PlayStation says first-party games won't be released on PS Plus on day one
For Sony, full-price sales still come before subscription perks.
For years, PlayStation led the console space with little serious challenge. But lately, the conversation online has shifted. More and more players are saying Xbox is gaining ground—if not outright winning the so-called console war. And one of the biggest reasons? Xbox Game Pass.
Game Pass has been widely called one of the best deals in gaming. It offers access to a deep catalogue of titles, and more importantly, it puts Microsoft’s first-party games—like South of Midnight and Oblivion remaster—on the service the same day they launch.
That kind of instant availability has become a defining feature of the platform, and it’s made Game Pass a central part of Xbox’s appeal. PlayStation, meanwhile, is taking a different path.
In a recent interview, Nick Maguire, PlayStation’s VP of global services, made clear that Sony doesn’t plan to follow suit. First-party titles won’t be available on PS Plus on day one, and there are no signs that the policy is changing anytime soon.
While the service occasionally features smaller indie releases at launch, major exclusives like God of War Ragnarök arrive a year or more later, if at all.
Sony’s reasoning comes down to economics and positioning. Blockbuster games like The Last of Us or Spider-Man 2 cost hundreds of millions to make, and releasing them directly into a subscription undermines their ability to earn that back through upfront sales.
There’s also a broader strategy at play: keeping these games premium helps maintain PlayStation’s brand as a place for top-shelf, big-budget titles. It’s a more traditional model, and it contrasts sharply with Xbox’s subscription-first approach.
As a result, some players see Game Pass as a sign that Xbox is adapting faster to how people play today, while PlayStation risks looking slow to adjust. Still, Sony isn’t moving off its stance.
For now, if you want access to the company’s biggest games when they release, buying them outright remains the only option. Whether that strategy will hold up as the industry shifts remains to be seen, but it’s clear Sony is willing to stick with what’s worked for them so far, even as the competition moves differently.
Fishon Amos
