In this guide
Before you start.
- Understand what monthly games really are. Sony states that content downloaded at no cost as part of the subscription, such as monthly games, is no longer available once the subscription ends. They are playable while you subscribe, and only while you subscribe, no matter how many years they have sat in your library.
- Separate that from what you keep. Sony states that redeemed PlayStation Plus packs and avatars, and PlayStation Plus discounted purchases, are yours to keep. A game bought at a members' discount is a purchase and stays; a game claimed for free is not.
- Move cloud saves to your console before the subscription lapses. Online storage is a PS Plus benefit and access to it stops with the subscription, so anything that exists only in the cloud becomes unreachable.
- Check whether you have stacked time. Prepaid cards and promotional months pile onto the end of the current term, and cancelling does not convert that time back into money.
- Check which account actually pays. On a shared console the subscription belongs to one PSN account, and cancelling has to happen there even if another user plays more.
FOLLOW THE RIGHT BILLING ROUTE
Cancel PlayStation Plus, step by step.
Cancel in Account Management on the web
The most reliable route, and the only one that works when the console is not to hand. It is also where to look if the console menu shows the subscription but will not cancel it.
- Sign in to Account Management with the PSN account that pays for the subscription.
- Select Subscription from the menu on the left of the screen.
- Select Cancel Subscription next to PlayStation Plus.
- Follow the prompts to the end and check that the entry shows an end date rather than a next payment date.
Sony states that selecting Reactivate Subscription before the next payment date keeps the subscription active, so a cancellation can be undone up to that point.
Cancel on a PS5 console
The subscription menu sits under your account rather than under the PlayStation Plus app tile, which is why it is easy to miss.
- Go to Settings, then Users and Accounts.
- Select Account, then Payment and Subscriptions.
- Select Subscriptions, then PlayStation Plus.
- Select Cancel Subscription and confirm.
Cancel on a PS4 console
On PS4 the option lives inside the PlayStation Plus section itself rather than in the account settings.
- Open PlayStation Plus, then Manage Membership.
- Select Subscription.
- Select Cancel Subscription and confirm.
What happens next?
- Sony states that you keep all PlayStation Plus benefits until the end of any previously purchased payment period, so cancelling early does not cut access short.
- Once the subscription ends you lose monthly games, online storage and online multiplayer in games that require it.
- Monthly games stop launching. Reinstalling does not help, because the entitlement, not the download, is what expired. Resubscribing makes the same titles playable again if they are still in your library.
- Save files for those games are not deleted from your console when the game stops launching, so progress is usually still there if you subscribe again later.
- Cloud saves stop being reachable when online storage access ends. Copy anything important to console storage while the subscription is still running.
- Redeemed PlayStation Plus packs and avatars, and anything bought with a PlayStation Plus discount, stay yours.
- Cancelling does not close the PSN account or remove your purchase history.
WHEN IT DOES NOT WORK
If you get stuck.
My PS Plus monthly games will not launch any more
This is the expected result of the subscription ending rather than a fault. Sony states that content downloaded at no cost as part of the subscription is no longer available once it ends. Deleting and reinstalling will not fix it, because what lapsed is the right to play, not the file. Subscribing again restores access to titles still attached to your account.
PlayStation Plus is not in my Apple or Google subscriptions
It never will be. Sony bills PlayStation Plus through the PlayStation Network account, including plans bought on a console, so no store subscription list shows it. The PlayStation App on your phone is a companion app and does not sell the subscription. Cancel it in Account Management or on the console instead.
I cancelled but the subscription still shows as active
That is normal until the paid period runs out: Sony keeps benefits running to the end of the period you already bought. Check the entry shows an end date rather than a next payment date. If it still shows an upcoming payment, the cancellation did not complete, so run it again in Account Management on the web.
I have prepaid time I do not want
Stacked time from prepaid cards or promotions extends the current term rather than sitting separately, and cancelling stops future renewals rather than refunding that time. Cancelling now still leaves the subscription active until the stacked time is used up, so the practical choice is to let it run out.
The subscription belongs to another user on my console
PlayStation Plus is tied to the PSN account that bought it, and benefits are shared on the console rather than transferred. Only the paying account can cancel, from its own sign-in on the web or by selecting that account on the console.
Still not cancelled?Common reasons a subscription will not cancel
GOOD TO KNOW
Questions, answered.
How do I cancel PlayStation Plus?
Sign in to PlayStation Account Management, select Subscription, then Cancel Subscription next to PlayStation Plus. On PS5 go to Settings, Users and Accounts, Account, Payment and Subscriptions, Subscriptions, PlayStation Plus, Cancel Subscription. On PS4 go to PlayStation Plus, Manage Membership, Subscription, Cancel Subscription.
Do I keep the monthly games after cancelling?
No. Sony states that content downloaded at no cost as part of the subscription, including monthly games, is not available once the subscription ends. Redeemed packs and avatars, and games bought with a PlayStation Plus discount, are yours to keep.
What happens to my cloud saves?
Online storage is a subscription benefit, so access to it ends with the subscription. Download anything you want to keep to your console's storage before the subscription lapses, since that copy stays available without a membership.
Can I undo a PS Plus cancellation?
Up to a point. Sony states that selecting Reactivate Subscription before the next payment date of the current subscription keeps it active.
Does cancelling stop me playing online?
Once the paid period ends, yes, for games that require PlayStation Plus for online multiplayer. Free-to-play titles that do not require it are unaffected.
Provider resources
- PlayStation: how to cancel PlayStation Plus
- PlayStation Plus cloud storage for PS5 consoles
- PlayStation Plus online storage for PS4 consoles
Instructions reviewed .
Subex is independent of PlayStation Plus. Availability and cancellation terms can vary by plan, billing provider and country.
