Elder Scrolls Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Players only need to purchase the basic game to play. It also provides its players with an optional paid subscription model called ESO Plus. This subscription includes VIP privileges that cannot be accessed or need to be purchased separately. Players with an ESO Plus subscription can use all Elder Scrolls Online extensions and can also choose to earn premium ESO Gold in the game.

Elder Scrolls Online previously offered a free trial of ESO Plus for a specified number of days, but a subscription can be purchased at any time. The one-month subscription fee is US$14.99, the three-month fee is US$13.99/month, the six-month fee is US$12.99/month, and the one-year subscription fee is US$11.67/month. There are many benefits to subscribing to ESO Plus.

ESO Plus subscribers will receive an automatic deposit of 1,650 crowns per month to their account at the time of purchase, which means that players who purchase a three-month subscription will receive 4,950 crowns immediately, every time the subscription is renewed. The Crown is an advanced ESO Gold in The Elder Scrolls Online, used to purchase in-game items in the Crown Store, and its value is slightly more than $15. Players can purchase a variety of items in the Crown Store, including convenient travel services and Elder Scrolls Online Gold used to change the appearance of players in Elder Scrolls Online, as well as rare cosmetics. The Crown Store with ESO Plus also offers exclusive discounts. However, these two benefits are not provided in the free trial version.

Elder Scrolls Online lacks Bethesda's overburdening mechanism in the main Elder Scrolls game, especially when collecting crafting materials commonly found in the Tamriel environment. Each crafting material picked up by the player will fill a space in their inventory that could have placed epic weapons or ESO Gold, which will help them defeat the enemies in the Elder Scrolls Online story. However, in ESO Plus, the crafting materials will be stored in the craft package, as a new part of the inventory menu, with almost unlimited storage space.