PS Plus Premium will be the only way to access much of Sony's extensive back catalogue when the updated service launches in June.
In the blog post announcing the new-look PS Plus, Sony confirmed that while the cheapest 'Essential' tier will offer the service's current benefits and the middle 'Extra' tier will include a catalogue of "up to 400 of the most enjoyable PS4 and PS5 games," only the most expensive 'Premium' tier will grant access to older games.
As well as the benefits on offer in the cheaper tiers, PS Plus Premium will add "up to 340 additional games," with PS3 games available via cloud streaming and "A catalog of beloved classic games available in both streaming and download options from the original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP generations."
The decision to keep the retro offering - which Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz was "not for everybody" - within the most expensive tier means that it'll continue to be difficult to get hold of older PlayStation games unless you're holding on to old hardware or you're prepared to shell out $119.99 a year for PS Plus Premium. While the Xbox Series X makes it comparatively easy to play older games via Microsoft's take on backwards compatibility, Sony's is significantly more restrictive, with PS4 games playable on PS5, but older games than that often inaccessible.
Sony has also confirmed that at least for now, you won't be able to use PS Plus to play its biggest games at launch. Jim Ryan says that if that were to happen, "the level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible, and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want."
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