PlayStation Plus continues to grow with each passing month, a testament to Sony's commitment to its Game Pass competitor. Whether such services are a net positive for the industry is a complex subject, but one immutable fact remains: platforms like PS Plus are massively popular.
I can't claim to be impartial here: I'm a regular user of my PlayStation Plus Premium membership, as it allows me to experience a wide variety of games at a relatively low price point. As such, I have a few games I can recommend that should accommodate a wide range of players and satisfy them for the next week.
Don't Forget to Grab PlayStation Plus Essential's Free September 2025 Games
We're at the dawn of a new month, so be sure to add the September 2025 PlayStation Plus Essential games to your library when they activate on the 2nd:
- Psychonauts 2
- Stardew Valley
- Viewfinder
September is going to be another great month for the Essential tier. Stardew Valley is arguably the best cozy/life sim game ever made, and fellow indie Viewfinder is great for players looking for a more structured, linear puzzle experience. Then there's Psychonauts 2, the long-awaited sequel to Double Fine's 2005 classic, which was received warmly by critics and audiences alike. Indeed, all three PS Plus Essentials games for September are strong in their own right, so don't miss out.
Risk of Rain 2
Available on PS Plus Extra
Risk of Rain 2 understands the roguelike genre better than the overwhelming majority of its contemporaries. Each run is broken into a series of large, open-ended levels that players can explore to find all manner of valuable resources, Easter eggs, and secrets, but the real goldmine is the in-run progression: Risk of Rain 2 offers clever, meaningful progression paths, and with most upgrades having generous stack limits, it's remarkably easy to break the game once you know what you're doing. It also has one of the best soundtracks of any game from the past decade, so it's definitely worth a try.
- How long to beat Risk of Rain 2: around 11 hours to roll credits, but it can take up to 150 hours to uncover all characters, abilities, and side objectives.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- September 11, 2020
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Hopoo Games
- Publisher(s)
- Gearbox Publishing
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Risk of Rain
- PC Release Date
- September 11, 2020
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- August 27, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- August 27, 2024
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 20, 2020
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Roguelike
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection
Available on PS Plus Extra
Anyone who's familiar with me knows that I'm no great fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise. But before what I view as the metaphorical death of the series, there were the Ezio games, which are terrific in so many ways.
I think much of the appeal of the Ezio-led Assassin's Creed trilogy (Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin's Creed Revelation) comes down to charm. They aren't perfect, and they foreshadow many of the problems the franchise would come to have, but Ezio's personal journey is interesting, compelling, and most importantly, cohesive. These earlier games feel hungry, ambitious, and purpose-driven, their strengths and weaknesses stemming from a strong creative drive, whereas the modern entries feel poisoned by profit motive, fan service, and the need to continue the series indefinitely.
- How long to beat Assassin's Creed 2: 20–35 hours.
- How long to beat Assassin's Creed Brotherhood: 15–40 hours.
- How long to beat Assassin's Creed Revelations: 12–35 hours.
WHERE TO PLAY
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Platform(s)
- macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- How Long To Beat
- 19 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
Hotline Miami
Available on PS Plus Extra
I'm a massive fan of hard games, but Hotline Miami's difficulty has always given me a real run for my money. Its formula is expanded in Hotline Miami: Wrong Number, but for the most unadulterated, white-knuckle combat experience, you've got to play the first game. Each level is like a chain reaction: after your first move, everything else unfolds at breakneck speed, forcing you to think on your feet to avoid instant death. It's one hell of a challenge, but an incredibly rewarding one, gilded with a slick, nasty VHS flair and killer soundtrack for good measure.
- How long to beat Hotline Miami: 5–15 hours.
Hotline Miami
- Released
- October 23, 2012
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Strong Language, Crude Humor
- Developer(s)
- Dennaton Games
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
- Engine
- gamemaker, phyreengine
WHERE TO PLAY
- Franchise
- Hotline Miami
- PC Release Date
- October 23, 2012
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 23, 2023
- PS5 Release Date
- October 23, 2023
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- August 19, 2019
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Android, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 5 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium