PlayStation Plus 2022 free games list: 37 games worth more than $1,300

PlayStation Plus mid-year rebrand and restart landing with a thud. The service, essential for almost every multiplayer game on PlayStation 4 and PS5, has lost two million paid subscribers — and that number comes from Sony. The company saw an increase in PS Plus revenue in the first quarter under the new program, but only 10%.

In other words, while some PlayStation fans leave and perhaps more people buy into new Extra or Premium subscriptions, the majority of PS Plus users remain supportive in 2022. PlayStation Plus curators. not. Although Sony has exclude first-party releases, one day As for the new PlayStation Plus service – which Microsoft advertises relentlessly on Xbox Game Pass (meaning when it has titles coming out) – Sony’s free game offerings are still the best in their class.

The average Metacritic score of the PlayStation Plus Essential game collection, which we use as a shorthand reference for the quality of the catalog, comes in at 78 — four points higher than last year. 2021and the highest since we started this review (beat 2019 by one). PlayStation Plus also does not defraud subscribers by including games offered (or appeared) in other premium services. Only 10 can be found on Xbox Game Pass, down from 14 last year, and five of those come from Electronic Arts, the EA Play library available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

That said, 10 PlayStation Plus Essential games for 2022 can also be found in the new PlayStation Plus Extra content library. However, that’s a problem for PS Plus subscribers with better palates or bigger budgets; those who are still subscribers at the same level they were subscribed to for a decade effectively 10 Extra Level games without paying for them, including 2018 God of Warthe most acclaimed title out of the 37 given.

It still makes for a curious combination: Sony delivers the most value through its lowest subscription tier, while Xbox saves everything at its highest. That might be bad news for SIE executives in Tokyo and San Mateo, but at least it’s good for their customers.

Image: Ghost Ship Games/Coffee Stain Publishing

2022 review

PlayStation Plus Essential — known as the Pre-June Instant Game Collection — includes 37 titles by 2022, with an average Metacritic score of 78 and an aggregate retail price of $1,304.63 (price taken. from the PlayStation Store at the time of publishing this analysis).

That Metacritic average is a significant jump from 2021 — four points more. The retail value of 2021 is lower, at $1,424.60, although it does offer 40 games to subscribers. The average price of a PlayStation Plus Essential game, from the PlayStation Store, is essentially the same as last year: $35.

So let’s break down the games, month by month. Only three games are playable on the PlayStation 5; all PlayStation 4 games are playable on newer consoles. Nobody is a PlayStation VR game. They are all listed with their Metacritic scores and ages (at time of availability).

January

• personalities 5 strikers (PS4, 83 Metacritic, 10 months old)
• dirt 5 (PS4 & PS5, 80, 1 year, 2 months)
• deep rock galaxy (PS4 & PS5, 85, launch date for these consoles)

For those lucky enough to get a PlayStation 5 for Christmas 2021, and even for those still using their PlayStation 4, this is a huge opportunity for PlayStation Plus subscribers. deep rock galaxy, a co-op shooter that we love since launching early access in 2018, ends nearly two years of a Windows/Xbox exclusivity with a daily launch on PlayStation Plus.

February

• UFC 4 (PS4, 78, 1 year, 6 months)
• Tiny Tina’s attack on Dragon Keep (PS4, 86, 6 years, 10 months)
• Planet Coaster: Console Edition (PS5, 81, 1 year, 3 months)

Another month of games averaging over 80 on Metacritic. Tiny Tina’s attack on the Dragon Keep, split into an indie game three month ago, since 2013 border zone 3 but it’s still a timely option, with Tiny Tina’s Wonderland Opening March 2022.

Image: Wildcard Studio

Steps are

• Ark: Survival Evolved (PS4, 69, 4 years, 6 months)
• Sonic Racing Team (PS4, 72, 2 years, 9 months)
• ghost (PS5, 78, 1 year, 4 months)
• Ghost of Tsushima: Legend (PS4 & PS5, 92, six months)

Ghost of Tsushima: Legend, The open world samurai adventure’s multiplayer mode launches in October 2020, giving PlayStation Plus value the weakest month. It’s a split into an independent debut in September 2021, i.e. its young days. legend also there are only two review scores listed on Metacriticso disregard its number 92; the whole game arrived at 83.

April

• Hood: Outlaws & Legends (PS4 & PS5, 68, 11 months)
• SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom — Rehydrated (PS4, 68, 1 year, 9 months)
• Kill the tower (PS4, 88, 2 years, 10 months)

Kill the tower Not just a great roguelite deck building game, it actually started that genre when it launched back in 2019. However, if that’s not your problem, April is coming pretty thin for Essential subscribers.

May

• FIFA 22 (PS4, 78.7 months)
• tribe by Midgard (PS4 & PS5, 71.9 months)
• Curse of the Dead Gods (PS4, 79, 1 year, 2 months)

This month marks EA Sports’ flagship FIFA series for the first time on PlayStation Plus (or Xbox Live Games With Gold, for that matter) since Instant Games Collection (as Essential is called) ) started 12 years ago. fifa 22 will be added to the EA Play catalog in July, somewhat debating this point; this is also the PlayStation 4 version of the game, missing some features and improvements in the PS5 version.

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

June

• God of War (PS4, 94, 4 years, 2 months)
• naruto To Boruto: shinobi Strike (PS4, 61, 3 years, 9 months)
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (PS4 & PS5, 65.8 months)

PlayStation Plus’ relaunch — with three levels offering access to three different game libraries — takes place on June 13 and God of War was part of PlayStation Plus Extra’s catalog at launch, which didn’t do much favor with first-day subscribers at that level. It also does not benefit PS5 owners who have received this plus 19 other games in the PlayStation Plus Collection back in 2020.

July

• Arcadegeddon (PS4 & PS5, 73, release date)
• Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s Time (PS4 & PS5, 85, 1 year, 9 months)
• Anthology of Dark Paintings: Man of Medan (PS4, 69, 2 years, 10 months)

Arcadegeddon actually launched in early access on Steam a year earlier. But July is usually one of the slowest months on the video game release schedule, making it the best time for PS Plus to launch this co-op crowd-shooter.

August

• little nightmare (PS4, 82.5 years, 3 months)
• Tony Hawk‘s Pro Skater 1+2 Cross-Gen Deluxe Bundle (PS4 & PS5, 89, 1 year, 11 months)
• yakuza: Like a dragon (PS4 & PS5, 84, 1 year, 9 months)

Regardless of the Metacritic score, August was PlayStation Plus Essential’s strongest month, with three widely engaging games, two of which offered dozens of hours of playtime or replayability. And even if little nightmare is a little short, it’s still one of the best games of 2017.

Image: Ghost Games / Electronic Arts

September

• Granblue Fantasy vs (PS4, 78, 2 years, 6 months)
• need for speed Heat (PS4, 72, 2 years, 10 months)
• toem (PS5, 80, 1 year)

Need a quick temperature may have received lukewarm reviews when it launched in 2019, but let’s be real: Racing video games are like pizza, so even average games are a moment. good. And the free pizza is even better.

October

• hot wheel liberate, release, free (PS4 & PS5, 75, 1 year)
• unjust 2 (PS4, 88.5 years, 5 months)
• Super hot (PS4, 83.5 years, 2 months)

Milestone of pretty Hot wheels roll out is a valuable title that combines the two games, which, while acclaimed, somewhat show their age at this point. Super hot It’s been in wide circulation for several years, but if you haven’t played it yet, it’s the kind of unusual experience that PlayStation Plus explores and delivers brilliantly.

November

• Heavenly body (PS4 & PS5, 75, 11 months)
• LegoHarry Potter collect (PS4, 76, 6 years)
• Nioh 2 (with Nioh 2 is remade free upgrade, PS4 & PS5, 85, 2 years, 8 months)

So close! We’re almost past a year of free games without the old Lego with TT Games. But with a gem like Nioh 2 — and the free remaster for those with PS5 — forgivable.

December

• biological mutation (PS4, 64, 1 year, 6 months)
• Divine Knockout (PS4 & PS5, 66, release date)
• Block effect Legendary version (PS4 & PS5, 87, 1 year, 7 months)

PlayStation Plus takes the opportunity Divine Knockouta multiplayer brawl somewhat in mode Rumbleverse and City knockout. If it’s a miss for you, no arguing with Mass Effect Legendary Editionthough EA Play subscribers already have it.

Image: Team Ninja/Koei ​​Tecmo

By the numbers

Medium score: 78

Average MSRP: $35.26

The average age: 2 years and 4 months

Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment: Three titles: Ghost of Tsushima: Legend, God of War, and Nioh 2.

Publishers with the most titles: Electronic Arts, with five: Dirt 5, UFC 4, FIFA 22, Need for Speed ​​Heat and Mass Effect Legendary Edition, all available with an EA Play subscription.

Previously appeared on Games With Gold or PlayStation Plus Essential: Not on PS Plus, two on Games With Gold: little nightmare (in January 2021) and Super hot (March 2018).

Available on Xbox Game Pass: In addition to EA’s five contributions (for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers), there are five more PS Plus Essential Games on Xbox Game Pass: Deep Rock Galactic, Slay the Spire, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Ark: Survival Evolvedand Injustice 2.

Also available through PlayStation Plus Extra: Three titles of SIE (Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, God of Warand Yakuza: Like a Dragon) is part of the PlayStation Plus Extra library along with seven other libraries: Injustice 2, Ghostrunner, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan, little nightmareand Lego Harry Potter Collection. Besides, God of War available through the PlayStation Plus Collection made available to all PlayStation 5 owners as of 2020.

Total value: $1,304.63 (Full MSRP obtained from PlayStation Store at time of publication).