Insider claims PlayStation’s rival to Xbox Game Pass is “close to launching”

Sam Comrie
An image of PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass

PlayStation Plus has been rumored to launch a service to compete with Xbox Game Pass, and now, the exciting project could be close to an official reveal.

Xbox Games Pass continues to impress players with its superb array of games. Mixing both new and beloved classics together, PlayStation players have been pining for a similar implementation for PlayStation Plus.

Rumors of PlayStation’s ‘Project Spartacus’ project have been circulating for a while, but according to GamesBeat journalist Jeff Grubb, the wait might not be for much longer.

PlayStation reportedly launching their own version of Xbox Game Pass
For many players, Xbox Game Pass makes picking up Microsoft’s console an easy decision.

PlayStation’s ‘Project Spartacus’ is “close to launching”

During his premium GiantBomb show Grubbsnax, GameBeat’s Jeff Grubb revealed that he had obtained fresh information regarding PlayStation’s ‘Project Spartacus.’ While the Game Pass-style service has yet to be officially announced, Grubb explained: “It’s probably getting pretty close to this actually launching, something’s probably going to happen by the end of this month.”

“I don’t think that necessarily means publicly, I think in terms of the internal milestone of where the service needs to be” added Grubb. Players have been pondering on PlayStation Plus would incorporate the service, and it seems that ‘Project Spartacus’ will opt for a tiered subscription model. Grubb said that “Right now they are called essential, extra, and premium.”

“Pricing is $10 a month for essential, $13 a month for extra, and $16 a month for premium” continued Grubb. However, these prices may just be a “placeholder” as PlayStation works on the service.

Xbox Game Pass logo on a black background
Xbox Game Pass offers plenty of games each month for console and PC players.

While Xbox Game Pass allows players to download full games, it appears that PlayStation’s rival service may not offer that luxury initially: “For premium, $16 a month… do you get full games? Not really, kinda… it’s like EA Play. You get full game trials. I don’t know if that’s for every single game that comes out, but it seems like that.”

Interestingly, Grubb did mention that ‘Project Spartacus’ could look to have a focus on “classic games,” but clarified he doesn’t exactly know “what classic games means” in the context of the service. The ‘extra’ tier will allegedly feature downloadable games from PS Now too: “250, 300 games, something like that. You don’t get cloud streaming, but you do get 300 games you can download.”

With Xbox Game Pass offering access to the biggest games on the day of release, PlayStation’s service will need to pull out all the stops to make it a worthy contender.

About The Author

Sam Comrie is a former Dexerto journalist based in South Yorkshire, UK. He has an MA in Multimedia Journalism and joined Dexerto in 2021 after producing content for NME and Red Bull Gaming.