Unfortunately, Sony continues its staggered release schedule, starting with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, one of the best open-world role-playing games currently out there, on August 18th. Alternatively, you can jump into Vampire Survivors for some quick, bullet heaven-like gameplay on the same day.

On August 25th in the United States, UK, and Japan, Hell is Us will be available alongside Umamusume Pretty Derby – Party Dash on PS4, Two Point Museum, Metro Exodus and Dying Light 2 Stay Human. As for Premium subscribers, they’ll receive access to two classic titles – Onimusha: Dawn of the Dreams (just in time for the arrival of Onimusha: Way of the Sword on September 4th) and Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire from the PS One era.

While the former doesn’t feature any enhancements or quality-of-life features, the latter sports the usual, including quick save, rewind, up-rendering and more.

If you’re confused about why all these titles aren’t available immediately on a set date, PlayStation has begun staggering Game Catalog releases. That doesn’t mean multiple titles can’t launch on the same day, as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Firefighting Simulator: Ignite are available on July 21st for Extra while Premium gets Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy and Fahrenheit from Quantic Dream.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind, Dying Light, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, and Snow Bros. Wonderland will also go live simultaneously on July 28th. Overall, it’s not a bad selection, even if it’s not the most critically acclaimed (and doesn’t make the prospect of another Plus price hike any better).

On the bright side, it is a step up from this month’s Essential offerings, which include the widely panned Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (and the more beloved CrossCode). Since Plus and Premium subscribers receive all the benefits of Essential, they have until August 3rd to claim these titles.

Well, a free playable trial for PlayStation Plus Premium players is definitely a good place to start in our book. If you’re on Sony’s highest-tier subscription, you can get two-and-a-half hours with the game before you decide to pick up a copy, and we think it’s just the right amount of time for you to begin discovering the magic that makes it tick. You might be tempted to rush through levels if you dive in, but we’d recommend taking your time to master the various mechanics you come across, and just soak in all it has to offer.

It’s good that Housemarque is continuing to promote Saros even as it looks to future titles, and ponders where it’s going next. For our part, we’re thinking another playthrough might be in order at some point. For more details, check out our review and everything that makes the bullet-hell rogue-lite shine.

The Cross-Gen Bundle is available for PS4 and PS5 subscribers, and includes multiplayer, Zombies and one of the worst FPS campaigns ever created. The latter is surpassed only by Black Ops 7, and while the other modes may seem appealing, you’re unlikely to find too many players online.

There’s also For the King 2, a rogue-lite tabletop-inspired role-playing game with support for up to four-player co-op. It’s not terrible but definitely inferior to the original in almost every way. The only saving grace is CrossCode, Radical Fish’s retro-style action RPG that offers incredible combat, a compelling story and fun exploration. It’s almost enough to make this month’s offerings worthwhile. Almost.

All three titles will be available on July 7th for subscribers across all tiers. PlayStation recently raised the prices on Plus across the board, though – you can learn more here – and is experimenting with staggered releases for its Game Catalogue titles rather than dropping them all at once.

Well, it seems like Sony’s tweet on the subject didn’t really mention the fact that those hikes were also applicable to the Extra and Premium tiers. Each sees a $2 increase if you’re buying only a month, while it’s a $4 increase for three months. Yearly subscriptions remain unaffected, though, which is probably for the best since an increase might have earned Sony a few more disgruntled customers and strongly worded complaints.

The price increase follows increases in PS5 and PS5 Pro prices, and is sure to further fuel concerns about the PS6’s potential price tag. However, with Marvel’s Wolverine and Grand Theft Auto 6 coming out later this year, Sony still has a lot going for it as far as bringing in new players is concerned. We would have appreciated a better-worded announcement, though, and we’re sure a lot of you feel the same way.

Let’s hope that Sony learns the right lessons from this little snafu, and perhaps spends some time thinking about how its announcements could be interpreted, especially with the next State of Play coming on June 2nd (and apparently featuring other exclusives than Wolverine).

While the former has seen multiple updates to improve every single aspect of the experience, the latter is one of the greatest games ever made. So whether you’re exploring the Outer Rim to put together a crew as Kay Vess or trying to secure one last score as Arthur Morgan, there’s plenty of value to be had (especially since Red Dead Redemption 2 also includes Red Dead Online).

Of course, there are other notable titles to look forward to. Both PS4 and PS5 players can play Bramble: The Mountain King and Broken Sword – Shadows of the Templar: Reforged. PS5 players gain exclusive access to Enotria: The Last Song and Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn for some Souls-like action alongside The Thaumaturge, a more narrative-focused experience.

Of course, Premium subscribers also get access to arcade light gun shooter Time Crisis as part of the Classics catalogue. Besides the special stages exclusive to the PS One version, it also features gyro aiming on both PS4 and PS5, among other features.

Other titles to look forward to include The Casting of Frank Stone, Supermassive Games’ narrative adventure based on Dead by Daylight lore; The Crew Motorfest, a Forza Horizon-esque racer set in Hawaii; and Football Manager 26 Console. You can also play indie efforts like Monster Train and Squirrel with a Gun or delve into Koei Tecmo’s rogue-lite Musou, Warriors: Abyss.

There isn’t much in terms of Classics, with Premium subscribers receiving access to Wild Arms 4. Released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006, it’s less of a Wild West romp compared to its predecessors, which earned it a mixed reception. As with many classic titles, you can experience it with quality-of-life features like up-rendering, custom video filters, rewind, and quick save.

With a new State of Play rumored to take place on April 16th, we could see even more announcements and additions to the service for the coming months. Stay tuned for updates and check out the current slate of PlayStation Plus Essential offerings.

With almost 1.5 years’ worth of free updates and content additions, it stands out as one of the best third-person shooters and Warhammer titles available, either solo or with friends. If you prefer other less stressful co-op titles, there’s Astroneer for PS4 and PS5 and The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (PS5 only) that offer some survival crafting fun.

EA Sports Madden NFL 26 on PS5 is for the sports fans, while Metal Eden may suit those looking for more fast-paced, first-person shooter action. If that wasn’t enough, PS4 and PS5 players can dive into Persona 5 Royal, which features new additions to the battle system, numerous quality of life improvements and an entire new story act over the original, complete with a new ending (with previous-gen players getting the Ultimate Edition).

Meanwhile, Premium subscribers get exclusive access to none other than Tekken: Dark Resurrection from the PSP era.

The other major addition is Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the last mainline title in the franchise, which further embraced the turn-based combat introduced in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Other notable additions include A Little to the Left, art of rally, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, The Exit 8, and Darkest Dungeon 2 – all playable on PS5 and PS4.

Meanwhile, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is exclusive to PS5 players. Though not the best survival horror/stealth title by any means, it could be a worthwhile experience for those who like the movies. Meanwhile, Premium subscribers, only one PlayStation Classic is coming – Ridge Racer, playable on PS5 and PS4.

It features all the usual classic features, including quick save, rewind, up-rendering, and custom filters. And really, what more can you say, other than it’s Ridge Racer? Whether you’re playing through Time Trials or battling it out against the AI in, well, Battle Mode, it’s the classic arcade racing experience that you (hopefully) know and love.

This follows its addition to Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC on January 20th, so you can likely expect it to go live on the same day. With Resident Evil Requiem launching on February 27th, it’s the perfect time to catch up on the series, even if it’s more about revisiting the tragedy of Raccoon City than the Winters family.

PS Plus is also one-upping Game Pass by allegedly including Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. As you may recall, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio said there were no plans to add it to Microsoft’s subscription service. It seemingly has no issues adding it to Sony’s, though. Both titles will reportedly be available for PS4 and PS5.

Of course, that’s not all. You can also apparently expect Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, The Exit 8 and art of rally for the same platforms as well. Meanwhile, PS5 players gain exclusive access to A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. The official announcement will apparently go live in a few hours, so stay tuned for updates.