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

PlayStation Plus’ midyear rebranding and relaunch landed with a thud. The service, necessary for pretty much every multiplayer game on the PlayStation 4 and PS5, lost two million paying subscribers — and that figure comes from Sony. However, the PS Plus revenue did increase by 10% in the first quarter of the new program.

This means that while some PlayStation users left and may have bought new Premium or Extra subscriptions, most PS Plus subscribers remained the same in 2022. PlayStation Plus’ curators did not. Even though Sony has ruled out first-party, day-one releases for the new PlayStation Plus service — something Microsoft promotes relentlessly on Xbox Game Pass (when it has titles to launch, that is) — Sony’s free game offerings remain best-in-class.

The PlayStation Plus Essential games’ collection’s average Metacritic score, which we use as a shorthand reference for the catalog’s quality, came in at 78 — more than four points higher than it was in 2021, and the highest since we began this evaluation (beating 2019 by one). PlayStation Plus didn’t cheat subscribers by bringing in games that are offered (or have appeared) in other premium services, either. Xbox Game Pass now has 10 available games. Five are from Electronic Arts’ EA Play Library, which is only available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

That said, 10 of PlayStation Plus Essential’s games for 2022 can also be found in the new PlayStation Plus Extra library of content. That’s an issue for PS Plus subscribers with a heartier appetite or heftier wallets, though; those who are still subscribers at the same level they’ve been for a decade effectively got 10 Extra-level games without having to pay for them, including 2018’s God of WarThe most beloved title among the 37 titles given is.

The odd juxtaposition of the two is striking: Sony generates the greatest value from the lowest subscription service tier, while Xbox preserves all for the highest. That may be bad news for SIE’s executives in Tokyo and San Mateo, but it’s great for their customers, at least.

Ghost Ship Games/Coffee Stain Publishing

Review 2022

PlayStation Plus Essential — known as the Instant Game Collection before June — comprised 37 titles in 2022, with an average Metacritic score of 78 and a combined retail price of $1,304.63 (prices taken from the PlayStation Store at publication time of this analysis).

That Metacritic average is a significant jump up from 2021 — more than four points. The retail value is less than 2021’s, which came in at $1,424.60, although it offered 40 games to subscribers. 35 dollars is the average retail price for a PlayStation Plus Essential title, as seen on the PlayStation Store.

So let’s break down the games, month-by-month. Three games only are compatible with the PlayStation 5; the rest of the PlayStation 4 titles are also playable with the older console. No PlayStation VR games are available. They’re all listed with their Metacritic score and age (at the time of availability).

January

• Persona5 Strikers (PS4, 83 Metecritic, 10 Months old)
• Dirt 5 (PS4 & PS5, 80, 1 year, 2 months)
• Deep Rock Galactic (PS4 & PS5, 85, day-and-date launch for these consoles)

If you are lucky enough to have a PlayStation 5, or even if your PlayStation 4 is still in use, there’s still hope for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Deep Rock Galactic a co-op shooter we’ve adored since its early access launch in 2018, With a date-and-time launch of PlayStation Plus, Windows/Xbox’s exclusivity ends for almost two years.

February

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

One more month where the games are averaging over 80 on Metacritic. Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, broken out into a standalone game three months prior, dates back to 2013’s Borderlands 3However, it’s still timely and relevant. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Launched March 20, 222.

Image: Studio Wildcard

March

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

Legends of the Ghost of Tsushima the multiplayer mode of the open-world samurai adventure that launched in October 2020, gooses the value for what would otherwise be PlayStation Plus’ weakest month. This is why it was launched in September 2021 as a standalone launch. Legends Also, Metacritic has only two reviews. Take its 92 rating with a grain. The full game was 83.

April

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

Take down the Spire This is not only an excellent roguelite deck-building tool, but also a game that literally launched the roguelite genre. But, if that’s not your jam, April comes in rather thin for Essential subscribers.

Mai

• FIFA 22 (PS4, 78, 7 months)
• TribesMidgard (PS4 & PS5, 71, 9 months)
• Curse of the Dead Gods (PS4, 79, 1 year, 2 months)

This month marks the first time EA Sports’ flagship FIFA series appeared on PlayStation Plus (or Xbox Live Games With Gold, for that matter) since the Instant Game Collection (as Essential was called) began 12 years before. FIFA 22 The EA Play Catalog would add the title in July. This is somewhat misleading as it also includes the PlayStation 4 game version, which does not have some of the same features or improvements that the PS5 edition has.

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment

June

• God of War (PS4, 94, 4 years, 2 months)
• NarutoBoruto ShinobiStrike (PS4, 61, 3 years, 9 months)
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (PS4 & PS5, 65, 8 months)

PlayStation Plus’ relaunch — with three tiers offering access to three different libraries of games — came June 13, and God of War was part of PlayStation Plus Extra’s catalog at launch, which isn’t much of a favor to day-one subscribers at that level. It isn’t much of a favor to PS5 owners, either, who got this along with 19 other games in the PlayStation Plus Collection back in 2020.

July

• Arcadegeddon (PS4 & PS5, 73, day-and-date launch)
• Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (PS4 & PS5, 85, 1 year, 9 months)
• The Dark Pictures Anthology – Man of Medan (PS4, 69, 2 years, 10 months)

Arcadegeddon A year earlier, the game was available in Steam Early Access. The videogame release calendar is slowest in July, so it’s a good time for PS Plus to unveil this shooter-style cooperative horde.

August

• Little Nightmares (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 the Dragon (PS4 & PS5, 84, 1 year, 9 months)

Regardless of the Metacritic scores, August is PlayStation Plus Essential’s strongest month, with three widely appealing games, two of them offering dozens of hours of gameplay or replay. You can still play the games even after you finish them. Little Nightmares was a little short, it was still one of 2017’s best games.

Image by Ghost Games/Electronic Arts

September

• Granblue Fantasy Versus (PS4, 78, 2 years, 6 months)
• Speed is a mustHeat (PS4, 72, 2 years, 10 months)
• Toem (PS5, 80, 1 year)

Speed Heat may have drawn indifferent reviews when it launched in 2019, but let’s be real here: Racing video games are like pizza, so even the average ones are a good time. Free pizza makes it even more delicious.

October

• Hot Wheels Unleashed (PS4 & PS5, 75, 1 year)
• Injustice 2 (PS4, 88, 5 years, 5 months)
• Superhot (PS4, 83, 5 years, 2 months)

Milestone’s lovely Hot Wheels Unleashed This is an excellent value title that joins two well-respected games. Superhot has been in wide circulation for several years, but if you still haven’t played it, it’s the kind of offbeat experience that PlayStation Plus excels at discovering and delivering.

November

• Heavenly Bodies (PS4 & PS5, 75, 11 months)
• Lego Harry PotterThe Collection (PS4, 76, 6 years)
• Nioh 2 (with Nioh 2 Remastered free upgrade, PS4 & PS5, 85, 2 years, 8 months)

We were so close! We were so close to making it through a year of free games without going to the ol’ Lego well with TT Games. However, this gem is a true treasure. Nioh 2 — and the free remaster for those with a PS5 — it’s forgivable.

December

• Biomutant (PS4, 64, 1 year, 6 months)
• Divine Knockout (PS4 & PS5, 66, day-and-date launch)
• Mass EffectLegendary Edition (PS4 & PS5, 87, 1 year, 7 months)

PlayStation Plus offers a chance to win Divine KnockoutThe multiplayer brawler is somewhat similar to Rumbleverse And Knockout City. If that’s a miss for you, there’s no arguing with Mass Effect Legendary EditionIt is available to EA Play subscribers, however.

Image: Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo

The Numbers

Average Score 78

The average MSRP is: $35.26

Average age: 2 years and 4 months

Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment These titles are available in three versions: Ghost of Tsushima, Legends and God of War And Nioh 2.

Publisher with the most titles: Electronic Arts has five: UFC 4, Dirt 5, FIFA 22, Need for Speed Heat Mass Effect Legendary Edition These are all available to you with your EA Play membership.

You have played Games With Gold, or Plus Essentials before. PS Plus: None, Games With Gold: Little Nightmares (January 2021) Superhot (March 2018).

Game Pass available: In addition to EA’s five contributions (which are available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers), there are five more PS Plus Essential Games on Xbox Game Pass: Deep Rock Galactic, Slay the Spire Yakuza, Yakuza, Ark Survival EvolvedPlease see the following: Injustice 2.

You can also get Plus Extra through Amazon: SIE’s three titles (Ghost Of Tsushima – Legends, Gods of WarPlease see the following: Yakuza: As a DragonAlong with seven other titles, ), are available in the PlayStation Plus Extra library: Ghostrunner in Injustice 2, Naruto To Boruto, Naruto and Boruto, Shinobi Strikers. The Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan, Little NightmaresPlease see the following: Lego Harry Potter Collection. Additionally, God of War All 5 owners can access the Collection via the PlayStation Plus.

Total Value $1,304.63