PS Plus won't get day one launches like God of War Ragnarok

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But that may change in the future

God of War Ragnarok
(Image credit: Sony)

Major first-party releases won't appear on Sony's new and enhanced PS Plus subscription service that will launch in June, and that includes the likes of God of War: Ragnarok. 

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan confirms that - unlike the Xbox Game Pass model - first-party games won't launch at the same time on the new PS Plus service as they do at retail. 

"[In terms of] putting our own games into this service, or any of our services, upon their release... as you well know, this is not a road that we've gone down in the past. And it's not a road that we're going to go down with this new service," Ryan explains. "We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous cycle will be broken. 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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However, Ryan does admit that this decision isn't set in stone, and may be subject to change in the future. 

"So I don't want to cast anything in stone at this stage. All I'm talking to today is the approach we're taking in the short term. The way our publishing model works right now, it doesn't make any sense. But things can change very quickly in this industry, as we all know."

What we do know is that in June, PS Plus will switch to a three-tier subscription model - Essential, Extra, and Premium. Essential is basically PS Plus as it is now, while Extra adds a catalog of 400 PS4 and PS5 that you can download and play. Premium adds another 340 games from PS3, PS2, PS1, and PSP generations, cloud streaming, and time-limited game trials. 

For now though, here are the latest and greatest PlayStation Plus deals 

Sam Loveridge
Sam Loveridge
Brand Director, GamesRadar+

Sam Loveridge is the Brand Director and former Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar. She joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.