PlayStation Plus: Price increases for online gaming subscription

If you play your PlayStation online the price could be about to go up.

The price of PlayStation Plus is rising as Sony, the company that makes PlayStation, has revealed that the cost of a 12-month membership will rise by around 20 per cent worldwide from 6 September.

Here's what you need to know.

What is PlayStation Plus?

PlayStation Plus is a service where users pay monthly or yearly to download games and also play online, without actually needing to buy the games themselves.

The service has three levels, or tiers, depending on how much you want to spend.

Each tier of PlayStation Plus allows gamers who have PlayStation consoles to play games online, as well as having free access to different titles as part of their paid for subscription.

What is happening with PlayStation Plus payment plans?

The price increase will mean that in the UK, PlayStation owners paying for the Essential plan - which allows gamers to play online as well as being able to download a handful of free games each month - will now pay £59.99, ten pounds more than the current price.

The price of PlayStation Plus Extra will go from £83.99 to £99.99, while the Premium plan jumps from £99.99 to £119.99.

Both Extra and Premium subscriptions enable gamers to have access to a large library of recent and classic PlayStation games, for as long as you stay subscribed.

Why has the price gone up?

In a PlayStation blog post, Sony explained the decision, saying that it will: "enable us to continue bringing high-quality games and value-added benefits to your PlayStation Plus subscription service".

But the increase is starting quite quickly, and many PlayStation owners commenting online have said they will either unsubscribe or drop to a lower subscription tier.

You can let us know what YOU think in the comments.

Sony's rival to the PlayStation, Xbox also increased the price of their Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate service in July, but not by as much as the increases announced by Sony - Xbox's online library went up by £1 and £2, respectively.

Is there a way to avoid the price increase?

The increase in cost doesn't come in until 6 September, so if your adults decide to renew your PlayStation Plus subscription before that date you will get it at current prices.

At the moment you can also buy slightly cheaper PlayStation Plus gift cards for each subscription, which will enable gamers to sign up to each plan at a cheaper price.

However, if all of that still seems a bit too expensive, PlayStation usually has discounted offers for each tier of PlayStation Plus in November as part of a Black Friday deal.