PS5 launch title 'Sackboy' is free on PlayStation Plus in April

 The game you didn't buy for your new console is now included with your subscription.

                                     

Let's be honest: you were probably curious about Sackboy: A Big Adventure when it launched alongside the PlayStation 5, but not so much that you were willing to buy that instead of Demon's Souls or Miles Morales. Thankfully, you no longer have to pay extra to indulge that curiosity. Sony has made the LittleBigPlanet spinoff (also available on PS4) free to all PlayStation Plus members between April 4th and May 1st.

Sackboy is decidedly different than the core franchise. Where Little Big Planet is a 3D-enhanced side-scroller that revolves more around environment interaction and creativity, this game is a 3D platformer that revolves around its namesake hero's acrobatics. They all share a relatively uncommon co-op mechanic, though. Up to four players can tackle stages together, and some segments require teamwork to move forward. This may be an ideal game to play with your kids.

You have options if Sackboy doesn't strike your fancy. The newly launched build-and-raid game Meet Your Maker is also available for free on PS Plus this April, as is the hand-drawn RPG Tails of Iron. Both freebies are available for PS4 and PS5.

These new offerings won't make you regret a PS Plus Extra or Premium subscription. If you pay for those tiers, you recently received high-profile games like Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and Tchia. Still, it's nice to know that you can add one more marquee title to your library with very little effort.

Sony closes a PS Plus loophole by pausing subscription extensions

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Sony has temporarily prevented existing PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now members from extending their subscriptions as it prepares to combine them into the revamped PS Plus. It's a clear attempt to stop users from getting years of access to the highest tier of the updated service on the cheap.

When Sony announced the new plans last month, it said PlayStation Now members would have their subscription converted to PS Plus Premium for the same length of time. That level of the service will include the current PS Plus benefits and 400 PS4 and PS5 titles from the middle tier, as well as hundreds of games from previous generations and cloud streaming on PS4, PS5 and PC. 

Sony clarified this week that if a user has both PS Plus and PS Now memberships active when the new service launches in the coming weeks, they'll get access to PS Plus Premium for the longer of the two terms before having to renew. In other words, if you had seven years left to run on your PS Plus plan after stacking one-year memberships, but recently took out a 12-month PS Now subscription, you'd get seven years of access to PS Plus Premium at a significant discount after the switch.

Sony confirms that they have blocked stacking PS+/PS Now codes for existing members prior to the new PS+ launch. The codes will be redeemable after the launch. Anyone not a current member of the service the voucher is for can redeem a voucher https://t.co/PLbscXCxhT pic.twitter.com/F4M47vgZm1

— Wario64 (@Wario64) April 29, 2022

As spotted by Twitter gaming deals maestro Wario64, Sony has updated its PS Plus FAQ section to note that current subscribers of PS Plus and PS Now are unable to redeem voucher codes and extend their memberships for the time being. They'll be able to redeem them again when either their current membership lapses or the new PS Plus service is available in their region — whichever of those occurs first. As such, the company has stopped people from taking advantage of the PS Plus Premium loophole.

"As we prepare to launch the new PlayStation Plus membership service, we are doing some work behind the scenes to make the transition as smooth as possible for all of our existing members," Sony said. "As part of this work, we’ve temporarily disabled stacking memberships for existing customers until after the launch."

If you have an unredeemed voucher, it will now convert to a length of time equivalent to its monetary value. So, if you're currently a subscriber and have a one-month PS Plus or PS Now code lying in a drawer somewhere, that can convert to a month of PS Plus Essential or 17 days of PS Plus Premium access. Sony has published a conversion chart detailing how that all works.

The revamped PS Plus service is scheduled to launch in some Asian markets on May 23rd, Japan on June 1st, the Americas on June 13th and Europe on June 22nd. 

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