We’ve received a lot of questions in regards to PlayStation Plus: How to use it, what content is available, and more. Today we’d like to present some answers to some of the common questions we’ve heard.

Q: What is PlayStation Plus?

A: PlayStation Plus is a subscription service offered to enhance your experience on the already free PlayStation Network. It offers you, the user, exclusive services for added convenience:

• Automatic downloads where select game demos and other content get delivered straight to your PS3 system, so you don’t have to think about it.
• Full game trials which allow you to play up to 60 consecutive minutes of a game. When you purchase the full game (or when you insert the Blu-ray disc of that game), you will get the PSN trophies that you earned during the trial.
• Special discounts on the PlayStation Store and exclusive opportunities like select betas and select early demos.

Our goal is to deliver a valuable enhancement to your gaming experience.

Currently, you can purchase a three-month subscription at $17.99 or an annual subscription at $49.99 with an additional three months free. Subscriptions can be downloaded from the PlayStation Store, or you can purchase PlayStation Network cards at a retailer near you now; dedicated PlayStation Plus cards are coming in October.

Q: How do I use PlayStation Plus?

A: After you purchase your three-month or one-year subscription, your account will be branded as a PlayStation Plus account with a Plus logo next to your PSN ID. There is a PlayStation Plus category in the PlayStation Store where you can see all the offerings available to you at that time, or you can peruse other parts of the PlayStation Store and you will be able to see discounts, exclusive content and games, themes and avatars that are available to you in each category.

Q: What is the PlayStation Plus release schedule?

A: PlayStation Plus has a monthly rotating schedule of content that we post on a bi-weekly basis or, to rephrase, we post new content every other Tuesday. We plan to feature PlayStation.Blog posts the following Wednesday so you will see what’s coming (and what’s being taken down) for the next PlayStation Plus update.

Some content that was posted will be removed from the Plus category but not from the PlayStation Store. As long as you have downloaded the content and are an active PlayStation Plus subscriber, you will be able to re-download your content, even if it is removed from the Plus rotation or if you have deleted the content.

Q: What happens when my PlayStation Plus subscription ends?

A: The content you have downloaded as part of your PlayStation Plus subscription at no charge is only accessible as long as you are an active subscriber. The exceptions are free themes and avatars, which you will continue to have access to, even if you are no longer a subscriber. Anything you have purchased (even if you purchased it at a discount) will remain available to you even if your subscription ends.

Q: My subscription expired, but I renewed it late. Will I get my content back?

A: Yes you will.

Q: What do I currently get with PlayStation Plus?

A: PlayStation Plus offers a variety of discounts, games and exclusive content. In general, you will have access to at least the following, which rotate monthly:

• 1 PSN game or PSone Classic game
• 2 minis
• A monthly Qore single episode

Currently, there are categories from our partners at Midway and Tik-Creat Games that offer 20% off PSN games and free add-ons.

We will continue to regulaly update PlayStation Plus with XMB themes and avatars, exclusive items, select game demos and additional discounts. We will also offer exclusive opportunities only made available to PlayStation Plus members such as our current Hulu Plus Preview and the discounted two-year PlayStation Protection Plan.

Q: Is Qore included in PlayStation Plus?

A: Yes, the current monthly single episode is included in PlayStation Plus — the same episode found on the PlayStation Store (regular price $2.99 per episode). Annual Qore subscribers still receive their monthly subscription including their additional downloadable content.

Q: What about those exclusive game betas?

A: Betas have limited invites and based on selection criteria not every PlayStation Plus member will get access to every beta; however, we’re working with game developers to make qualified PlayStation Plus members the first to gain access.

Many game betas are done to test certain parts of a game or certain functionality (like previous game add-on integration) so that when the final version of the game launches, it’s the best it can be. Oftentimes, betas are extremely limited as well. We need to ensure that members of Plus meet that individual beta’s requirement to be issued an exclusive invite.

There are two betas for PlayStation Plus members coming up shortly and more details will be announced soon.

Q: Why did X country get this and we didn’t?

A: Different countries have different rights, release schedules and, as many of you know, have different things available in their PlayStation Store for this reason. We are constantly working to align our content globally, but to also ensure that our North American audience gets the content that is available to them as some games are released globally on different schedules.

Q: What about Cross-Game Chat (or other functionality)?

A: We are constantly working on new services and features to enhance your PlayStation experience; however, Cross-Game Chat was not announced as a part of PlayStation Plus’ features. We know that Cross-Game Chat is a functionality our fans are extremely interested in and we are always striving to improve the PlayStation Network experience and services.

We invite you to send us your feedback and suggestions using the PlayStation.Blog Share tool (located to the right of this post) and stay up to date on what we are doing by signing up for newsletters, our forums, and following us on the PlayStation.Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.