Sony will retire the PlayStation Plus app on PC on Dec. 10. Here's what you lose, what stays on PS5, and what to do before the cloud streaming ends.
Sony is shutting down the PlayStation Plus app for PC on Dec. 10, 2026, according to a PlayStation Blog update that PC Gamer, Polygon and PCMag all covered on Nov. 10 and 11. The app is how PlayStation Plus Premium members stream games from the cloud catalog to a Windows PC. After Dec. 10 that option is gone, and as of Nov. 12 the only cloud-style choice left is Remote Play from your own PS5.
What is Sony shutting down on Dec. 10?
It is the PlayStation Plus cloud streaming app on PC, not the subscription itself. Sony's statement, quoted by PC Gamer and GBAtemp, says the change does not affect PlayStation Plus memberships or benefits on PS5 and PS4 consoles. Sony says it will notify affected users directly.
Sony gave its reason in the same post: fewer than 0.4% of eligible PlayStation Plus Premium members use the PC app, and removing it lets the company "focus on enhancing high-quality experiences that more of our members want to use." PC Gamer says the notice came at the tail end of the PlayStation Blog's November Game Catalog update.
What do you lose, and what do you keep?
You lose cloud streaming of the Game Catalog on a PC. IGN notes that, apart from the few games Sony has ported to Windows, the app was the easiest way to play PS5 games on a computer, even if you were streaming them. PC Gamer's take is that it was more useful for older PlayStation titles than for new releases.
You keep your membership, your console library and your trophies on PS5 and PS4. Sony's announcement is about the streaming app only. You can still use Remote Play, though IGN points out that it needs a console switched on and connected to the same network.
Does this fit a bigger Sony pullback from PC?
Reporters say yes. PC Gamer ties it to Sony's walkback earlier this year, when the company shifted back toward console exclusives. IGN says PlayStation CEO Herman Hulst told employees in May that Sony would not offer further titles on alternative platforms, and PCMag reports the same. Multiplayer games like Marvel Tokon are still expected on PC, per PC Gamer.
Polygon adds some context from a rough year for PlayStation fans. Sony raised the monthly price of all three PlayStation Plus tiers earlier in 2026, has raised PS5 prices more than once, and announced in July that it would stop making physical discs for new releases starting in January 2028, per Polygon. Those are Polygon's descriptions, and we have not re-verified each one.
Here is where outlets differ in tone. PC Gamer thinks the shutdown is mostly about the numbers: if 0.4% of eligible subscribers use something, retiring it is not a shock. IGN frames it as another step away from PC. Both can be true, and Sony has not said which one weighs more.
What should PC players do before Dec. 10?
- Finish what you are playing. PCMag's headline advice is to wrap up your games by early December, since streaming ends on Dec. 10.
- Check your email. Sony says it will message affected users directly, so watch the email tied to your account.
- Look for a console route. If you want to keep playing a Catalog game, it will need to be on a PS5 or PS4, where benefits continue.
- Refunds are unaddressed. None of the reports we read mention refunds or price changes tied to the shutdown, so we are not guessing.
Our take: if you are in that 0.4%, this will sting, and the message is hard to miss. Sony wants PlayStation games played on PlayStation hardware. That is a clear strategy, even if it is not a popular one with PC players. What we do not know is whether Sony will bring cloud streaming back in some other form, and nothing in the announcement says it will.
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Picture credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment / PlayStation Blog
