Why is the PlayStation Plus Collection going away just as PS5s became easier to buy?

Imagine binning off the world's greatest demo disc. Well, on May 9, PlayStation is doing just that. It's killing the PlayStation Plus Collection, a PlayStation Plus perk exclusive to PS5 owners. Offered to anyone with a PS Plus subscription investing in a new PS5, it gives access to 20 games that included some of the best PS4 games for free as part of the subscription. Essentially it gave players a bank of PS5-upgraded titles to play from day one on their shiny new machines. But, it's being quietly retired, and the timing feels incredibly odd for one reason – access. 

We've been tracking PS5 stock since before the console launched back in November 2020, and it's only in the last few months that it hasn't required excellent timing, forward planning, loophole finding, and a whole load of luck to actually buy a PS5. It's now at the point where you can walk into a shop or hop online and just nab one, which hasn't been the case for the last two years or so. 

 Goodbye time 

So now, at a point where you can readily get your hands on a PS5 – and thus the PS Plus Collection – PlayStation has decided to get rid of it. It sucks. There's a reason why we're urging players to claim these 19 'free' games before they're gone because they're just that good. The games up for grabs include Bloodborne, God of War, The Last Guardian, Ratchet and Clank, Resident Evil 7, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, among others. It's such a brilliant walkthrough of some of the best games the PS4 had to offer, with the majority now with upgraded visuals and performance boosts to take advantage of the PS5's specs. 

Okay, I'll admit it's not disappearing entirely. After May 9, some of these games are being shifted into the other PlayStation tiers, but not all of them. It's confusing, but then again that's maybe part of why the PlayStation Plus Collection is disappearing. A friend of mine recently invested in a PS5 and I was trying to explain how this Collection is different from the other libraries of games available through PlayStation Plus. Turns out, it's not easy.

Back in May 2022, PlayStation Plus split into three different subscription tiers, with each higher level offering additional perks and included games. But, in comparison to something like Game Pass, or even other subscriptions like Netflix or Disney Plus, it's a complicated sell. 'Essential' tier is how PlayStation Plus has always been with the tier limited to the monthly game drops and other original perks. 'Extra', though, feels like the best value for money, adding the 'Game Catalogue' that's most akin to the offering of Game Pass and Ubisoft Classics on top of that, priced at £10.99 / $14.99 per month; £31.99 / $39.99 for 3-months; or £83.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 yearly. Premium jumps up another pricing tier at £13.49 / $17.99 per month; £39.99 / $49.99 for 3-months; or £99.99 / $119.99 and is much more geared towards nostalgia buffs looking to dive into the Classics Collection. 

But, for newcomers to the service, it's a lot to take in and understand – particularly if you're coming to PlayStation for the first time, or from Xbox. What I loved about the PlayStation Plus Collection is that it served as a one-stop shop for catching up on PS4 classics – a kind of highlights reel for your first few months with your PS5 (alongside the excellent Astro's Playroom of course). On services like PS Plus, curation is a huge problem – and the PS Plus Collection seemed like a fantastic way to solve that initial hurdle. The amount of games is overwhelming sometimes, and PlayStation's ability to highlight the benefits of each PS Plus tier, alongside the Collection, has always been pretty hit-and-miss. 

So, please, I implore you to add these beautiful perks to your library while you can. As long as you stay subscribed to PS Plus they'll be yours forever, so let's help the Collection live longer than PlayStation has allowed it to.