Many gaming companies have subscription services luring gamers in with supposedly great deals. Over at Sony, there is PlayStation Plus which allows gamers access to multiplayer online gameplay. Additionally, gamers also get free games for PS4 and PS5. It is worthwhile to consider the value of all the games that have been handed out this year, as it gives gamers a good idea of whether their subscription is worth it.
To do this fairly, some methodology has to be laid down. It would be unreasonable to compare the games based on their release price, as some of the games on offer have been out for years and have lost value in the meantime. Consequently, a price checker has been used to ascertain the lowest price the games have historically been sold for on PS Store. Secondly, the selection of PlayStation Plus games from the Western market is analyzed, as Asian markets sometimes get slightly different games.
The PlayStation Plus Monthly Games
As has been the tradition for years, PS Plus subscribers are gifted with two or three monthly games that are free to claim and play for as long as the player remains subscribed. Sony is often in a losing position, as it can be difficult to please an entire planet of gamers with the selection of games. Sometimes, it gets it remarkably right. Other times, PS subscribers are left disappointed while a few niche gamers rejoice.
In 2022, PS Plus subscribers received a great variety of games, including sports titles, action-adventure games, and even arcade racing games. The service brought well-needed attention to some great multiplayer games like Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, and it also had treats for younger gamers thanks to the inclusion of titles like the Lego Harry Potter Collection and Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. This year, gamers received the following free monthly games:
January
- Persona 5 Strikers (PS4) - $23.99
- Dirt 5 (PS4/PS5) - $11.99
- Deep Rock Galactic (PS4/PS5) - $14.99
- Total = $50.97
February
- Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure (PS4) - $4.99
- UFC 4 (PS4) - $10.19
- Planet Coaster: Console Edition (PS5) - $12.49
- Total = $27.67
March
- Ark: Survival Evolved (PS4) - $6.59
- Team Sonic Racing (PS4) - $11.99
- Ghostrunner (PS5) - $10.49
- Ghost of Tsushima: Legends (PS4/PS5) - $19.99
- Total = $49.06
April
- Hood: Outlaws and Legends (PS4/PS5) - $4.99
- Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (PS4) - $13.49
- Slay the Spire (PS4) - $9.99
- Total = $28.47
May
- FIFA 22 (PS4/PS5) - $20.99
- Tribes of Midgard (PS4/PS5) - $9.99
- Curse of the Dead Gods (PS4) - $7.99
- Total = $38.97
June
- God of War (PS4) - $9.99
- Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker (PS4) - $5.99
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (PS4/PS5) - $9.99
- Total = $25.97
July
- Arcadegeddon (PS4/PS5) - $12.99
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (PS4/PS5) - $26.99
- The Dark Pictures Anthology: Medan of Man (PS4) - $19.99
- Total = $59.97
August
- Little Nightmares (PS4) - $3.99
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 Cross-Gen Deluxe Bundle (PS4/PS5) - $24.99
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS4/PS5) - $20.99
- Total = $49.97
September
- Granblue Fantasy: Versus (PS4) - $13.99
- Need for Speed Heat (PS4) - $5.99
- Toem (PS5) - $9.99
- Total = $29.97
October
- Hot Wheels Unleashed (PS4/PS5) - $9.99
- Injustice 2 (PS4) - $2.99
- Superhot (PS4) - $9.99
- Total = $22.97
November
- Nioh 2/ Nioh 2 Remastered (PS4/PS5) - $29.99
- Lego Harry Potter Collection (PS4) - $3.99
- Heavenly Bodies (PS4/PS5) - $13.99
- Total = $47.97
December
- Mass Effect Legendary Edition (PS4) - $23.99
- Divine Knockout: Founder's Edition (PS4/PS5) - $23.99
- Biomutant (PS4/PS5) - $19.99
- Total = $67.97
This brings the grand total for the year to $499.93. With PS Plus Essential costing $59.99 per year, there is a potential savings of $439.94 if a gamer claims and plays every game that was given out. Though the free monthly games can sometimes draw complaints, the occasional gems thrown in like God of War and Nioh 2 make PS Plus a subscription that is always worth considering. For gamers who subscribe to the service for the free monthly games, it appears that, as long as the kinds of games being given out are to your liking enough times, it is still a money-saving proposition. The downside is that access to the games is contingent on gamers continually subscribing to the service.
PlayStation Plus Continues to Expand
In 2022, Sony's subscription service received a massive revamp which essentially merged PS Plus and PS Now. PS Plus now comes in three tiers, allowing players to select a gaming plan that suits their needs. With PS Plus Essential, gamers get the regular features that were part of the old version of PS Plus. PS Plus Extra offers additional perks, including access to a catalog of PS4 and PS5 games that can be downloaded. For fans of retro gamers, there is also the highest tier, PS Plus Premium, which allows players to stream PSP, PS, PS2, and PS3 games. With the new subscription plan, Sony has the opportunity to address video game preservation, which is an issue that has become increasingly urgent. However, this solution has proven itself to be imperfect, as games like Red Dead Redemption have disappeared from the service, once again vastly limiting the ways gamers can access the classic title.
It will be interesting to see how PlayStation Plus will play out in 2023. In the past, the PS Plus has neglected to celebrate events like Halloween, which is something fans hope changes in the future. It also remains to be seen how the subscription service will accommodate the PSVR 2, which is scheduled to release in February 2023. Although the new headset doesn't have a large library yet, introducing PSVR 2 games to the service would be a great way to attract games to both VR gaming and the subscription service.