sony's substantial library of PlayStation titles, including older PlayStation consoles, for a single price.

You can stream the games to your PS4, Windows PC, or a number of other devices.

There are several different subscription options for PlayStation Now:

  • A 12-month subscription costs $59.99 (which is $4.99 per month)
  • A 3-month subscription costs $24.99 ($8.33 per month)
  • A one-month subscription costs $9.99.
  • There is also a 7-day free trial available if you've never used PlayStation Now before.

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