When it first premiered in June, one of the main perks ofPS Plus Premiumwas a collection of PS1, PS2, and PS3 games. Sony admitted it would be unable to include many day-one launches on the service, but its suite of older games was enough to get fans excited. While it didn’t have the reputation of Xbox Game Pass yet, PlayStation owners were anticipating the thrill of having a similarly great subscription service inPS Plus Premium.
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August’s PS Plus Premium Games are Underwhelming
Despite the service’s initial offerings providing hope for retro gamers,August’s new PS Plus gamesseem to be continuing a disappointing trend. New games includeBugsnax, Tom Clancy’sGhost Recon Wildlands, and a trio ofYakuzagames:Yakuza 0,Yakuza Kiwami, andYakuza Kiwami 2. For fans of online multiplayer, the hit horror gameDead by Daylightwas also added this month.
The twoKiwamigames offer some hope for fans of classics, as they are remakes of the firstYakuzaPS2 games, but they aren’t truly retro games. Sony owns a sizable collection of PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games under its studios’ umbrella. PS Plus wouldn’t have to pay a penny for that content, yet has chosen not to include more options.
PS Plus Needs to Offer Better Value
The future of PS Plus remains murky.Sony won’t include day-one releases on PS Plus Premium, but the last few months show it also won’t focus on retro games. Sony is playing with the deck stacked against it from the beginning given the quantity and quality of games that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers, making a competitor difficult to build. The issue isn’t that Sony has a bad plan, it’s that there doesn’t appear to be a plan at all.
PS Plus Premiumhad the difficult task of being the last subscription service to launch for major consoles, even if it had a prior iteration. It has to fight against more established names and convince people that paying for Premium is worthwhile. Sony has a chance to set itself apart from Game Pass by leaning into the nostalgia that gamers feel for their favorite childhood titles, but it needs to show a commitment to retro games sooner rather than later.
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