The New Sony Exclusive: Inflation Simulator 2025, With a PS Plus Price Hike Every 48 Hours
The pill is getting harder to swallow for PlayStation subscribers: Sony has just announced yet another price hike for its PlayStation Plus service, sparking a global wave of outrage. After a string of successive increases, this move reignites a sense of fatigue among gamers, who are beginning to question the true value of their loyalty to the brand.
As the gaming industry faces a turbulent economic climate, Sony doubles down with another round of price increases. This time, Canadian and Turkish players are bearing the brunt—joining a growing list of countries affected by what seems like an ever-accelerating pricing strategy.
Image credit: Les Aventures Ludiques
A never-ending series of price hikes
Within just a few days, Sony made multiple announcements about subscription fee increases. On April 10th, the cost of a PlayStation Plus membership went up in around fifteen countries, including Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. The very next day, on April 11th, Australia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong were hit. Then on April 14th came a bombshell: the Japanese company announced a price increase for the PlayStation 5 itself across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and New Zealand.
Canada hit with turbo-charged prices
Now it’s Canada’s turn to see PlayStation Plus prices shoot up. Here are the updated subscription fees in Canadian dollars:
- PlayStation Plus Essential: $110 (up from $95)
- PlayStation Plus Extra: $190 (was $155)
- PlayStation Plus Premium: $225 (previously $190)
This increase, following a similar one in September 2023, is justified by Sony as a means of “maintaining a high-quality service”—a phrase that is wearing increasingly thin with subscribers, especially when no new features or tangible perks come with the added cost.
Player outrage is growing
Reactions flooded social media almost immediately, especially on X:
PlayStation Plus pricing increased in Canada
— Wario64 (@Wario64) April 16, 2025
1-year plans:
-Essential $109.99 CAD
-Extra $189.99 CAD
-Premium $224.99 CAD pic.twitter.com/zEEKYoinGW
Wave after wave of cancellations, unsubscribes, and threats to switch to PC—comments are overwhelmingly clear: this business strategy just isn’t working anymore.
- “PlayStation plus I’m done with you” — Witnessdisciple
- “I think it’s time to sell my PS5” — Prabh
- “At this price, switching to PC makes more sense.” — michelobX10
Others are frustrated that cloud save is still locked behind a paywall: “If that’s all I want, I still have to fork over $80 a year?”
Is gaming becoming a luxury?
These price hikes raise a bigger question: is gaming turning into an unaffordable luxury? With consoles approaching €800 and games hitting the €100 mark, many fans are finding it harder to keep up. And this could be just the beginning. Europe has already seen rising prices in Belgium, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. France may be next. Even Nintendo Switch Online could follow suit in the coming year.
Of course, no one denies the economic challenges that major companies are facing. But when price hikes become routine and offer nothing in return, frustration turns to anger, and loyalty begins to fade. Subscribers are tired of funding giants who no longer seem to listen.
