Speaking of time - who has enough of it to play hundreds of video games on a whim? That’s where lists like ours come in. We’ve scoured PlayStation Plus, top to bottom, and narrowed down the expansive library to our personal picks for the best of the bunch. Here are some must-plays.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Ubisoft’s sensationally popular Assassin’s Creed franchise took on the Viking Age with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. As one might expect, raiding coastal settlements plays a big role in this ninth-century tale of the Scandinavian descent upon the English isles.
The story packs a punch and the content’s about as broad as is customary with the series. If you find the Assassin’s Creed loop engaging - at least, Assassin’s Creed from around Origins onward - then you’re sure to enjoy your time with protagonist Eivor Varinsdottir.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus
This is definitely “just” a dating sim. 100 percent. Unequivocally. No, you needn’t worry. When you boot up Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, you’ll be treated to a bog-standard dating sim with all the bells and whistles therein. Definitely, this is a typical visual novel.
Don’t expect any surprises. There won’t be any surprises. This isn’t a meta-narrative game with a heck of a twist. This isn’t anything of the sort. It’s just Doki Doki Literature Club Plus. Don’t believe me? Well… you shouldn’t. Go on, see for yourself why we’re being so cagey.
Ghost Of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
Jin Sakai’s revenge-fueled noble quest inGhost of Tsushimaproved to be a huge hit right out the gate, with Sucker Punch - previously best known for the inFamous series - instantly transforming from ‘fairly well known’ to ‘household name’.
Fantastic swordplay and a rich, gorgeous historical setting helped propel the game into the upper stratosphere of Sony’s first party sales milestones.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is all that and more, with additional content designed to keep players invested in the tales surrounding this Mongol-invaded titular island for even longer.
XCOM 2
Firaxis Games delivered the strategy gaming goods with the original XCOM, which was destined to receive an even better sequel inXCOM 2. In the grand tradition of all good strategy games, players who tap into solid tactics will lead their team to a hard-fought and well-earned victory.
In XCOM’s case, you’ll be victorious against a cruel race of alien invaders - it’s all very 1950s pulp sci-fi, in a good way.
Alien: Isolation
Alien: Isolation has to be the best game in the Alien franchise to-date, right? At least, it’s got to be up there? It’s one of the most atmospheric games we’ve yet played, which makes it the pitch-perfect follow-up to Ridley Scott’s moody, terrifying, 1979 original film.
If you thrive on a sense of constant tension, and your genre sensibilities tilt toward the sci-fi horror, it’s hard to think of a PlayStation Plus game that can possibly do it for you as well as this one can. Alien: Isolation is the greatest love letter an Alien fan could ask for, and it’s a crying shame we’ve not seen anything like it since.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
If you’re hoping to catch up with both Spider-Man games ahead of the launch of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we’re afraid you’ll need to shell out some cash for the first, but at least the (excellent) Miles Morales ‘interquel’ is still on PlayStation Plus.
This game’s pretty terrific even if superheroes aren’t especially your scene, with thrilling gameplay and quite a relatable tale.
Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
Dragon Quest 11 is one of the most splendid turn-based JRPGs of the generation, and its special edition,Dragon Quest 11 S, is everything we fell in love with and then some.
You’ll travel across a fantasy realm filled with all the cheeky self-aware cliches of any good Dragon Quest on an 80-hour epic quest to save the world.
Along the way, the cast will almost assuredly charm the heck out of you, and the localization will go from bringing a tear to your eyes to leaving you in a laughter fit’s worth of stitches.
Fans of traditional role-playing games willing to entertain modern 3D entries within that time-tested subgenre should download Dragon Quest 11 S on PlayStation Plus posthaste.
Demon’s Souls
Launching alongside the PlayStation 5 as its strongest graphical showpiece, Bluepoint’s 2020 remake of 2009’sDemon’s Soulsis a terrific reminder that Dark Souls might have been From Software’s mainstream RPG breakout, but its foundation had already been built three years prior.
The PS5 Demon’s Souls is everything a sensible remake should be - a pitch-perfect rebuild of the gameplay and atmosphere of the original that ups the ante with stronger mechanical performance and downright stunning visual fidelity.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
As much as we do like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, our hearts remain with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, an epic adventure set in the Ancient Mediterranean with an emphasis on the Greek islands but influences from the Levant and further abroad. The second effort in a more “RPG-esque” approach to the long-running series, Odyssey tackles Greek myths whilst maintaining a sense of place, of real locations.
It sports a fantastic naval element, and there’s something awe-inspiring about seeing famous historical locations brought to life - even if time in the real world has not been so kind as to keep them intact.
WHERE TO PLAY
Build on the role-play elements of Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey takes you to Greece in the midst of the Peloponnesian War. As Kassandra or her brother Alexios, you must locate and take down the mysterious Cult of Kosmos.
Tetris Effect: Connected
It’s possible for a person to dislike Tetris. It’s a much tougher feat to find somebody who can summon a strong argument against its status as a masterpiece of the medium.
Whether you’re a puzzle-minded player or entirely put-off by the very concept of the game, Tetris is Tetris is Tetris - it’s a perfect execution of its premise.
Tetris Effect: Connectedadds enough sparkle and shine to the decades-old formula to stand out as one of its greatest representations. Move to the groove with rhythm-oriented mechanics and feast your eyes on some of the greatest eye candy around.
