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.

The three were asked about the potential for price increases of PlayStation Plus subscriptions. In response, they said that the service already makes use of its tiered subscription service that can help it balance value with cost. They noted that the higher tiers account for around 40 percent of all subscribers to the service.

“PS Plus offers strong value to players, and we continually balance that value against customer cost,” they said. “We are using multiple levers to improve profitability, including pricing, tier mix, and content acquisition efficiency. Higher tiers now account for 40% of subscribers, which reflects strong demand for the service. PS Plus remains a key driver of profitability, and we achieved record-high PS Plus profitability in FY2025.”

In the same Q&A, they had also spoken about needing to expand their server infrastructure to make cloud gaming services available in more markets. When asked about how the costs incurred by the move would be recovered, they said, “We expect to recover the costs associated with investments and operations through revenue generated from PS Plus, which provides the streaming service.”

PlayStation Plus price increases wouldn’t be a new move for Sony. The company has raised the service’s prices in the past. Back in January 2025, Nishino had noted that the service had seen growth despite prices having been raised. At the time, he noted that subscribers were opting for the more expensive tiers.

“Subscribers are increasingly choosing our Premium and Extra tiers, which now represent approximately 38% of total subscribers,” said Nishino.

He went on to discuss the value proposition of a PlayStation Plus subscription. At its most basic, it allows players to access online multiplayer features of many games. Even the most basic tier gives players access to new games on a regular basis. Higher tiers, on the other hand, open up new libraries for players, with the highest tier even including a classic games catalogue featuring titles from PS1 and PS2, among others.

“PlayStation Plus is highly valued by our players and continues to drive engagement,” he said. “We’ve already seen a trend toward the option of higher tiers within our service, as evidenced by the subscriber mix we achieved in FY2024, where approximately 38% of players are now subscribed to PlayStation Plus Premium or Extra tiers.”

Vice president of Global Services at PlayStation, Nick Maguire, had also spoken about how the company plans to further build on the value offered by PlayStation Plus’ Premium and Extra tiers. He also went on to reiterate that engagement with the service has been higher than it was in the past.

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.

It kicks off with Sonic X Shadow Generations already available. It’s an excellent platformer which sees the titular hedgehog take on Black Doom in a trip through his own past, which we found quite enjoyable. Final Fantasy 16 is next on the list, and we’ve made our thoughts on that one pretty clear when it first came out – decide for yourself when it drops on June 16th. We’re also getting Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Life is Strange: Double Exposure on June 23 for the UK, US, and Japan regions on June 23.

Finally, Black Desert, Blades of Fire, and Farming Simulator 25 are rounding out the rest of the category’s additions, and they’re dropping on June 30. If you’re a Premium subscriber, you’ve also got the cult classic PS2 rhythm title Gitaroo Man to look forward to on June 16 with a global release on the service.

Available on PS5 and PS4, Grounded needs no introduction. It’s Obsidian Entertainment’s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, mashed with a fun survival crafting gameplay loop. As one of a handful of minuscule teens, players must survive their backyard. Insects manifest in massive ways, and you’ll need to craft armor and weapons from their remains to survive. Thankfully, there’s support for up to four players in co-op, so you can offload some of the base-building work.

Also available on the same platforms is Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, and if you’ve played a platform fighter like Super Smash Bros. or Rivals of Aether, this should feel familiar. The roster includes SpongeBob SquarePants, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jimmy Neutron and more. Finally, there’s Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, a PS5 title focused primarily on a squad of Rejects battling through the Hive City of Tertium to eliminate the forces of Chaos.

And if you didn’t redeem it this month, EA Sports FC 26 is available until June 16th. The rest of the line-up must be redeemed by July 6th, though, so grab them when you can.

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).

The hike applies to new subscribers only, barring those in India and Turkey. However, if you change your subscription or it lapses, then be prepared to pay the increased rate. As far as strategies to current subscribers locked in, this would certainly be one of the more unorthodox.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium remain unchanged, though you would have to think that Sony is contemplating the game. It is interesting how XBOX (recently rebranded from Xbox) hiked Game Pass prices across the board last year before recently announcing a decrease to the Ultimate and PC tiers. Granted, that’s with the caveat that future Call of Duty titles will skip the service, but still.

Perhaps PlayStation Plus Essential’s price increase is due to being the most popular tier, and Sony wants to capitalise on that growth without appearing to go overboard. Either way, stay tuned for any potential changes to other tiers in the coming months.

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.

The former was recently embroiled in controversy after director/producer Xia Siyuan was allegedly fired and the core development team dissolved. Digital Bros, the parent company of 505 Games, would then acquire the IP for €4 million, which could explain its inclusion on PlayStation Plus. Regardless, it’s a solid Souls-like action RPG that’s worth a look.

As for Nine Sols, it’s one of the better 2D Metroidvania titles. Launched last year for consoles, it offers a gorgeous art style and music coupled with hard-hitting parry-focused gameplay. You can check out our review for more details, but suffice it to say that it’s well worth your time.

All three titles will be available for subscribers from May 5th to June 1st. You can check out last month’s offerings – which include Lords of the Fallen – here. Of course, this is all in addition to a pretty healthy spread of new titles for Extra and Premium subscribers, including Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and The Crew Motorfest. Head here for more details.

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.