PlayStation Plus' latest free trial proves again how far behind Xbox Game pass it really is

PlayStation Plus is one of the most expensive subscription services going if you pay for the highest tier, yet there’s so little incentive to do so. Gamers have had enough.

As PlayStation dodges questions and accusations regarding its all-digital future, it’s still updating its PlayStation Plus offering.

One of the latest additions is a new 2.5-hour free trial for one of 2026’s highest-rated games, Saros.

Now, Saros is an excellent game that you absolutely should play. GAMINGbible’s Richard Breslin praised it extensively in his review, calling it a “mysterious story that will keep you hooked from start to finish.”

However, its place on PlayStation Plus has actually highlighted one of the biggest flaws in Sony’s service.

PlayStation Plus Premium’s core selling point is ‘asinine’ and offers not incentive

With PlayStation Plus Essential you get online multiplayer and three (sometimes four) free games a month. PlayStation Plus Extra grants you the same, plus hundreds of extra games at an additional cost.

PlayStation Plus Premium is the most-expensive tier money can buy, and gives you everything mentioned so far plus the Classic Games Catalog, cloud-streamed titles and game trials.

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Sure you could argue that the first pair of bonuses is worth the extra money, but Saros’ introduction as a new game trial has subscribers wondering why they’re paying for free demos in the first place…

“This stuff should seriously be free. I'm on premium so i get this but i shouldn't have to pay this much just to see if i like a limited selection of games ffs” said LePontif11 on Reddit.

Sick_of-it-all replied to the above, adding: “Yeah locking game trials behind a premium paywall is asinine. Game trials are not an incentive to get me to subscribe to a higher ps plus tier Sony.

“If you want people to consider buying a game they may be on the fence about, give everyone a demo to try (the way it used to be, btw).”

Game demos are still a thing, of course, but they’re much rarer than they used to be. Publishers like Capcom tend to still be good in this regard, providing a demo for Pragmata earlier this year, and one for Onimusha: Way of the Sword which launches in September.

Most AAA developers and publishers won’t touch the things, though. With the current state of modern gaming, a free demo for a broken game can kill any hope of sales. It’s just not a risk anyone wants to take anymore.

PlayStation, though, is especially cheeky. Locking its demos behind its biggest paywall just feels anti-consumer, so it’s no wonder why PlayStation 5 owners and even PlayStation Plus subscribers are sick of it. It also hardly justifies the increasingly inflated price of the service either.

PlayStation Plus in general needs a serious overhaul. Xbox isn’t a saint by any means, but the changes its made to Xbox Game Pass have been incredibly well-received, and it’d be nice if PlayStation owners got some of that love too.