PlayStation Gamer's Guide to the Best PS4 or PS5 Protection Plan

Gaming on a Sony PlayStation is a crazy good time, whether you’re rocking the latest and greatest PS5 or still gaming on your older PS4. But you know what isn’t great at all? Getting stuck with no PlayStation gaming because your console bites the dust.

While PlayStations are generally well made, there are plenty of issues that can crop up. Some will mess up your gaming experience, while others will grind your machine to a screeching halt, never to play again.

One great strategy for protecting against this kind of problem is to purchase an Manufacturer's Extended Warranty or an Upsie Protection Plan for your PS4 or PS5. The manufacturer warranty from Sony lasts one year and is limited to “material defects in material and workmanship.” But what happens if something goes wrong that Sony won’t cover, like a drop or liquid damage? Or, what if something goes wrong on day 367 of owning your console?

That’s where an a manufacturer's extended warranty or a third-party protection plan kicks in. There are several PS4 or PS5 protection options, and you’ll find a guide to some of the most popular ones below.

The first option many people look for when purchasing a warranty protection plan is getting one from the manufacturer. These first-party plans are popular, with AppleCare being a well-known example in their verticals. The thinking is that the manufacturer is particularly invested in the customer experience, and they know their own devices better than anyone else.

The biggest problem with first-party plans is usually cost. And since Sony has kept their pricing for Protect Plus an industry secret (seriously — you cannot find out how much it costs without first registering your console), it’s a good bet they aren’t exactly competing on price.

For whatever princely sum Sony wants, you do get extended first-party coverage up to and including replacement (though with a refurbished console). If you upgrade Sony Protect to Protect Plus, you also get accidental damage protection, plus removal and reinstallation (though they’re certainly referring to larger items like TVs with that “perk”).

If you’ve ever bought a console at a brick-and-mortar retailer, you know the drill here. Inevitably, the cashier will attempt to sell you some vaguely defined service protection plan. This at-the-register approach has even extended to online sales, such as with Amazon.

The details vary by retailer, of course, and many retailers aren’t really selling their own products. Amazon is repackaging SquareTrade warranties, for example. Best Buy does offer their own branded warranty through their Geek Squad division.

The problem here is that retailers know you’re a captive audience. You can’t exactly pull out your smartphone and start comparison shopping right there at the register. So they charge a hefty premium and sometimes shortchange you on service quality, banking on the fact that enough people will sign up to make it worth the effort.

Most of the time, the best plan with a retailer-based service plan is to walk away.

Allstate, formerly SquareTrade, gets by on name recognition, mostly, as it was the go-to destination for cheap protection a decade or two ago. Unfortunately, prices have gone up considerably in those decades and they were acquired by Allstate in 2016 for $1.4 Billion! The coverage is good quality, and you’ll likely have a straightforward experience if you need to make a claim. But as far as value, well, the plans are pretty expensive.

With SquareTrade, there’s no deductible for accidental damage claims. You simply choose between a standard and an accident protection plan, with the latter plan being higher in price.

A three-year SquareTrade PS5 (valued at $499.99) protection plan will run you $119.99 with accident protection and $84.99 without. But without accident protection, is it even worth having?

Upsie offers industry-leading coverage at prices so low you’ll look twice. As a third-party protection service, Upsie earns your trust on service alone and allows you to choose how to repair your broken PlayStation. You can choose local repair through a convenient nation-wide network of vetted repair partners or you can ship it in to Upsie’s repair team.

Upsie is just $1.99/mo (for up to 4 years of coverage!) so making it even time periods with Squaretrade, three years of Upsie's Playstation 5 protection with accidental damage coverage costs $71.67 with a small $50 deductible should you ever make a claim.

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