The first lineup of PS Plus free games for 2022 may have just leaked ahead of Sony's official announcement.
The leak has come from the forum Dealabs, where user billbill-kun has said the PS Plus lineup for January 2022 will include Deep Rock Galactic for PS5 and PS4, Dirt 5 for PS5 and PS4 and Persona 5 Strikers for PS4.
Naturally, as with any unconfirmed report, we recommend taking this with a pinch of salt. That said, billbill-kun doesn't exactly have a bad track record when it comes to predicting the next month's PS Plus games. They've already accurately leaked the lineups for September, October, November and December so if January proves correct that'll be five for five.
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As with previous leaks via Dealabs, this is coming only a few days before we can reasonably expect Sony to make its official announcement of what free games PS Plus subscribers can expect in January, so any lingering uncertainty won't last too long.
Whatever the lineup is officially revealed to be, it won't be available until the start of January. So, in the meantime, you can make sure you don't miss December's lineup comprising Godfall: Challenger Edition for PS4 and PS5, alongside Lego DC Super Villains and Mortal Shell for PS4.
Analysis: What does the future hold for PS Plus?
In addition to granting PlayStation players access to online play, each month PS Plus gives subscribers a selection of free games to add to their PlayStation library. The lineup always contains a mix of PS4 and PS5 titles, with recent lineups having been expanded to include PlayStation VR games. If you like to play with friends online or you’re always looking for a new game to dip into, it’s a pretty worthwhile subscription to have.
Of course, it might not have the exact same setup all the way through 2022 as recent reports have suggested that PlayStation’s subscription offering could soon be shaken up. As reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Sony might be working on a competitor to Xbox Game Pass, currently codenamed 'Spartacus'.
According to the report, this new PlayStation subscription service would blend the PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now services, keeping the branding of the former and phasing out that of the latter.
The report claims the service will be tiered, with the most basic tier covering what PS Plus already covers: access to online services and a handful of free games each month. A second tier would give subscribers access to a range of PlayStation 4 and, eventually, PS5 games to be downloaded like on Xbox Game Pass. Finally, a third tier would offer everything included in the first two as well as demos and games from previous PlayStation consoles.
At the moment, Sony hasn’t confirmed any reports around its plans and there are no details on pricing. With the current success enjoyed by Xbox Game Pass, 2022 does feel like the right time for the PlayStation Plus service to grow and expand.
- Having problems even finding a console? Check out our where to buy a PS5 guide
