The 20 Best Games On PlayStation Plus For The Year 2025

Is it worth it to purchase the Premium Playstation Plus membership that Sony has to offer? Better yet, is it worth the seventeen dollars and ninety-nine cents per month, as opposed to the essential package which can be purchased for nine dollars and ninety-nine cents? These are the questions many Playstation players find themselves asking when the first of the month comes around. Let’s face it, Sony has made it so that the Essential Playstation Plus plan is pretty much a necessity in the world of gaming. The days of playing online multiplayer for free are long gone. This monthly ten dollar expense is what it takes to grant its users access to the online multiplayer platform. We all want to play games online. So, we can argue that that expenditure is justifiable.

Sony charges an additional eight dollars for the Premium package, because it offers its users more benefits that aren’t included with the Essential and Extra plans. In addition to providing Premium members with online multiplayer access, Sony also offers these members a handful of incentives that are not otherwise included in the other subscriptions. With a Premium Playstation Plus membership, users get access to Sony’s classic catalog, which is a vast library of Sony’s greatest hit from the Playstation 1, Playstation 2, and Playstation 3 generations. In addition to the classic catalog, Sony also offers it’s premium members access to the game catalog, giving access to plethora of modern titles. Combined, premium members can play from over seven hundred titles for just an extra eight dollars a month. While this fact alone makes the subscription worth every penny, that is not all Sony offers it’s Premium members. With this tier of Playstation Plus, subscribers receive additional perks like a trial grace period where they are given a few hours to try the lates titles to see if they really want to buy them, and cloud streaming storage. I’ve had the Playstation Plus Premium membership for the two years that I’ve had my console, and I’m very happy with it, and would recommend it highly to anyone that might be on the fence about whether they should upgrade to the premium subscription. The only thing I can say in the negative about it, is that it can be upsetting to see a brand new game that you just purchased at full price show up on the game catalog where you can play it for free. I can hear the gears in the skeptics mind churning, asking: So you get access to seven hundred games, but are any of them actually any good? In this article, we are going to look at the twenty best games on Playstation Plus for the year 2025, which will illustrate why it is very much worth it to subscribe for a Premium Playstation Plus membership, now, and in the foreseeable future.

1.Wo Long Fallen Dynasty: We start off our list with one of the most recent exclusive games added to the PlayStation Plus catalog. Launched in 2023, Wo Long Fallen Dynasty is one of the more recent games in the souls-like genre. A game that calls for mastery and precision over parrying, fans of this category will be delighted to know that Wo Long is one of the more approachable of the souls-like games, albeit it has one of the hardest first bosses in a game of this similitude just a mere ten minutes into the game. But don’t let that deter you. We know that this is an amazing game when we consider that it was developed by the same gaming company that made the Nioh games (are you looking forward to Nioh 3 as much as I am). Set in the Han Dynasty of China at around 100 AD, Wo Long has a very rich narrative. You take the role of an unnamed militia soldier, which gives the game a sort of enigmatic edge that the other souls-like lack. The main conflict in the game stems from preventing the opposing faction and the many antagonist that come with them from obtaining an elixir that acts as a kind of fountain of youth. The game has another layer built into it, in that the world is ravaged by these demonic entities, who more often then not possess the bosses that you encounter in the game. It is a very innovative take on a very burgeoning genre of games, and it acts as an exemplification of how you can get a relatively new game under the Premium PlayStation Plus membership, making it worth the subscription.

2. Grand Theft Auto 5: The original Doom games redefined the gaming industry. They set the standard for what a good shoot em’ up game should look like. Countless games have tried to emulate what Doom achieved. The same could be said for the gaming company Rockstar when they introduced the world to their GTA series (although some may be surprised to discover that the original GTA wasn’t produced by Rockstar). To this day, games like GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas remain some of the most purchased games of all time, and GTA has an extremely loyal fan base and community. Don’t believe me? Just hop on streaming channels like Twitch and see how GTA dominates the viewer boards as one of the most viewed streaming games (at least on Twitch). With GTA 5, this is your opportunity to take part in a movement that has lasted several decades, and that will continue with the release of GTA 6, next year.

3. Silent Hill 2: Silent Hill 2 is terrifying because it listens to the player. Every decision that you make influences the outcome of the game. It was the brilliance of the developers at Konami to make this psychological horror, at a time when everyone was making survival horror games of the likes of Capcom’s Resident Evil series. The twisted story of James' making his way through the nightmarish town, with its iconic fog, and its demented creatures, is often cited as one of, if not the best horror games of all time. We all love Pyramid Head, and we are innately terrified of him at the same time. Silent Hill 2 is just another example of how you can get a great game that’s relatively new for a great price. Just ask yourself: would I rather pay seventy dollars to make a one- time purchase of this game, or would I rather pay approximately twenty dollars, and have full access to this game and many others.

4. The Last of Us 1+2 (Remastered): With the, The Last of Us series, the only difficult question is which of the two isthe better game. Both games had all the necessary ingredients for a winning game of the year. As it turns out, The Last of Us Part II actually did win a game of the year award, and the only reason that the first game didn’t was that it faced stiff competition in the year that it came out. Apparently, players preferred the vast open world of GTA 5 as opposed to a rich narrative of the likes of the original, The Last of Us. These games offer everything that a game could possibly want. You could say that it is a zombie game, but these, ‘zeke,’ are like any undead that we’ve ever faced before. Known as the ‘Infected,’ these ghouls are the byproduct of some bizarre fungus mutation. Very much a survival game, The Last of Us is also a heartwarming love story of the bond between father and daughter. The main plot lies in the fact that the main characters are looking for a cure to the infection, but the cure lies in the main character's daughter’s head. That’s right. They have to kill his daughter if they are to find a cure. The climax in the game is that the main character chooses his daughter over saving humanity, as he is unable to sacrifice his daughter, even if it means finding a cure to the outbreak. This game has a little something to offer for everyone, and if you haven’t played it yet, you should definitely check this series out.

5. Mortal Kombat 1: Get over here! Finish him! There are countless arcade -style fighting games that remind us of something out of a Fight Club film. Over the last couple of decades, we have seen franchises such as Tekken, Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, Killer Instinct and many, many others. Be that as it may, there aren’t many games in this category that compare to the likes of Mortal Kombat. With over twenty titles, Mortal Kombat is a game that nearly everyone has heard of. The influence that it has had on society is demonstrated in the nine -plus motion pictures that have been made based on the game, and another one is supposedly in the works. Mortal Kombat 9 introduced us to the gruesome x-ray feature, and Mortal Kombat one introduced us tothe Kameo characters. Mortal Kombat is one of those games that is a great introductory point for new players, and every bit as great for those who are more familiar with the series. Not only that, but it is another exemplification of a fairly new game available on PlayStation Plus for a fraction of the price. Give this game a chance, and play with the iconic Scorpion or Sub-Zero characters, and fight through the netherworld and a vast multiverse of mortal fighters.

6. Cyberpunk 2077: For those of us who have followed Cyberpunk 2077 closely, you know that this game sent us on an emotional roller coaster ride. First, there was the wait. It took eight years for the game to go from announced to release, with the first reveal coming in 2012 for a game that wasn’t launched until 2020. And what did the wait do? It put us all in anticipation. Expectations for this game were at their highest. It seemed like this futuristic Grand Theft Auto, where you could augment your body with technology. Not only that, but this was at a time when John Wick was at its peak height, and the teasers had Keanu Reeves in them, which only piqued consumer interest. Then the game finally came out. And it had bugs. Lots of bugs. But they’ve revamped it, and it is a masterpiece. This game is perfect for those of us who are hardcore Cyberpunk fans, or for the casual player whose not sure if they want to pay the seventy dollars for the game, so they can try this unique gem for a fraction of the cost.

7. Hogwarts Legacy: Whoever pitched this game idea must have had brass balls. The idea of a Harry Potter game sounds good on paper, but the reality is otherwise. If you look at the Harry Potter games to date, it seems that the first three that came out were moderately good (and the best that were ever made), and then something went terribly wrong with everything that was made after Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (most of the games were named after the books). And I am by no means exaggerating this. There are many sources that have said that the last three Harry Potter video games are some of the worst games that were ever made. So, it is nothing short of an understatement to say it’s risky to suggest a Harry Potter game in it, not to mention one that doesn’t have Harry Potter or any of the original cast in it. But the result was this incredible game that has many people looking forward to the highly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy 2. Definitely give this game a once-over if you’re looking for a fun, explorative adventure game, where the combat involves all of your favorite Harry Potter spells (including the forbidden curses).

8. Control: Everything about this game was a breath of fresh air. There’s not a game quite like it. With Control, we were given the kind of female protagonist that hasn’t come around since Perfect Dark Zero. The main protagonist totes a revolving gun and carries out various tasks in a Federal Government building that’s been taken over by supernatural entities. Throughout the game, you develop some amazing abilities of your own, such as the capacity to defy physics, tear walls apart, and use them as shields as you fight hordes of supernatural beings. And who can forget the ashtray maze with its badass soundtrack and epic psychic fight? Control was one of those games that won a few awards, and was successful in its own right, but was ultimately eclipsed by games like Sekiro. If you haven’t given this game a go, it is worth every minute you’ll spend playing it. Go try it now!

9. Skyrim: When The Elder Scrolls V came out, it became an instant cultural phenomenon. In its day, Skyrim was the Michael Jackson of video games. Remember the year that MJ won just about every MTV award? That’s how it was with Skyrim, with its two dozen or so game of the year awards. Ostensibly, it seemed it was universally agreed that it was the best game, hands down. Everyone was talking about it. The thing that made Skyrim successful was that it had a little something for everyone. There were dragons, vampires, yeti-like creatures, magic, epic combat scenes, and endless hours of exploration. We will probably never experience another Skyrim in our lifetimes. Even considering this is a game that many will have played countless times, it's one that’s still fun to pull out and relive the nostalgia of days done. To this day, it remains an incredible game.

10. Ghost of Tsushima: Ghost of Tsushima is the absolute perfect game dealing with the theme of revenge. This game also had all the vital ingredients of success, starting with the fact that you play as a deadly samurai. The major plot in Ghost of Tsushima is that the game's main antagonist Khotun Khan captures the main character’s uncle, Lord Shimura, creating the ultimate dilemma. Khotun Khan kidnaps Lord Shimura, to see if he can influence him to join the Mongols. But this is only part of his diabolical plan. He knows that Jin Sakai, the main character, will do anything to rescue his uncle. But just how far is he willing to go? It is Khan’s hope that he will break Sakai’s will, making him abandon everything he’s ever learned, in order to save his uncle. Khan wants nothing more than to have Lord Shimura witness his nephew transform into a kind of monstrosity that he doesn’t recognize. Khan carries out his plan by also capturing and killing Sakai’s brother] to further break his will. Throughout the narrative, we see the main character tiptoe along these lines as he abandons all his morals and values, such as deciding to assassinate some of his opposition, which he was taught not to do, and all of his decisions lead to him earning the nickname, The Ghost of Tsushima. This is a game that I have played multiple times with my PlayStation plus member, and would recommend to those who are veteran’s of the game on a second or third play through, or for those who have never played the game, and might be interested in a game that’s kind of a souls-like, but not quite, and if it were one, it is one that is very much more approachable and less punishing then other games in this genre, that is unless you are playing on the hardest difficulty, then that is another story.

11. Death Stranding: How can you go wrong with a game where the main character is basically Daryl from The Walking Dead? The overwhelming popularity and success of Death Stranding can be seen in the recent sequel to the game that has just come out, which, surprisingly enough, is one of the rare exceptions where the second is better than the first. It is a kind of an aside, but I have a requirement when I purchase a game, in that I want to invest thirty hours at the very minimum in playtime. I’m talking about games like Fallout, Skyrim, the Witcher series, and games of that sort that have incredible open worlds for you to explore. I don’t want the thirty hours to come from three separate play-throughs, just so you can platinum the game. Although I’m a hypocrite because I do that too. Death Stranding is such a game. It is huge. The setting of Death Stranding takes place in an alternate reality of our world. You play as courier Sam Bridges, who is the spitting image of Daryl from The Walking Dead, and you connect the various cities in this barren apocalyptic world through a communication network known as the Chiral Network. The Death Stranding in the game refers to a universal phenomenon in the game that lift the veil between the living and the dead. As you explore this vast landscape, you often encounter the deadly BT’s and overcome them to finish your quests. Death Stranding is an innovative game that comes with hours upon hours of gameplay that players of all genres will love.

12. Returnal: Returnal was one of the very first PlayStation exclusives that came out right at the launch of the PS5. At the risk of sounding like a broken record player, it is a game in the PlayStation Plus Premium catalog that shows that it is worth its weight in gold. The seventeen plus dollars you spend is worth the many quality games you are given access to. With Returnal, we saw a game that executed the idea of a time loop with perfection. Very often, players get frustrated with games like Returnal that feature a permadeath feature, but this game seems to be an exception. Death is a very integral part of this game. You are supposed to die, and die often, to get the full experience of the game. The main plot of Returnal is that the female protagonist, who is a kind of cosmonaut, crash-lands on an alien planet. She comes out of a sort of coma with absolutely no recollection of the events prior. The protagonist has to explore a world where she has to fight off alien monstrosities, and with each death, she returns to her spacecraft, hence the name of the game. The tricky thing about Returnal isn’t the aliens that you face, but the fact that the environment changes with every death. No two settings are the same. Just when you thought you had the lay of the land figured out, your death changes everything around in the most complicated labyrinth I have ever had the privilege of encountering. The Premium PlayStation Plus membership is worth every penny, in that it gives its subscribers the opportunity to play PlayStation exclusives such as this gem.

13. Demon Soul’s: This game is not for the faint of heart. Developer FromSoftware is no stranger to making some of the most brutal and difficult games we have ever played, since they got their start in making games back in 1994, when they launched their first game, King’s Field, for the PlayStation 1. They are the reason for many broken controller, thrown in rage for how difficult their games are. The thing is, FromSoftware is a name most everyone in the gaming community knows. Back in 2022, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring pretty much stole the show, winning the game of the year award. Elden Ring was a game that upset many gaming developers. They were upset about it because it went against the status quo. But the thing is, there wouldn’t have been an Elden Ring with Demon Soul’s. We can say that Demon Soul’s is the grandfather of Elden Ring. With Demon Soul’s, FromSoftware created a whole genre of video games. One of the most popular categories of video games is the soul’s like games, known for their challenging and punishing gameplay, and ruthless bosses. We reach a level of frustration unlike we’ve ever known when we face the same boss fifty plus times, but receive the greatest reward and dopamine rush when we finally defeat them. Players everywhere have heard the expression, ‘get good,’ in reference to games such as these. PlayStation Plus gives you the chance to play a game that defined a generation of gaming

14. The God of War Collection: For more than half of my life — the first sixteen years or so — I was a Microsoft and Xbox enthusiast. I had a watershed moment where I watched my best friend play Halo — his father worked for Microsoft — and I was immediately sold. Years later, I would have a similar experience when I played God of War for the first time. It was God of War III for the PlayStation 3. It only took a few hours of playing as Kratos for me to decide then and there that Sony deserved my money more than Microsoft. The thing about the God of War series is that it is so hard to come to a confident decision about which one is the best of the series. If you are of the same opinion, then I have good news for you. As part of the game catalog, Sony provides various collections for its players, and God of War is included within that section. That’s right; you can play everything from the original God of War to the most recent title. There’s something for everyone, and there will be more collections included later on in this list.

15. Doom: What is there to say about Doom that hasn’t been said already? We’ve already spoken so highly about it, and that praise is rightly deserved. In this instance, I’m referring to the 2016 edition, as opposed to the original. I’m going to take the time out here to pause and reflect on how Doom 2016 was robbed for the game of the year, but I guess it’s understandable considering it had very stiff competition. When. Doom 2016 came out, we got a game that was very much Doom at its core, but something that was completely different, and every bit as glorious (and yes, that is a direct reference to the newly incorporated glory kills). If you’re a fan of the Doom franchise, then I know the Premium PlayStation Plus membership is for you, because they have just about every title in their catalog. As a matter of fact, the only reason I didn’t include this choice as a collection is because of the fact that. Sony doesn’t classify it as such, and because of the fact that they’ve. recently removed Doom Eternal from their catalog, so it is no longer the full collection. That’s the thing about the games in the catalog. You have to jump on the games that you want to play, because Sony updates its catalogs monthly

16. World War Z: The conceptualization of zombies has come a long way since White Zombie, which, interestingly enough, was the first movie about zombies made in the 1930’s. Zombie use to be these mindless, unconscious, wandering corpses that you were unfortunate to run into. Even the undead from movies like Night of the Living Dead were more docile beings that could be outrun and bypassed with careful planning. These ghouls were a stark juxtaposition from the terrifying monstrosities that we saw in flicks like Dawn of the Dead the remake, 28 Weeks, later, and very recently, World War Z, starring Brad Pitt, and based off the novel of the same name, that that works in packs — or hordes — could full on sprint, and that became lethal upon the slightest sensory stimulation. And we love our zombie games. They are an extremely popular brand of video games. One would lose track of the endless string of zombie-based games that have come out over the years; often, we think of the Resident Evil games and the movies that came with them, Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, Dead Rising, Dying Light 1 and 2, the Dead Island games, and many more. Of all these noticeable titles, World War Z is a unique gem that any zombie lover should pick up if they find this game even remotely interesting. The game is divided into episodes, where you complete tasks and missions with other players, in zombie-infested New York, Japan, Russia, and other locations that can be purchased in the PlayStation Store. World War Z is very reminiscent of the Left 4 Dead series, especially with its special zombies, such as the bull , which is a towering giant wearing SWAT gear and that charges the users. Players will love combating swarms of ‘zeke’ that rush the player in hordes, and that tower in colossal pyramids, just like they do in the movie. If zombie-like games are your thing, PlayStation Plus also offers similar games such as Black 4 Blood, which alone is a ninety-dollar value, and other games like Killing Floor 2 and 3.

17. Wolfenstein 1 + 2: Games about war have long been one of the most popular categories of games since the invention of video games. There have been thousands of titles that span over seventeen different subcategories. The vast majority of these games cover very real battles in human history, ranging from Vietnam, World War I and II, Desert Storm, and the list goes on. Of these, it seems the most popular epoch in human history that we like to relive is the period spanning the length of World War II. Almost every big developer that produces war games has covered this infamous moment in time (wouldn’t it be interesting if we had games that covered the Revolutionary War?). Games with a military focus have given us such timeless classics as Call of Duty, Battlefield, and many others. Albeit, it seems that Call of Duty has been going through a downward spiral in recent years, which I will cover in another article. That being said, Wolfenstein I and II are something entirely different than what we are accustomed to, and we love it for being its own unique breed. The game seems to be something out of an Inglorious Bastards movie. You almost expect the main character to go on about killing Nazis. How can you go wrong when you are fighting nazi scum and gigantic robots? At the same time, the Wolfenstein series is like something out of a Philip K. Dick book, and by this, I am of course referring to his book, Man in the High Castle, which was later turned into a television series. I say this because in Wolfenstein, we live in an alternate reality where the Nazi’s won the world, and within this setting, we have a game that has mature storytelling, complex emotions, and character development, all while incorporating fast-paced first-person shooter action. Load up, and play a hand in overthrowing the Nazi regime.

18. Assassin’s Creed Collection: It can be argued that the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry games are some he best games pushed by gaming company Ubisoft. You know a game has a serious following when it has published over fourteen titles. The most unique thing about Assassin’s Creed is that it made history fun while giving players the opportunity to explore rich settings and landscapes. Throughout its long history, Ubisoft has allowed us to explore Valhalla, Greece, Russia, the Americas, Asia, and many other locations as a deadly warrior and Assassin, and Altair Ezio is one of the most memorable characters not just in the franchise, but in the world of gaming. Players will never forget the first time they dove off a building, in a game that is rich in parkour, stealth, and rich combat. With the Assassin’s Creed collection, we get a taste of just how much value is in the Premium PlayStation Plus plan. If you were interested in purchasing this collection on the PlayStation store, the same titles go for two-hundred dollars when they are not featured in a sale.

19. Fallout Collection: The Fallout series has become nothing short of a cult classic. Bethesda’s shoot em’ up has come a long way from the original first two games that were some of the best point and click games we have ever known. It has become a movement. Fallout has become a household name every bit as much as the Titanic, McDonald’s, or even Michael Jackson. We have all become familiarized with the nuclear apocalyptic wasteland, and iconic figures such as the soldier wearing his power armor, the mutant giants, and the depraved raiders. Gamers argue over which is the best in the series: New Vegas, as compared to Fallout 4. But don’t talk about Fallout 76; that was a well-intentioned step in the wrong direction. It is commonplace to see Fallout merchandise in the vast majority of gaming stores; we all feel an indescribable appeal to purchase the ever-popular Pip-Boy from the game, or our very own badass power armor headpiece. We can see how popular Fallout has become in the hit television series based on the game that is now streaming in its second season. A Premium PlayStation Plus membership gives its subscribers a chance to take part in a movement in video games that is most likely going to be around for a while (rumors have surfaced that a new game is in the works.

20. Final Fantasy VII Remake: There is something that I’ve wanted to say about a few of these games that I’ve waited until this point to say. I think it is worth mentioning that some of these games, namely Fallout, Assassin’s Creed, and Final Fantasy, are so popular in today’s modern society that Wizards of the Coast has notably incorporated them into the Magic: The Gathering trading card game with their Universes Beyond series, which I think says a lot about these games. Just mentioning that as an aside, as a member of the Magic community. That being said, it is interesting to note that the original Final Fantasy, is that it was a last-ditch effort by Japanese company Square (later Square Enix) to save the organization. That last-ditch effort would turn into a cultural phenomenon that has redefined the RPG genre. This is best seen in the 100 games that have been made that are related to Final Fantasy in some fashion or another (that includes mobile games and all the spin-offs), but most noticeable are the dozen or so titles. Final Fantasy is such a popular game that they even based a movie off of it in the early 2000’s. Final Fantasy VII is easily the most popular game in the franchise (as is evident in the fact that Magic cards feature the character Cloud and the other Final Fantasy characters).

As you can see, the Premium PlayStation Plus membership has a little something to offer for everyone. These games are a reflection of the value that you get out of this subscription. Even so, these games aren’t the only games with value that come along with a Premium PlayStation Plus membership. The catalog also includes such titles as Spider-Man, XCOM2, Star Wars Jedi Survivor, The Far Cry Collection, Tomb Raider Collection, Nioh, The Uncharted Games, and many, many others. The games that the membership offers its members aren’t the only reason that you should consider a Premium subscription. I can say from experience that the trial offer that the plan offers makes this plan all the more valuable. Just recently, I was torn about buying a brand-new game. I am not going to name the game in question, but I did the trial of the game, and was very disappointed by it. This was a good thing, because the PlayStation Plus trial period saved me the seventy dollars I would have spent ona game I didn’t like. I hope this article gives you just a small glimpse ofwhy it would be a good idea to switch over to the Premium PlayStation Plus subscription that Sony has to offer its users.

Writing and Research: Aaron M. Weis

I create, chill, educational trophy hunting streams. I break down platinum runs, missables, collectibles, and optimal paths — live. Horror, FPS, and completionist pain. Currently: Silent Hill 2 Remake 40/44 Trophies achieved. Follow me @ https://www.twitch.tv/lilweisy222