PlayStation brings cloud gaming to the Portal
Updated: November 7, 2025, 4:28 PM CET
The PlayStation Portal, Sony’s lesser-known handheld console, is finally gaining access to cloud gaming. This feature, however, comes with a catch — it requires a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription.
A quiet handheld gets new life
Despite being overlooked by most players, the PlayStation Portal is seeing renewed attention thanks to this update. Designed to stream games from a PlayStation 5, the device was never fully independent. Only a small fraction — about 3% — of PS5 owners had purchased one by last summer.
The cloud update
Sony announced that Portal owners can now play select digital PS5 titles directly from the cloud, without connecting to their console. The addition makes the device more flexible for gamers on the go.
“Select digital PS5 games from their own library” and cloud streaming through PlayStation Plus are now available to Portal users.
The price of convenience
To use the cloud features, players must have a PlayStation Plus Premium account, Sony’s highest subscription tier, priced at $17.99 monthly or $159.99 annually. For existing subscribers, this addition makes the Portal far more useful than before.
Competition and context
The Steam Deck’s success motivated Sony and other gaming companies to reimagine portable devices. Much of its appeal came from the ability to play anywhere — something Sony hopes to replicate with this update.
Author’s summary: Sony enhances the PlayStation Portal with cloud gaming, making it more versatile but accessible only to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers.