'How much is PS4 online?': A cost and features breakdown of PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now

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:

How much PlayStation Plus costs, and what it offers

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:

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• A 12-month subscription costs $59.99 (which is $4.99 per month)
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• A 3-month subscription costs $24.99 ($8.33 per month)
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• A one-month subscription costs $9.99.
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• 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 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:

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