PlayStation Plus is a subscription service offered by Sony. Though PS Plus used to exist solely for online games and a few other features, it has since absorbed Sony's PS Now service, which provided a huge library of classic and indie games to be streamed or downloaded.
Accessing PS Plus on your PC is a feature of the Premium plan, which is the most expensive option at $17.99 per month or $119.99 per year. Not all PlayStation games will be available to play on your PC through PS Plus, but many are!
But without further ado, here's how to access and use PS Plus on your PC.
Minimum PC Requirements for PS Plus Premium
If you want to access PS Plus Premium, you first need to make sure your computer is up to spec. This means checking out what the minimum requirements are to be able to actually run the application and stream games.
Firstly, you need to be running Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 on a Windows PC. Sorry, Mac users, but PS Plus isn't available on your platform at the time of writing. However, you can circumvent that by running Windows in a virtual machine on your Mac.
At minimum, your Windows PC must also have a 2.0 GHz Intel Core i3 processor, though it's recommended to have a 3.5 GHz Intel Core i3 or 3.8 GHz AMD A10 processor (or faster) and a soundcard or USB port. Additionally, it should have a minimum of 300 MB of storage available and at least 2 GB of RAM.
These are minimum requirements and, as such, games streamed at the lowest specs probably won't perform amazingly well.
Minimum Streaming Requirements for PS Plus Premium
Aside from minimum PC requirements, PS Plus has certain expectations regarding your internet connection, too.
First of all, you will need to ensure you have a stable broadband connection with a download speed of at least 5 Mbps and as low ping as possible. A wired connection is recommended but not required.
You will also need a subscription to PS Plus—the PS Plus Premium plan instead of Essential or Extra—and an adult account for PlayStation Network to access and play all the games that PS Plus has to offer. Once you meet all of these minimum streaming requirements and have a compatible controller, you're ready to start playing!
What Controllers Can Be Used With PS Plus on PC?
In short, you're going to have to use a PlayStation controller to play games on PS Plus. Unfortunately, the application doesn't always support third-party joypads. Sony has stated that some third-party PC-compatible controllers that use XInput work with PS Plus on PC, but it's not guaranteed that they'll be fully compatible.
You can use the PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 wireless controllers to play all available games on PlayStation Plus. The pad can be connected to the PC via Bluetooth or a wired micro-USB to USB-A connection.
In this case, be aware that the "Start" and "Select" controls have been remapped to the touchpad on your DualShock 4, with "Start" operated by pressing the right-hand side of the touchpad and "Select" with the left.
You could use DualShock 3 controllers with the old PS Now, but the only officially compatible controller for PS Plus on PC is the DualShock 4 controller. At the time of writing, the DualSense controller made for the PS5 is not compatible with PS Plus on PC.
If not for controller compatibility alone, Microsoft wins in the battle of PlayStation Plus vs. Xbox Game Pass. The latter is compatible with a wider variety of controllers as well as mouse and keyboard, and has a better user interface to boot.
Downloading and Installing PlayStation Plus on Your PC
First of all, you will need to head to PlayStation's website and grab the .exe file to install the application.
Once you are on the page, scroll down find the blue button that says Download PlayStation Plus app. Click that button and the file will automatically start to download. Save this to your desktop for now.
When the .exe file is downloaded, you'll need to open it. You can do this directly from your browser if you still have it open by clicking on the file at the bottom bar of your browser. The installer will launch, and you'll need to follow all on-screen prompts until the software is officially installed.
After PS Plus is installed, it'll be available via your Windows start menu and, if you chose to add a shortcut during installation, on your desktop as well. When you first load up the application, you'll have to sign into PS Plus using your PSN credentials and may need to perform two-factor authentication. This way, PlayStation knows that it is you who is accessing the PlayStation Plus subscription.
Once you have signed in, you can access all 700+ games available on PlayStation Plus. More are added periodically, so you don't have to worry about running out of titles; there is always plenty to choose from.
Using the Correct Settings for PlayStation Plus on PC
With PS Plus installed, you can now connect your PlayStation controller to the PC, either via the USB cable or Bluetooth. Once you have done this, you will need to use your mouse to switch into controller mode at the top right of the screen.
Once you have toggled this button, which has a monitor and joypad as its icon, you will find that the DualShock 4 controller works exactly the same way as it would on a PlayStation 4. You can use it to cycle through the games to locate your favorite title.
Another setting you should take note of is saving games. You can save games as you normally would within your PC version of PS Plus. However, there is also an option to share saves between the PC and the PlayStation (if you have one). You do this by saving to the PlayStation Plus Cloud.
This is an excellent feature as it means you can pick up where you left off, from any game, on either platform. If someone else is taking command of the TV to which your console is connected, you have no need to worry—just head to your PC and fire the game up from your most recent save.
You can find out how to transfer your saved files between the two platforms on the official PlayStation site.
Accessing Your Games on PS Plus
Unfortunately, one major drawback of PlayStation Plus on PC is the lack of a search function. You only have one screen through which to find the title you want. At the top of the screen are several categories of games, including any you have added to your list.
If you scroll down the page, you will find that all the games are arranged alphabetically, separated by each letter. You scroll left and right to find, for example, all the titles that begin with the letter 'A'. This means you need to cycle through them all to find the game you want, which can be a bit annoying if you're just cruising for something to play.
You don't have options to search for games by genre or theme, as you did with the previous version of Sony's game streaming service. You can't even see all of the games on one screen, ordered from A-Z, which is an option with the previous version.
Once you find a game that looks interesting to you, click on it to open up its details. You'll see a brief overview of what you can expect in the game, and two clickable buttons. You can save the game to your list or start the game. If you don't have a compatible controller connected, the game won't launch.
There are over 700 games at your disposal, so knowing what you want to play before you start looking is a help. However, you can still happen across some real gems if you cycle through the games without deciding what you want to play first. It is just easier and more convenient on a PlayStation console.
Access and Use PS Plus on Your PC
Hopefully, you are now fully clued-up on how you can get PS Plus on your PC. It is a great service and works really well on a mid-range PC. Games run smoothly and you can always flit between your console and your computer for PlayStation Plus gaming sessions.
If you don't own a PlayStation, or would like to play games from a different platform, then you might want to check out some of the best cloud gaming services, so you can stream from a wide variety of different platforms.
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