PlayStation Plus subscribers divided over major 2026 shakeup

Upcoming changes to how PlayStation Plus works are dividing the community straight down the middle, mostly because it affects gamers differently based on what type of PlayStation console they own.

As revealed in an update on the PlayStation Blog, Sony will no longer be offering PS4 titles through PlayStation Plus Essential Monthly Games from 2026 onwards.

“As we shift to PS5, PS4 games will no longer be a key benefit and will only be occasionally offered for PlayStation Plus Monthly Games and Game Catalog starting January 2026,” the blog post states.

“We may still provide titles that can be playable on both PS4 and PS5 consoles after this date.”

While you might expect that this news upset a lot of PS4 users, users in a thread over on r/PlayStationPlus seemed relatively levelheaded about the announcement.

“I don't have a PS5 yet, but I honestly don't care too much about this. I still have almost a year before the change and I hope to get a PS5 by then,” commented user ruiner8850.

“I don't think PS4 owners can really complain,” replied user HibernianMetropolis, “almost unheard of for an old console to be supported so well for so long after a new console release.”

God of War Ragnarök is one PS5 title that recently landed on the service.

However, a couple of commenters did raise a pretty good point.

“The issue is that the only way to play online on PS4 is by buying PS Plus Essential which make no sense cause part of the price you paid is for games you can't play,” replied user StreetFlaky5212.

“They really should start to offer an online only + cloud saves tier now,” commented user MrRonski16.

“Those on PS4 will basically pay more for nothing.”

Honestly, I think they’re right. The PS4 may be getting on in years, and supporting the PlayStation 5 with PS5 games is definitely the correct play, but it does seem a little unfair to have one part of the community pay more for a feature they can’t actually utilise on their consoles.

Hopefully Sony will launch a new tier of PS Plus to counteract the issue– otherwise, I wouldn’t blame a lot of PS4 users for cancelling their subscriptions.