Sony has announced a major, global price drop for its PlayStation Now cloud gaming and download service.

Until today, PS Now cost £12.99 per month in the UK, $19.99 in the US. It now costs just £8.99 / $9.99 per month.

If you pay quarterly, it will now only set you back £22.99 / $24.99, while a yearly subscription paid up front is now just £49.99 / $59.99.

The latter is an especially good deal as, not only is it half the original cost in the UK, it works out at just over £4 per month.

For that, you get access to the large library of more than 700 games available to play by cloud streaming on either a PS4 or PC. Some titles are also available as full downloads, so you can play them without needing constant access to the cloud and with lower latency (ie. none).

Sony has also added four triple-A games to the roster, in the form of the 2018 hit God of War, Grand Theft Auto 5, Infamous Second Son, and Uncharted 4: A thief's End.

"Following PlayStation Now’s expansion earlier this year, we have coverage for more than 70 per cent of our global PS4 user base, making it the ideal time to revamp the service with a more compelling price and stronger content offering," said Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan.

"We have accumulated a wealth of knowledge in cloud gaming since PlayStation Now’s launch in 2014. That, coupled with our 25-year legacy in the games business and strong partnerships we’ve forged with publishers, positions us to continue leading and innovating in this field as the gaming industry evolves."

The move is clearly a shot across the bows of Microsoft and Google, with their respective cloud gaming platforms, Project xCloud and Stadia, set for launch themselves in the coming weeks.