PlayStation Plus 'Premium' free download explains why gamers are leaving the service

PlayStation Plus subscribers are far from happy right now, and one of the newer free downloads for Premium subscribers is a perfect example of why.

Last week, days before the launch of the Starfield and the biggest Xbox Game Pass moment ever, Sony managed to shoot itself in the foot spectacularly by dropping one of the worst months of free games for PlayStation Plus in years. Oh, and as an encore they then announced they were raising the price of all three tiers.

Take a look at our Starfield review below!

The new PlayStation Plus prices are as follows:

• Essential 12-Month Subscription- $79.99, 71,99 Euro, 59.99 GBP.
• Extra 12-Month Subscription- 134.99 USD, 125,99 Euro, 99.99 GBP
• Premium 12-Month Subscription- 159.99 USD, 151,99 Euro, 119.99 GBP.

For those who haven't been keeping up with the new tiered system, Essential is what PlayStation Plus always was. You get your monthly free games and access to online play. Extra gives you all that, plus a huge library of titles. Premium nets you everything you get on Essential and Extra, and throws in access to classic PS1, PS2, and PSP games, plus free trials for newer games.

Sounds great on paper, but the library of classic games is pitiful one year in, and the trials are... well, they're just demos. And most of them aren't even very good ones.

Case in point? The PlayStation Plus subreddit just highlighted one of the biggest problems with Premium: a trial for DC's Justice League: Cosmic Chaos that lasts just 30 minutes.

"Sony justifying that price hike," remarked one user.

"Meanwhile, Ubisoft has free trial weekends/week regularly for their games like Assassins Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six and its completely free, without even requiring PS Plus," another pointed out.

The sentiment is clear: PlayStation Plus needs to do better, especially at the Premium tier. Because in a cost of living crisis, I honestly don't know anyone who is going to seriously consider paying £120 a year for bad free games and 30 minute demos. Especially when Xbox Game Pass exists.