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When the time came to renew my 12-month PlayStation Plus Extra subscription, I let it expire rather than renewing the service. I came to this decision due to a combination of personal preferences and a few frustrations with the service. Here’s why I decided to cancel.
1I Primarily Play Single-Player Games
One of thebiggest advantages of PS Plusis that you get to play certain games online. However, I’m not the type of person to sink dozens of hours into games that require a PS Plus subscription to play online with others, such as The Division 2 or Helldivers 2.
I love single-player games since they are usually more narrative-driven and immersive than multiplayer games. I also love tackling challenges solo and playing games at my own pace without worrying about keeping up with others. Even in Soulslikes, I have never summoned other players for help.
Also, I would rather kill hundreds of bots than go through the stress of competing against real humans.
However, that is not to say I don’t enjoy online multiplayer from time to time. But the games I like, such as Apex Legends and Rogue Company, are free to play online anyway—no PS Plus required.
2First-Party Games Aren’t Available on Day One
Sure, the PS Plus Catalog does have some nice first-party games, like Ghost of Tsushima, God of War (2018), Marvel’s Spiderman, and Horizon Forbidden West. However, these high-profile games weren’t available on the platform on launch, and some Sony-published titles still aren’t on the service.
And do you know what makes the problem worse? If you said, “Xbox Game Pass,” the gold standard of game subscriptions, you’d be correct. In fact, I’m thinking I mightgive Xbox Game Pass a shotdown the line since its post-2024 lineup looks pretty good.
3The PS Plus Game Catalog Is Lackluster
I never really found anything of value to play in the PS Plus Catalog, since I already own most of the games I want to play, especially the first-party titles. Even the third-party releases, such as Death Stranding and Deathloop, I bought on sale a while back. Furthermore, the collection is padded with shovelware that is not worth my time.
The Classics Catalog has some good PS1 and PS2 games, but I have heard that the ports leave much to be desired. Furthermore, the dated graphics and gameplay don’t entice me that much either. I also would have wanted the PS3 games to be backward compatible instead of relying on streaming.
That’s not to say I don’t get why people find value in this collection. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if you’re like me, it’s all just lackluster.
4I’d Rather Buy the Games Myself
I have established that the PS Plus catalog doesn’t have the games I want. However, even if those games came on the service, I would rather pay for them than play them through a subscription service.
Firstly, I like collecting games andsubscriptions can’t replace actually owning games. Games come and go on the service all the time, and I don’t want to be interested in a game only for it to be removed later on.
Furthermore, I like to stretch my playthroughs out and revisit games for new runs further down the line. I would rather not keep a subscription running for that, since the costs can add up.
Lastly, I like to support the developers directly, especially small indie studios. I don’t want to support them through the supplementary income they get from their games being on a subscription service.
5I Have Too Many PlayStation Games Anyway
I love to hit the sales on the PlayStation Store, and I have gathered quite a collection over the years (over a hundred games). I always told myself that that I will play them eventually. It’s about time I finally got down toreducing my games backloganyway.
Are there some benefits to keeping PS Plus? Well, I do like the cloud storage, exclusive discounts, early access, and game trials. However, I can always, for instance, back up my saves to external storage or take advantage of the many sales on the PS Store. I am convinced I really don’t need to pay for PS Plus at the moment.
