Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus vs Switch Online Tiers

Game Pass vs PlayStation Plus vs Switch Online tiers follow three different shapes: Xbox has a separate PC plan, PlayStation Plus stacks three named tiers, and Nintendo adds an Expansion Pack plan to its base plan. Below are the latest US prices we have recorded for each tier.

How the three game subscriptions are built

The three services arrange their plans in different ways, so a tier name on one service has no direct match on another. In our records, Xbox Game Pass has a broad plan and a plan named for PC, PlayStation Plus has three named tiers at rising prices, and Nintendo Switch Online has four plans: Individual and Family, each with and without “Expansion Pack” in its name.

Three patterns show up across the plans we track:

• A stepped ladder. Tiers carry the same service name and rise in price from one step to the next. PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra and Premium fit this pattern in our records, and so do Nintendo’s plans, within Individual and within Family.
• A platform-specific plan. A plan named for one device sits next to a broader plan. PC Game Pass is the example in our records.
• Individual versus family. Some services sell the same tier for one person and for a household. Among these three services, only Nintendo Switch Online has Family plans in our US records; the Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus prices here are not household plans. We cover how family plans work in a separate guide.

What each tier contains changes over time and belongs on the provider’s own page. Here we keep to tier names, US prices, billing periods and the dates of our records.

Xbox Game Pass tiers and recorded US prices

We have US records for two Xbox Game Pass plans, both billed monthly. Ultimate (monthly) was $22.99 a month in our latest record, dated April 21, 2026. PC Game Pass (monthly) was $13.99 a month in our record of the same date.

For both plans, the latest record is lower than the one before it, so the newest price is not the highest we have recorded. The full sequence of dated prices is on our Xbox Game Pass price page. The price increases we have recorded for Xbox Game Pass are listed by date on our Xbox Game Pass price increases page.

Two limits apply to these figures. First, both prices were recorded on April 21, 2026; we do not know when either price started. Second, our records cover these two plans only. If Microsoft lists other Game Pass tiers in the US, we do not have a recorded price for them, and the provider’s page is the place to see the full lineup and what each plan includes.

PlayStation Plus tiers and recorded US prices

PlayStation Plus appears in our records as a three-step ladder, all billed annually: Essential, Extra and Premium. Essential (annual) was $79.99 a year in our latest record, reported on May 20, 2026. For Extra and Premium, our most recent records are older and should be read with that in mind.

The Extra (annual) and Premium (annual) prices come from records dated September 6, 2023, and we have not recorded either tier since. The price shown on Sony’s page today may be different. The Essential figure is more recent, which is why the three rows carry different dates.

All three PlayStation Plus rows in our records are annual plans. Our PlayStation Plus price page lists each tier with its dated records. What sits inside Essential, Extra and Premium is described on the provider’s page.

Nintendo Switch Online tiers and recorded US prices

Nintendo Switch Online has four plans in our US records, all billed annually: two labeled Individual and two labeled Family. Individual (annual) was $19.99 a year, + Expansion Pack Individual (annual) $49.99, Family (annual) $34.99 and + Expansion Pack Family (annual) $79.99. All four prices were reported on November 18, 2025.

These four plans are the most stable in this comparison. Our earliest records for the Individual and Family plans, reported on September 1, 2018, show $19.99 and $34.99 a year, the same as the latest ones. For the two + Expansion Pack plans, our earliest records, reported on October 25, 2021, show $49.99 and $79.99 a year, also unchanged in the latest records. For the two Individual plans, the recorded change is 0.00 USD and 0.00 USD respectively.

The + Expansion Pack names read as the base plan with an Expansion Pack added, which places each one step above its base plan. What the Expansion Pack adds, and who can join a Family plan, is on Nintendo’s own page. Dated records for all four plans are on our Nintendo Switch Online price page.

Reading the tiers side by side

Placed in one table, the nine tiers show how differently the three services are priced and billed. The two Xbox plans are recorded as monthly prices; every PlayStation Plus and Nintendo Switch Online plan is recorded as an annual price. A monthly figure and an annual figure are different charges, so they cannot be lined up as if they were the same.

The latest records in the table are dated between September 2023 and May 2026. The two oldest rows, PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, are the ones most likely to differ from what the provider shows today.

A few points come out of the table without any extra arithmetic:

• Within each service, the order is clear. Ultimate is recorded above PC Game Pass, Premium above Extra above Essential, and each + Expansion Pack plan above its base plan.
• Across services, tier names do not match. “Premium” on one service and “Ultimate” on another are names chosen by each provider, not equivalent levels.
• Billing periods differ by service in our records. Comparing them on cost would mean converting monthly into annual or the reverse, which we do not do here. We cover monthly versus annual billing in a separate guide.

What to check on each provider’s page before choosing

Our records show the price and billing period of each tier on a given date. The provider’s page shows what a tier includes today and the price it charges now. Many providers present several tiers and billing options on one screen, so it usually helps to work through the same points for each service:

1. The exact tier name. Confirm the name on the page matches the tier you are reading about, since similar names can sit at different steps.
2. The billing period. Check whether the price shown is per month or per year, and whether both options are offered for that tier.
3. The device or platform. Some plans are named for one device. Check which consoles or computers the tier is meant for.
4. Individual or household. Check whether the plan covers one account or several, and read the provider’s terms on who can share it.
5. The regular price. Check whether the figure shown is the ongoing price or a temporary offer, and what the plan costs when it renews.
6. The date. Compare the price on the page with our latest record and its date. If they differ, the provider’s current page is the one that applies to a new purchase.

Contents per tier, sharing rules and renewal terms vary by provider and change over time, so the provider’s own help pages and terms are the reliable reference for those details.