PlayStation Plus is a fantastic service, offering subscribers free PS4 games every month and a discount on a wide range of titles.
Since PS Plus launched back in 2010, Sony has given away some of the best PS4 games as part of the service - but for one month only. Each month you can add these PS Plus free games to your library and, as long as you remain an active PS Plus subscriber, they’re yours to keep and play whenever you want.
Many of us simply add these PS Plus games to our library each month and then forget about them but, we assure you, if you’re a PS Plus member then you’re likely to have some hidden gems in your library. Here are some of the best PS Plus games that Sony has ever made available.
BioShock: The Collection - February 2020
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This collection is of immense value, collecting all three BioShock games and their respective DLC packs. For BioShock Infinite, its Burial at Sea chapters are well worth playing, as they complete the story of an otherwise truncated-feeling game. BioShock 2 remains underrated for the way it puts so many tools in the hands of the player to succeed in combat. And the original BioShock, while dated in many ways, is still an extraordinary feat of world-building in a game. All three of these games are worth revisiting.
Shadow of the Colossus - March 2020
An all-time PS2 classic got a proper facelift from the remaster specialists at Bluepoint Games. In Shadow of the Colossus, you ride around an immense map and slay 16 strange beasts for a selfish goal, in this hybrid of puzzle, action and exploration. Even with its updated controls, new players may find this a fiddly game to finish, but existing fans will enjoy the attention given to the upgraded art in this new edition.
Nioh - November 2019
A more loot-driven alternative to the Souls games, developed by the Ninja Gaiden creators at Team Ninja, Nioh is well worth checking out to see if the third-person melee combat grabs you. Expect an immense challenge. If you manage to get into this one, it's got three DLC packs that can usually be found at a discount in a PSN sale, as well as a full sequel.
The Last of Us Remastered - October 2019
Releasing the remastered The Last Of Us game a few months before The Last of Us 2 was initially due to ship was a smart move, reminding PlayStation players of the deeply affecting drama-with-zombies at the perfect time.
The Last of Us has guns, stealth sections, crafting mechanics, and unnerving ‘infected’ running around with fungi for heads – but the tightly-told story and fully-realised characters at its center are what elevates The Last of Us above other games of its ilk. It has some real gut punches, and isn’t afraid to paint its leads – the gruff Joel and his young ward Ellie – in all kinds of moral grays.
What Remains of Edith Finch - May 2019
The first-person narrative game, or walking simulator as it's called by both appreciators and detractors, peaked with this imaginative game. You play as young Edith Finch, who visits the home of her deceased family to discover why they're cursed. As she enters the living space of each relative, their story plays out in extraordinary fashion, taking you into different genres for illustrative effect. This may be the best game you can play on PS4 that takes less than 5 hours to finish.
SOMA - December 2018
Along with Amnesia, Frictional's previous project, you might want to check out Soma, an underwater first-person horror game. You have to sneak by very strange enemies and solve rudimentary puzzles, but otherwise it's mostly a sci-fi story about a post-apocalypse where digital imprints of people are uploaded into machines. While the idea of a game set underwater might conjure up BioShock comparisons, this couldn't be more different.
Yakuza Kiwami - November 2018
Looking for a seriously hard-hitting adventure full of emotional gut punches? Then Yakuza Kiwami will deliver – and then some. You play as the no-nonsense Kazuma Kiryu, who is finally free from prison after taking the fall for a crime he didn’t commit. In typical Yakuza fashion, though, there are moves to be made and people to double-cross, as Kiryu becomes embroiled in an ongoing clan dispute. You’ll need to harness the power of Kiryu’s fists and fight for survival in this superb remake of the original 2005 PS2 game, packed full of new features. Simply put, Yakuza Kiwami deserves your devotion.
Rayman Legends - May 2018
Rayman is a mainstay of 2D platforming, going back as far as the original PS1. But unlike some early gaming mascots that have gone somewhat by the wayside – sorry Sonic – Rayman is still heading up some excellent platforming games today.
2013’s Rayman Legends is fast, buoyant, and utterly silly, throwing its floating-limb protagonist into some truly absurd situations. While there’s a slightly tired ‘rescue’ mechanic at its core – with Rayman tasked to free imprisoned ‘Teensies’ across various levels – Legends has the good sense to pretty much bury that under its endlessly nonsensical levels (you are literally turned into a duck at one point). The musical bonus levels are a real joy, too, making use of Guitar Hero button-timing to platform your way through some ace guitar riffs.
Bloodborne - March 2018
When people talk about the PS4's run of amazing exclusive games, it really began with From Software's Lovecraft-infused rock-hard action game back in 2015. Getting Bloodborne for free was a real gift for PS Plus subscribers, then, and not just for those who never played the game before. It also meant that existing players could take advantage of the game's multiplayer options, joining rookie players' games to help them fell a particularly nasty boss or two.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain - October 2017
Metal Gear Solid 5 feels like the final curtain for the series in retrospect. Hammered for being unfinished by some players – even though it's the longest entry in the series by miles – this is up there with Dishonored 2 as one of the most satisfying stealth action games of the generation. Each enemy camp is an opportunity for you to pick soldiers off, one-by-one, using an increasingly broad range of tools. The story isn't up to much, but for once in a Metal Gear game, that's not the point.
Amnesia: Collection - October 2017
The first Amnesia game may have been released a decade ago but the survival horror adventure series still holds up as some of the best horror games of all time. If you didn’t have the chance to play the series when it first came out, or simply want to revisit it, then the Amnesia: Collection is not to be missed - in October 2017, it was available on PS Plus for free.
The Amnesia Collection includes three titles: The Dark Descent, A Machine for Pigs and Justine. If you’re a fan of puzzle horror games like Resident Evil 2 then you should definitely pull this terrifying series out of your library.
Until Dawn - July 2017
Some of us practically grew up on slashers in the 90s, and there haven't really been many games that could truly capture that aesthetic in an effective way – Until Dawn changed that. By essentially just being a horror point and click adventure, you just make choices that the colorful cast of characters will enact, and consequences will be unavoidable. There is no taking advantage of gameplay mechanics to undo your fate, which makes Until Dawn one of the most unconventional but intense horror games on the PS4.
Life is Strange - June 2017
Life is Strange is a quintessential coming-of-age story that follows Max, a teenage photography student who discovers she has the ability to rewind time. Max has a premonition that her hometown, Arcadia Bay, is going to be destroyed by a storm and, alongside her lovable rebel friend Chloe, sets out to prevent the disaster from happening.
Life is Strange is a choice-based game, with the player’s/Max’s decisions impacting how the story plays out. There’s plenty of twists and turns in this episodic adventure and it’s one that’s sure to stay with you.
Rocket League - July 2015
Merging a car game with a football game doesn’t initially sound like a recipe for success on paper, but Rocket League managed to entice players with zero interest in car and football games into its incredible additive arenas. The fast paced action and easy to learn controls drew the crowds in, but deviously difficult to master mechanics meant games tend to be highly competitive, with some outrageous own goals and audacious ball control.
The TechRadar team has lost many hours toiling in the arenas, customizing their cars and performing some of the most embarrassing performances to ever grace the digital field.
