Wondering what free games you can download each month with your PlayStation Plus membership? As a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you get access to select PS4 and PS5 games for free to download and play as part of your membership perks.
But how do you see and get these free monthly PlayStation Plus games? This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know step-by-step. Let‘s dive in!
How Does PlayStation Plus Work?
Before jumping into the free games, let‘s quickly recap how PlayStation Plus works:
PlayStation Plus is a premium subscription service for PS4 and PS5 consoles with various membership tiers and benefits.
The levels include PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium with increasing perks.
All tiers provide online multiplayer access, exclusive discounts, cloud saves, and monthly free downloadable games.
PlayStation Plus Extra adds a catalog of 400+ PS4 and PS5 games available to download and play.
PlayStation Plus Premium further includes 340 more PS1, PS2, PS3 and PSP games, game trials, and game streaming.
You can access and play the monthly free games as long as your membership is active. If it lapses, you lose access until you resubscribe.
So in short, one of the core PlayStation Plus benefits is getting free games each month to download and play as an active member. Now let‘s dive into how to find out what those games are and get them!
How to View This Month‘s Free PlayStation Plus Games
Each month, Sony reveals the upcoming free PlayStation Plus games around the last Wednesday of the prior month. These games then become available to download on the first Tuesday of the new month.
For example, March‘s free PS Plus games will be announced on Wednesday, February 22 and go live on Tuesday, March 7.
Here are the best ways to find out the free monthly PlayStation Plus game lineup:
Check the Official PlayStation Blog
Every month, Sony makes the official announcement of the next month‘s free PlayStation Plus games on the PlayStation Blog.
This is where they reveal the monthly titles across Essential, Extra, and Premium tiers. Be sure to bookmark the blog and check back towards the end of each month to see the free game announcement.
View the PlayStation Store
After the upcoming free games are revealed, you can preview them on the PlayStation Store:
Open the PlayStation Store on your PS4 or PS5.
Go to the PlayStation Plus section.
Select Free Games in the left sidebar.
This will display the full list of titles being offered free to PlayStation Plus members for the coming month.
Check the PlayStation Plus Hub
You can also view next month‘s lineup through the PlayStation Plus hub:
Go to your PS4 or PS5 Game Library.
Select the PlayStation Plus icon.
Choose the Free Games tab.
This shows you all of the games being offered for free for the upcoming month and lets you set a download reminder.
Use the PlayStation Mobile App
The PlayStation App for iOS and Android devices lets you view next month‘s free games lineup too:
Open the PlayStation App on your phone.
Tap on the PlayStation Plus section.
Select Free Games for Members to see the upcoming free titles.
Having the schedule right in the app makes it easy to check the latest games from anywhere.
Set Up Free Game Alerts
Instead of having to manually look for the free game announcements each month, you can setup alerts:
Enable notifications in the PlayStation App for the monthly free game alerts.
Follow PlayStation social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook and turn on notifications.
Subscribe to receive PlayStation Plus emails from Sony.
Visit the PS Plus subreddit which announces the games immediately.
Set a Google News Alert for "PlayStation Plus" to get monthly game updates.
With alerts enabled, you‘ll never accidentally miss out on downloading any monthly free games!
How to Download and Play the Free Games
Once the free monthly PlayStation Plus games have been revealed, here are the steps to download and start playing them once available:
On your PS4 or PS5, open the PlayStation Store.
Go to the PlayStation Plus section.
Select "Add to Library" for each of the free games that month.
Open your Game Library and go to the PlayStation Plus area.
Choose a game you want to play and select "Download" to install it.
After the game has downloaded, you can launch and play it for free as a PlayStation Plus member!
Be sure to "add to library" and download each game while it‘s available, even if you don‘t plan to play it right away. That way, it‘s in your collection to play whenever you want as long as you stay subscribed.
Full List of All Free PlayStation Plus Games
If you want to see the complete history of every single game offered for free since the launch of PlayStation Plus, check out the full PlayStation Plus game list on PlayStation‘s website.
This list contains every PS3, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5 title made available as a free PlayStation Plus game over the years. It‘s over 1,000 games total!
The list is organized by region, so be sure to choose your correct region at the top to see the full selection of free games offered in your locality.
Perusing this list lets you see just how many phenomenal games have been included for free through PlayStation Plus over the years. The catalog contains major first party exclusives, top third party releases, and acclaimed indie hits.
Can You Still Get Old Free PlayStation Plus Games?
Unfortunately, once a monthly free PlayStation Plus game expires and the next month rolls around, you can no longer obtain that previous month‘s free titles.
But occasionally PlayStation brings back popular free games through special promotions or "best of" packages. So don‘t lose hope if you missed out on downloading an older game you wanted back in the day!
PlayStation also puts some former PlayStation Plus free titles on sale periodically. So keep an eye on the PlayStation Store for discounts on any games you missed but still want to play.
The key takeaway is to always grab each month‘s free games when available, even if you don‘t plan to play them immediately. You never know what gems you might want to try later on down the road!
The PlayStation Plus Collection for PS5
In addition to the monthly PlayStation Plus free games, PS5 owners get access to the PlayStation Plus Collection. This is a special compilation of 20 top PS4 games available to download and play on PS5 at no extra cost, including:
- God of War
- The Last of Us Remastered
- Uncharted 4: A Thief‘s End
- Monster Hunter: World
- Final Fantasy XV
- Fallout 4
- Mortal Kombat X
- Bloodborne
- Days Gone
- Persona 5
- Resident Evil: Biohazard
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
- inFamous: Second Son
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles
This collection lets PS5 owners immediately build a library of the best PS4 games for free. Browse and download the PlayStation Plus Collection through the PS5 Game Library.
Do PlayStation Plus Free Games Expire?
The free PlayStation Plus monthly games do not expire once you have downloaded them, as long as you maintain an active membership. If you let your membership lapse, you will lose access to the games until you resubscribe.
However, the ability to download older monthly games does expire after a while. You can only download a particular month‘s free titles during that month and for a limited period after.
For example, you can no longer go back now and download 2018‘s free PlayStation Plus games. But any you grabbed during 2018 will still be playable as a current member.
So the option to download the free monthly games expires monthly, but your access to ones already downloaded does not expire. This makes it crucial to grab each month‘s freebies when available!
Can You Play PlayStation Plus Games Offline?
Yes, you can play any games you‘ve downloaded from PlayStation Plus offline once they are installed, without needing to connect to the internet.
The online check is only required when initially claiming and downloading the free monthly games. After you‘ve installed a game, you can play offline just like any title you own.
You just need to connect online occasionally to verify your PlayStation Plus membership is still active. But the games themselves work offline once downloaded!
Tips and Strategies for PlayStation Plus
Here are some additional tips to maximize your PlayStation Plus membership:
Download every free game each month, even if you don‘t plan to play them all right away. You never know what hidden gems you may find down the road.
If your membership lapses, you can still re-download any games you previously claimed as long as you resubscribe. So don‘t worry about losing access forever.
Disable auto-renewal for your membership so you don‘t get charged for another cycle if you want to take a break from PlayStation Plus. You can always resubscribe later to regain access to your free games.
Watch for occasional PlayStation Plus promotions that offer free extended trials or discounted subscription rates for new members.
Cross reference the full PlayStation Plus game list with your own library to see what free games you may have forgotten to grab previously or didn‘t even realize were offered.
The PlayStation Plus Collection for PS5 is a great way to quickly build a library of must-play PS4 hits on your new console for free.
Taking advantage of everything included with PlayStation Plus, especially the monthly free games, is the best way to get the most out of your membership!
Key Takeaways
PlayStation Plus members get access to select free games every month that are theirs to keep as long as they stay subscribed.
The upcoming month‘s PS Plus games are revealed at the end of the prior month and go live on the first Tuesday.
Check the PlayStation Blog, Store, Plus hub, and mobile app to see next month‘s free game lineup.
Visit the PlayStation Store on your console to add each month‘s games to your library so you can download and play them.
Peruse the full list of all PlayStation Plus games since launch to see the 1,000+ free titles offered over the years.
Download each month‘s free games promptly when available so you never miss out on these great membership perks!
With hundreds of titles featured across PlayStation Plus over the years, keeping up with the latest monthly free games is crucial for expanding your game library and building an awesome instant collection. Use this guide to see and obtain all the great games free with your PlayStation Plus membership!
