Many of these games are now available as part of Sony’s gaming catalogs in different PS Plus tiers. But before tiers and catalogs confused matters, here are the best monthly games PS Plus ever gave away.
I’ve described these games as “free” throughout because that’s how it often feels, but I do want to note you are actually paying for them as part of the PS Plus service.
PlayStation Plus
A PlayStation Plus subscription is essential if you want to play online, but it also nets you free games every month and access to an enormous catalog of older games, depending on your plan.
2015
85
PS Promo Dates
July 2015
If you were able to grab the game for free at the time, you got to be a part of an enormous gaming title finding its footing, building in popularity, and taking the gaming world by storm.Rocket Leaguelooks simple—and its soccer-plus-rocket-powered-cars concept sounds ridiculous—but there’s enormous skill depth to be found and it’s great fun even if you just want a quick mess around.
It’s no wonder the game rocketed to success the way it did.
82
$39.99
June 2019
EveryBorderlandsgame has been offered as a free monthly game on PS Plus at one time or another.Borderlandswas available for PS3 users in 2012withBorderlands 2given away in 2013. In July 2024, we gotBorderlands 3for PS4, and even Telltale’sTales from the Borderlandswas up for grabs in 2017.
But I’ve picked outBorderlands: The Handsome Collectionas my top choice. This package combinesBorderlands 2withBorderlands: The Pre-Sequelalong with enhanced graphics and all theBorderlands 2DLC.
Borderlands 3may have finessed the gameplay overits predecessor, butBorderlands 2is still my favorite game from the series to revisit thanks to its characters, quest storylines, and probably the nostalgia I have from playing it with friends at college.
2016
84
$49.99
February 2020
BioShock: The Collectioncombines all three games from the series—making this the only time the originalBioShockhas been offered as a free PS Plus download—along with various bits of add-on content and a director’s commentary forInfinite, the games are also all remastered in 1080p.
All together, that makes this the best way to play these iconic games. If you’ve never traveled undersea to Rapture or above the clouds to Columbia, you don’t know what you’re missing; these are must-play games.
2018
91
$19.99
March 2020
That may sound like an intense combat adventure, but the genius of this title is that it’s more of a quiet, somber puzzler. This game is unlike any others and deeply affected a generation of gamers.
If you’ve yet to try it and didn’t grab it for free in 2020, you may still play it as part of the PS Plus Extra game catalog.
2020
87
$29.99
March 2021
The remake isn’t just an enormous graphical overhaul, it takes a completely new approach to the gameplay and battle mechanics. Granted, this is only a partial remake, covering approximately a quarter of the full story, withFinal Fantasy Rebirthtaking the next steps and an upcoming third part completing the remake trilogy.
If you love the polygonal original game as much as I do, you might miss its charming graphical quirks and arguably superior storytelling, but this remake is still an impressive and enjoyable way to battle Shinra as Cloud and his ragtag allies.
92
March 2018
The game is chock-full of creepy ghouls, challenging boss fights, and cryptic lore—just as you’d expect from FromSoftware—and has become a fan favorite in the developer’s catalog. This made it feel like an incredible deal at the time to get it without paying a penny.
If you didn’t grab it then, you can still play it now with a PS Plus Extra subscription.
93
October 2017
The fifth installment in theMetal Gearseries,Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, transformed and refined the gameplay in enormous new ways, updating the franchise for a newer generation of consoles introducing open world freedom to the games. Its mission format makes the story feel a little less compelling, but the improvements in the gameplay more than make up for that loss.
2014
95
October 2019
The Lastof Uswas probably the best game on the PS3, arriving just five months before the generation came. So with all the new horsepower of the PS4, it made sense to re-releaseThe Last of Uswith vastly improved graphics, giving usThe Last of Us Remastered.
This remaster included all the multiplayer map packs from the original game along with the excellentLeft Behindadd-on content. Of course, the game was later remade completed for the PS5, withThe Last of Us Part I, but the constant remakes and re-releases of this game just go to show how iconic it has become.
96
April 2020
Uncharted, and its protagonist Nathan Drake, are some of the biggest properties in PlayStation’s gaming catalog these days. TheUnchartedgames struck an innovative and engrossing balance of cinematics, platforming, puzzles, and challenging shootouts. They owe a lot to theTomb Raiderfranchise, but were so successful at reinventing the genre that the 2013Tomb Raiderreboot took a lot of notes fromUncharted.
Uncharted 4improved upon nearly every aspect of the previous games, taking huge advantage of the added horsepower of the PS4 for the first time in the series. The graphics are massively upgraded, the gameplay is further finessed, and the story might be the strongest we’ve seen fromUncharted.
If you didn’t grab the free download in 2020, though, you’re able to playUncharted 4with a PS Plus Extra subscription instead.
94
June 2022
TheGod of Warfranchise has been a staple on PlayStation consoles since the PS2 era, but it was the 2018 reboot that made it the enormous title it is today. Having swapped Greek mythology for Norse mythology, 2018’sGod of Warreinvigorated the series with impressive graphics, adrenalin-fuelled combat, and a powerful story.
2022’s follow-up,God of War Ragnarök, was another smash hit, bowling over critics and gamers alike with its continuation of Kratos and Atreus’s stories. Combined, the two games have become tent-pole titles for the PlayStation, making this a brilliant game to grab for free when PS Plus gave it away in June 2022.
If you still haven’t played it, you can enjoyGod of Warwith a PS Plus Extra subscription now.
With new games offered every month, there are tons of other worthwhile titles we haven’t been able to include on this list, and hopefully there will be tons more to top the chart in future months. If you want to grab them for your own library, you may do it with any PS Plus subscription.
