PlayStation gamers have been rather spoiled this generation, with free games coming for not one, but three consoles. This ensured that if you played the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4, you were assured plenty of options to choose from. With the PS Vita ending productio in 2019 and Ps3 not even in the rear-view mirror anymore, gamers are left with two free options each month. (Until, of course, the PlayStation 5 releases.)
With all that in mind, we asked everybody on the staff if two free games a month was enough, or if they would like to see the PS Plus options expanded each month to include a bit more bang for your buck. Please check out our responses below.
Zarmena Kahn – I’m OK with two games a month as long as: A. They’re not too old, B. They weren’t poorly reviewed, and C. They offer some value for money.
Lucas White – I don’t necessarily think Sony needs to increase the number of free PS4 games. However, I do think the quality of the games offered each month will be under more scrutiny, since the quantity is down. For example, I don’t think Sony will be able to get away as much with tossing something like Friday the 13th: The Game should be out there when it’s on the verge of collapse due to legal issues. Online games that have dwindling playerbases, lesser-known indie titles, and games already available for low prices won’t fly anymore with the people paying for the service for the most part. Considering March’s games both have generally retained their value outside of the occasional flash sale, that’s certainly a good sign the team at PlayStation responsible for this stuff has already taken that into consideration.
Chandler Wood – You are never going to satisfy everyone every single month. Inevitably, some people won’t like the games that come out, but people forget that PS Plus is a lot more than a “free games subscription service.” I see the games as a bonus. I am paying to play online in an infrastructure that is increasingly expensive to maintain. I am paying for a membership for other discounts and bonuses.
Last year I wrote about how the removal of the extra four PS Vita and PS3 games freed up the budget. Yes, Sony does have to pay for every game they put into the Instant Games Collection. Remember that there were a ton of months that were complete misses, with some very low profile and bad games added. So sure, the two games added this month might not be for you, but some people enjoy them and they are still of a higher caliber than many months we’ve gotten previously.
The only fair way to judge this is to look at a full year’s worth of PS Plus releases on PS4, not a single month. If, after a full year, you find that there are even five or six games you enjoy, that’s well worth the price of admission.
In short, no, I don’t think PS Plus needs more than two games. Games are already devalued in the eyes of gamers enough as it is with deep discounts, sales, and free game collections. Since the launch of the PS Plus instant games collection, we’ve seen sheer entitlement grow. People just can’t let a bad month of games roll off their backs and they expect Sony to hand them everything for $60 a year. Cutting back to two might bring some of those people back down to Earth and realize that video games are still a business and that the people who work in them still need to make money.
Jenni Lada – I think three would be a good number. It would help set the pace for when the PS5 comes out, since then there could be two PS5s each month.
But even more importantly, Sony needs to offer more recent games. The Witness came out in 2016 and was a March 2019 PS+ game. Microsoft’s Games with Gold gave it away for free a year ago. Likewise, Modern Warfare Remastered is from 2016. That’s not a good look for the first month of the service without any PS3 and Vita games.
PaulMichael Contreras – I think four PS4 games would be a good number, if for no other reason than to match the ‘4’ in the system name. To be honest, I rarely play many of the freebies anyway, but then my review schedule often dictates which games I play.
I think Chandler is even more optimistic than I am about people; the vast majority of gamers are going to be upset with the smaller quantity of games received now, economics be damned! But gamers also have really short attention spans. Any outcry will quickly fade, and soon two games will be the new normal. But then, if Sony decides at some point to double the amount of PS4 games received; oh, then the company would be our saviors!
Louis Edwards – With so many PSVR games available, they should add at least one to the PS+ line-up every month.
Annette Polis – I think PlayStation could bump those PS Plus freebies up to three games per month. Preferably, this would be one big title and two smaller ones. And while I don’t think they necessarily need to be super recent games, they also shouldn’t be games that always seem to end up on sale for a ridiculously low price on a semi-regular basis. I’d also be happy with a free dynamic theme thrown in there every month. I like changing my dashboard up regularly.
Aidan Simonds – In terms of quantity, I think an increase to three games a month is a good idea. While pushing out free games every month is certainly a costly venture, I think it would be in Sony’s best interest.
However, even more important is the quality of these titles. The March lineup, with one AAA game and one indie title, is a good template to follow in the months ahead. If Sony only sticks to two games a month, they need to be sure to be high-quality titles that will make the lower number less of an issue for most. Ideally, they would be more recent titles as well, but I won’t necessarily complain if we get month after month of quality titles.
Michael Briers – I actually wouldn’t mind if it remained locked at two per month, so long as we’re getting relatively big games like The Witness and Modern Warfare Remastered.
Chris Penwell – Part of the magic of PlayStation Plus is the chance to experience a game you would have never played in the first place. Rocket League is the biggest proponent of this, but over 2018, I completed many of the games made available before. CounterSpy was a fun little shooting game, Bound was an artistic spectacle, and Rayman Legends was a creative tour de force in an otherwise stale genre.
Those are just a few examples, and it’s a shame that these smaller games won’t be featured if we get 2 AAA games every month rather than a mix of both larger and smaller titles. I’d like 2 AAA games and then 2 smaller games to make up for the lack of Vita/PS3 cross-buy games.
Blake Grundman – How about a free PSVR game each month too, just to hit all of their currently active platforms?
Crazier yet, why not roll up that PS3/Vita savings into some limited version of PSNow? It is high time that they try to compete with Xbox GamesPass. Even bundling a stripped down version of the service (maybe 1-2 games per month of the player’s choice) might just be the ticket.
As for me, I think that two titles a month is just fine. Personally, I find it tough to fit in that many games in a month anyway, so the less backlog I can create, the better.
Make sure you check out our past Now Loading topics and let us know if there is a specific topic you would like us to tackle for future Now Loading posts in the comments below or by sending an email to tips@playstationlifestyle.net.
