Many would agree that the PS Plus free games for May are better than April, if not exactly ‘good,’ but June could top them both (with a catch).
A new month means a new selection of PS Plus games (as well as more on other services). Many were hoping that the May games would redeem April’s selection, and while that may not exactly be the case, the PS Plus free games for May 2022 are a little better at least. Through June 7, fans will be able to claim FIFA 22 (PS5/PS4), Tribes of Midgard (PS5/PS4), and Curse of the Dead Gods (PS4).
But, the big change is on the horizon. PS Plus subscribers will be able to upgrade in June 2022 and get either PS Plus Extra or PS Plus Premium. At the top tier, not only will players be able to check out some top PS4/PS5 games for free, but they will get access to 700+ games across the PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3 eras. Toss in the PlayStation game demos too, and PS Plus Premium packs a lot—even if the cost is debatable.
But before looking at next month and why fans can expect some really good PS Plus free games in June 2022, it’s worth looking at the past couple of months. May 2022 is better than April 2022, but it still falls into some common trappings. FIFA 22, for example, is a sports simulator. These don’t typically do well on subscription services, simply because they are yearly releases and diehard fans will usually pick them up at release, not wait months after for them. Meanwhile, Tribes of Midgard and Curse of the Dead Gods are good games, but their appeal is limited. If someone doesn’t like their unique graphics, dungeon-crawling mechanics, or roguelike features, then these two games may not be for them.
At the very least, there is more general appeal there than with the PS Plus free games for April 2022. These were Hood: Outlaws and Legends, Slay the Spire, and SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated. Slay the Spire is perhaps the best game among the bunch, but at the same time, its card mechanics are going to dissuade many players from checking it out. Hood: Outlaws and Legends is a multiplayer game, which are usually good on subscription services, but it hasn’t really clicked as it should. And then there’s SpongeBob, which the whole Nickelodeon connection aside, the original game is better than the Rehydrated version of it, and that’s saying something.
While PS Plus subscribers have gotten two lackluster months recently (although the whole of PS Plus in 2022 has been odd), there’s one major reason to expect the PS Plus free games for June 2022 to be really good.
In short, Sony has always been really good about leveraging its PS Plus service as a hype-builder when needed. Not only have there been remakes or games on the announcement ahead of sequels, but the whole entirety of PS Plus was used to market the PS5. Not that it needed any more, but PS Plus was no doubt helpful in selling the PlayStation experience.
In the months heading into the PS5 release, PS Plus was on a hot streak with good month after good month. At the PS5’s release, major PS5 games were added to the PS Plus service, multiple games were added in early 2021, and it eventually slowed down to its three games.
Its effectiveness in promoting the PS5 cannot be understated. And that’s why it makes sense for Sony to use its PS Plus Essentials free game selection to bolster PS Plus itself. If fans see good games on PS Plus Essentials for June 2022, perhaps a few months after, that’s going to make the PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium Tiers even more enticing. If the entry-level is exciting, many will think the highest costing tier may be worth it. Sure, it can sell itself with the backward compatible library and all of that, but it’s going to have to keep showcasing new additions to keep subscribers on board. And the best way it has to do that, right now anyway, is with the PS Plus free games.
It would make sense for Sony to pursue this avenue, but it’s also a double-edged sword. There is concern that, if this happened, it would only be temporary. It’s effectively the law of diminishing returns. The better the PS Plus games are at launch, the more subscribers it’s likely to retain or bring in. But at some point, the price and effort put into the PS Plus Essentials tier won’t be worth it, and Sony will have to really push the higher tiers.
So, in the long run, it’s possible the PS Plus free monthly games suffer for the higher tier. It remains to be seen, but if the PS Plus free games for 2022 have proven anything so far, it's that not every month is going to be good. Sony has reason to make it good for June and perhaps a few months after that, but like Xbox Games with Gold and Game Pass, the PS Plus free games could suffer from a more interesting subscription tier.
PS Plus subscribers get a handful of free games every month.
When Joshua Duckworth received Pokemon Yellow for Christmas at 5-years-old, his fate as a gamer was set. Since then, he’s been involved with every step of the gaming industries’ growth from the golden PS1 era and the dying days of the arcade to any current gaming trend. When he’s not writing, playing his own games, or thinking about writing or playing his games, he’s probably the second player to his son’s Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! file. Joshua has an MA degree in English from Jacksonville State University, and the best way to contact him is at jduckworth874@gmail.com.
