PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) is Sony‘s premium online multiplayer and digital content subscription service for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles. One of the main benefits of a PS Plus membership is access to monthly free games that members can download and play as long as they remain subscribed.
But do you really get all games for free with a PS Plus membership? Let‘s take a detailed look at how the service works.
Overview of PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus launched in 2010 as an optional subscription that provided access to premium PlayStation Network features. Over the years, PS Plus has evolved into an essential service for PlayStation owners who want to play games online.
Here‘s a quick rundown of the main benefits PlayStation Plus offers:
Online multiplayer gaming – A PS Plus subscription is required for online multiplayer on PS4 and PS5. You cannot play multiplayer games online without an active membership.
Monthly free games – Members get access to a selection of free games each month that are theirs to keep and play for as long as they remain a PS Plus member.
Exclusive discounts – Subscribers get access to special sales and discounts on games and other content in the PlayStation Store. Discounts can be up to 60% on certain games.
Cloud game saves – PS Plus allows you to upload game save files to cloud storage and seamlessly access them on any PS4 or PS5 system when you login with your account.
Share Play – Share your game screen with a friend and even allow them to try playing your games for up to 60 minutes, even if they don‘t own the game.
Do You Get All Games for Free?
The short answer is no – a PS Plus subscription does not grant you access to all PlayStation games for free.
The free game program provides subscribers with a selection of 2-3 PS4/PS5 games each month that will become free to download during that month. These games are yours to keep and play for as long as your subscription remains active.
According to the PlayStation Website:
Each month, PlayStation Plus members will get access to a selection of games that are theirs to play until their membership ends.
So the free monthly games offered with PS Plus only cover a small portion of the thousands of game titles available for PlayStation consoles. The free titles usually include a mix of:
- Major new releases
- Popular AAA franchises
- Indie games
- PS5 exclusives
- PSVR games
Sony also curates a selection of classic and remastered titles called the PlayStation Plus Collection that PS5 owners can download and play as part of their subscription. This is a fixed collection of 20 games considered PlayStation classics such as God of War, Bloodborne, Fallout 4, and more.
Outside of the monthly free games and the PS Plus Collection, members need to purchase any other games they want to play separately. PS Plus discounts may help lower the purchase price, but the vast majority of PlayStation games, DLC packs, season passes, etc still need to be bought individually.
So in summary – the free game selection gives you access to 24-36 games per year, the Classics Collection about 20 more titles, but beyond that a PS Plus subscription does not provide unlimited free access to all PlayStation games. Purchases are still required.
How Many Free Games Do You Get Each Month?
Since PS Plus launched in 2010, Sony has offered free monthly PlayStation games without interruption. Originally it was 2 free PS3 games per month, expanding to 2 PS4 games as that console library grew.
In 2020, the monthly PlayStation Plus free games lineup expanded to 2 PS4 titles and 1 PSVR bonus game each month.
This means PS Plus subscribers today receive:
- 2 free PS4 games
- 1 free PSVR bonus game
- In 2021, PS5 games were added to the monthly lineup as well once the new console launched.
So the current PS Plus monthly free game count stands at:
- 2 PS4 games
- 1 PS5 game
- 1 PSVR bonus game
That‘s a total of 4 free games up for grabs each month.
Occasionally Sony will offer an additional PS4 or PS5 game as a monthly bonus title as well. But the core monthly lineup is 2 PS4, 1 PS5, and 1 PSVR game.
To date, PS Plus has offered over 1,000 free games since its inception. That‘s an impressive library of free titles for loyal subscribers!
What Games Are Free Right Now?
The selection of free games rotates month to month, with new games announced on the last Wednesday of each month and made available for download on the first Tuesday of the following month.
For example, February 2023‘s free PS Plus games were announced on January 25 and available to download starting February 7.
Here are the free PlayStation Plus games available for February 2023:
PlayStation 5
- Horizon Forbidden West
PlayStation 4
- The Quarry
- Resident Evil 7
PlayStation VR
- The Walking Dead Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution
And here were January 2023‘s free titles:
PlayStation 5
- Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
PlayStation 4
- Fallout 76
- Axiom Verge 2
PlayStation VR
- Zenith: The Last City
The selection of free games varies wildly month-to-month, but highlights have included massive titles like God of War, Uncharted 4, Bloodborne, Ratchet & Clank, Shadow of the Colossus, and many more over the years.
To see the full list of free PS Plus games released to date, check out the PlayStation Plus Wikipedia page which documents the complete list in chronological order.
Can You Play PS Plus Games Forever?
An important caveat of the PlayStation Plus monthly free games is that they are only free while your membership is active. If you let your PS Plus subscription lapse, you lose access to any previously downloaded free games.
This means you do NOT own these games forever. You retain access to play them as long as you maintain an active PS Plus membership.
From Sony‘s Terms of Service:
Your access to free games each month is only for as long as you are an active PlayStation Plus member.
However, if you do decide to purchase any free PS Plus game outright during the month it was available for free, that game is then tied permanently to your PSN account.
So while the free access is temporary, you always have the option to buy the free PS Plus game during that month if you want permanent access. Once purchased, it is yours to play forever regardless of subscription status.
Do PlayStation Plus Games Expire?
The simple answer is yes – the hundreds of free PlayStation Plus monthly games are only accessible as long as your PS Plus membership stays active.
If your membership expires, you lose the ability to play those free PS Plus games until you renew your subscription. Any single player offline progress also will not be accessible during lapsed periods.
However, your PlayStation Plus cloud storage does preserve save data for up to 6 months after your membership ends. So if you renew within 6 months, you can resume playing where you left off on any free PS Plus games you had previously downloaded.
But after 6 months, your cloud storage is deleted and you lose all save data. At that point you‘d have to start any previously claimed free games completely over from scratch.
To summarize:
- Lose access to free games immediately upon PS Plus expiration
- Save data preserved for 6 months after expiration
- After 6 months, all saved data is erased
So while the games themselves don‘t technically "expire" or disappear altogether, your ability to play them does expire unless you maintain an active paid subscription.
What Games Are Included in the PlayStation Plus Collection?
The PlayStation Plus Collection is a special selection of classic PS4 games available for free exclusively to PS5 owners who are PS Plus subscribers.
This serves as an instant library of 20 of the best PS4 games that can be downloaded immediately on a PS5 console. It‘s an added perk to encourage PS4 owners to upgrade to Sony‘s newest console.
The full PlayStation Plus Collection lineup includes:
- Bloodborne
- Days Gone
- Detroit: Become Human
- Fallout 4
- Final Fantasy XV
- God of War
- inFAMOUS Second Son
- The Last Guardian
- The Last of Us Remastered
- Monster Hunter: World
- Mortal Kombat X
- Persona 5
- Ratchet and Clank
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Uncharted 4: A Thief‘s End
- Until Dawn
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Battlefield 1
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Edition
- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
- Fallout 4
- Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition
This is an awesome selection of some of the highest-rated PS4 exclusives and top multiplatform games from the past decade. All are acclaimed, big-budget AAA titles that span the spectrum of PlayStation‘s most popular franchises and genres.
The PlayStation Plus Collection may be the most generous free game offering yet from Sony. These games would cost hundreds of dollars to purchase separately, so it‘s an incredible value-add for PS5 adopters who are also PS Plus members.
Do You Get Exclusive Game Discounts with PS Plus?
Yes, PlayStation Plus members get access to exclusive discounts and sales throughout the year on games, DLC, avatars, themes and more in the PlayStation Store.
Discounts range from 10-60% off regular prices, so it‘s a great perk that can save PS Plus members a lot of money.
These member-only sales are called PlayStation Plus Specials, and are marked by a blue PS Plus icon. Specials change constantly and may last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
There are often 100+ deals across games and add-ons available at any given time. Highlights include:
PS Plus monthly games – Members get an exclusive discount to purchase each monthly PS Plus free game to own permanently during that month. Discounts are usually 25-30% off.
DLC / season passes – Large discounts on DLC items like season passes, expansion packs, bonus missions, character packs, cosmetics, and more for major games.
Popular new releases – Brand new games often see 10-20% discounts for Plus members within the first couple months after launch.
Hardware bundles – PlayStation consoles, headsets, controllers and more are sometimes bundled with PS Plus discounts.
Free avatars, themes, etc – Smaller freebies are regularly offered exclusively to active PS Plus members.
So a PlayStation Plus membership can quickly pay for itself if you take advantage of all the exclusive member discounts throughout the year.
Do PlayStation Plus Discounts Expire?
The PlayStation Plus discounts and sales offers rotate frequently, with new deals replacing old ones continuously. Most discounts are only valid for a limited time, generally 1-4 weeks at most.
Once an item‘s PS Plus promotion expires, the price will jump back up to full price.
However, if you "purchase" a PS Plus deal while the discount is active, that lower price will be locked in permanently for you even after the promo expires.
But you do need to complete the transaction and "purchase" it before expiration to lock in the lower member price. Otherwise you‘ll miss out once the PS Plus discount goes away.
So in summary:
- PlayStation Plus discounts/sales are time-limited, usually 1-4 weeks
- Prices go back up to full price after promotions end
- But purchasing during the promotion locks in the PS Plus price forever
Constantly monitoring the PlayStation Store for the latest PlayStation Plus Specials is the best way to keep up with the rotating selection of game deals and discounts.
Should You Subscribe to PlayStation Plus?
PlayStation Plus has evolved into an almost mandatory subscription service for PlayStation gamers who want to experience everything PS4 and PS5 have to offer.
Here are some of the key benefits that make a PS Plus membership worth the $59.99 yearly fee for most PlayStation owners:
Online multiplayer – This alone is worth the price for gamers who enjoy competitive and cooperative online games. An active PS Plus membership is required for online play.
Free games – 24-36 games per year for free is hard to beat. Trying new games becomes effortless.
Discounts – Great way to save money on new releases and build a bigger game library faster.
Cloud saves – Never lose a save file again if your console breaks or is lost/stolen. Peace of mind.
Share Play – Awesome way to let friends and family try games for free before they buy. Demo any game easily.
For most PS4 and PS5 gamers, PlayStation Plus quickly pays for itself between the free games, discounts, and essential multiplayer access. It‘s a great value compared to the cost of purchasing all those free games each month.
If you love multiplayer gaming and trying a variety of titles, a PS Plus membership is a gaming subscription that‘s easy to recommend.
Common PlayStation Plus Questions
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about PlayStation Plus memberships:
How much does PlayStation Plus cost?
PS Plus currently costs:
- 1 month subscription – $9.99
- 3 month subscription – $24.99
- 12 month subscription – $59.99
The yearly subscription is by far the best value if you plan to maintain an ongoing membership.
Can two people share a PlayStation Plus membership?
PS Plus benefits are limited to the account that purchased the membership only. You cannot share subscriptions across accounts simultaneously.
However, you can set your PS4 or PS5 as the "primary" console for the account with PS Plus. This allows other local accounts on that console to share the online multiplayer and free game benefits. But only one user can access cloud storage.
What happens if my PS Plus membership expires?
You lose access to online multiplayer, free monthly games, and cloud game storage. You keep any free games you purchased outright. Once renewed, you regain access to all previous benefits.
Can I stack or share PlayStation Plus membership time if I buy from different retailers?
No. Only the most recent PS Plus card or subscription purchased will be active and any excess time is lost. You can‘t combine codes from different vendors.
Will my saved data be deleted if my PS Plus expires?
You have a 6 month grace period after expiration to renew before cloud save data is deleted. After 6 months, cloud saves are erased so it‘s best to renew sooner rather than later.
The Bottom Line
While a PlayStation Plus membership does provide 24-36 free games each year, discounted prices, and other nice perks, it does not grant unlimited, permanent access to all PlayStation games. Members still need to purchase the vast majority of PlayStation titles separately.
But the selection of free monthly games across PS4, PS5, and PSVR, along with the PS5 PlayStation Plus Collection, gives subscribers an awesome library of content to explore for just $60 per year. Especially considering multiplayer requires a subscription anyway, the value is impressive.
So if you‘re looking to maximize your PlayStation gaming experience, PlayStation Plus easily pays for itself between the online multiplayer access, free titles, discounts, and cloud saves. For multiplayer gamers especially, it‘s pretty much mandatory.
