Update 5/26: Sony has clarified that the upgrade pricing in Asian markets was due to a technical error. It says that the problem has been fixed, and impacted players will receive a credit for their troubles.
Original story follows.
So far, the reception of PS Plus Premium has seemed largely positive. The game list it showed off a few days ago was impressive, if incomplete, and details rolling in from elsewhere have been promising. It seems safe to say that many fans are excited for PS Plus Premium, and the service's recent rollout in Asia (although it does not come out in North America until June 13) has given fans a little window into how it all works.
Fans should keep in mind, however, that there are likely some differences in games and functionality for Asian users. It’s still not a bad comparison, and there may be a thing or two that is different/improved in North America or Europe. There are two new details, however, that seem likely to be consistent in every PS Plus Premium territory that many fans are not happy about.
There are two important details to know about upgrading to PS Plus Extra or PS Plus Premium that Sony has not previously announced. Namely, it seems that if anyone purchased PS Plus at a discount, that discount is essentially removed when upgrading. It’s a little confusing, but the long and short of it is that any conversion or upgrade will take the full price of the service into account, not converting based on discounted purchases for length.
The second detail may be worse. Prior to the release of PS Plus Premium, fans began stacking PS Plus and PS Now subscriptions to get the upgraded service cheaper. Sony put an end to this after it began, and while many were upset, it was understandable. It seems PS Plus stacking may have backfired though, as anyone looking for an upgrade (but has an extended period of time on the service) cannot simply do so for one month or one year—they have to upgrade their entire service length.
Essentially, if someone has subscriptions stretching through 2026-2027 but only wants to upgrade for the first few months now, they cannot do that. Attempting to upgrade to PS Plus Extra or PS Plus Premium will require players to pay until the end of their current subscription. In other words, those who have stacked or have long-lasting subscriptions will have to pay hundreds of dollars upfront, no matter how long they want to subscribe to it, to upgrade.
Many are understandably unhappy, as this essentially locks players into a high rate and was not previously announced. Sony did confirm, after the fact, that it was stopping PS Plus Premium stacking, but even then, it made no mention of how this stacking could cause players to pay a ton of money upfront. Hopefully, it changes soon, but by all accounts, those in Asia are operating under these rules.
PS Plus Premium releases June 13.