PlayStation Plus annual membership now costs $60 a year, not $50

Sony is about to start charging more for one of its best gaming services.

PlayStation Plus will jump in price from $50 to $60 annually, according to an announcement on Sony’s PlayStation Blog. Three months of PS Plus will now cost $22; it previously was $18. If you pay monthly for PS Plus, nothing will change for you in the United States because Sony plans to continue charging $10 12 times a year for that tier — although Canadian will now have to pay $12 monthly. All of these new prices will go into effect September 22. This brings PS Plus in line with the cost of Microsoft’s competing Xbox Live Gold service.

PS Plus is the premium online gaming network for Sony’s PlayStation consoles. It enables online multiplayer on PS4 while also offering a library of games each month at no extra charge. For example, in August, PS Plus subscribers will get space-trucking sim Rebel Galaxy for PS4 and the Japanese crime adventure Yakuza 5 for PS3. Sony’s Game & Network Services (the PlayStation division), generated $3.208 billion in revenue last quarter. The company credited PlayStation Network and PlayStation Plus for a lot of that money.

“PlayStation Plus strives to enrich your PlayStation experience through a world-class service built for our fans,” PS Plus content manager Greg Lewickyj wrote. “This marks the first time that PS Plus membership prices will increase in the U.S. and Canada since the launch of the service in 2010. The new pricing reflects the current market conditions while enabling us to continue providing exceptional value to our members.”

Since this price hike is due in September, you can purchase a PS Plus membership or extension to your service now at the original prices. If you are already a member and wait until after September 22, you’ll have to pay the increased price as well.

PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold are among the most important products for Sony and Microsoft. These online networks guarantee a high level of revenue each month, and that has helped to make PlayStation one of Sony’s most profitable divisions.