PlayStation Now has been retired. The benefits (most of them listed below) have been rolled into the newly updated PlayStation Plus service. Head over to our guide if you want to see what PlayStation is offering as part of its premium subscription service.
We’ll leave the content up for archival purposes though so people can see what PlayStation Now WAS.
It seems like everyone is starting their own premium gaming service these days. It can be tough for parents to be able to tell the difference between Xbox Live, PlayStation Plus, and all the others. We can’t let that stand here at EFG so we wrote up a big ol’ guide for all of the premium services so our readers can tell them all apart and understand the costs and benefits of each one.
Take a look below for our guide to PlayStation Now!
The Pitch
PlayStation Now (PSNow) is a Netflix-esque streaming service for PlayStation 4 and PC. Subscribers have unlimited access to stream a collection of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 games over the internet on their PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, or PC.
How Does it Work?
Subscribers have access to the massive catalog of games for as long as their membership lasts. The majority of the games are streamed online like the shows we watch on Netflix or Disney +. There is a selection of around 300 games available for download through the service.
How Much Does it Cost?
PlayStation Now (PSNow) can be purchased in 12-month, 3-month, or 1-month increments.
12 Month Subscription – $99.99
3 Month Subscription – $44.99
1 Month Subscription – $19.99
Advice
Some of the value of PlayStation Now (PSNow) is dependent upon the strength of your internet connection. The games are streamed over the internet so they will run poorly if you can’t get a good enough connection. Sony customer support recommends that your internet service has a download speed of at least 5mbps (megabytes per second) to use the service. Tests performed by other sites like ArsTechnica have shown that it takes closer to 9 mbps to really take advantage of it.
There is a collection of games you can download. You can even play them in up to 4k resolution if you play it on your PS5 or PC.
Troubleshooting
Sony technical support has provided a few tips for folks who have the recommended download speed and are still experiencing issues with the service:
Use a Wired Connection
Many homes have their consoles hooked up to the internet via a wireless connection (wifi). This does hamper the quality of the connection between your PS4 and the modem. One way to correct this is by using an ethernet cable to connect your PS4 to the modem directly. This may not be possible for everyone, but it is at least worth mentioning.
Reduce the Number of Applications Using the Network
Your home network only has so much data that it can download from the internet at once. Applications that are sharing that download speed and can hinder each other’s performance. Its like traffic coming into your house. We’d get everywhere faster if we were the only car on the road.
Some applications you might consider shutting down are:
- Streaming video applications (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube)
- Cloud backup or sync applications (Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud)
- Content downloads (BitTorrent, software, games, movies, or music)
- Video/audio communication apps (FaceTime, Skype)
Try Off-Peak Hours
Your download speed can also be hurt if you try to use a shared (or public) connection during the busiest hours of the day. Try using the service during off-peak hours like evenings and weekends so there may be fewer people using the service.
Other Guides
There are a ton of other premium video game services out there so we wrote guides for all of them. Take a look below:
A Parent’s Guide to Xbox Live Gold
A Parent’s Guide to Xbox Game Pass
A Parent’s Guide to PlayStation Plus
A Parent’s Guide to EA Origin’s Access
Make sure to keep your eyes on Engaged Family Gaming for all of the latest news and reviews you need to Get Your Family Game On!
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Updated 08/14/2022
Michael Duetzmann
is there any good reason to provide an 11-year-old child with access to PS4 Playstation Plus?
It is the only way that they can play most online games with their friends. That’s the strongest point in its favor.