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PlayStation Plus is getting overhauled

3 min read
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PS-Plus

The idea behind PlayStation Plus has been shockingly simple since it debuted four years ago. Customers pay a reasonable annual fee for the service, and get ten times that value back in games being available to download for free every month. Somehow, this idea worked. And now, the service is getting an overhaul.

For the last couple of years, the PlayStation Instant Game Collection has had several titles available to download, with some being replaced and others being a tad more permanent. Games such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Gravity Rush have been occupying that space for many a month now, while other new titles have rotated in and out every month.

Moving forward, expect a leaner and smaller collection of games every month. There’ll only be two new games added per month per PlayStation platform, before they make way for new arrivals a month later. As the PS Blog put it:

Since we are always looking to continue evolving PS Plus to be a service that really serves our community, we are excited to provide a more balanced set of games introduced each month with PS Plus. As you’ll see below, starting in June, members will have access to two titles per month for each of our platforms.

Since we’ve seen how excited many of you are to download Instant Game Collection titles as soon as they’re available, we’ve decided to adjust the length of time each title will be available. Starting in July, every title in the Instant Game Collection will be available the first Tuesday of the month, and will be free for the month, until the first Tuesday of the following month, taking the guesswork out of how long the game will be available for free.

In the coming weeks, you’ll see that several of the titles that have had a nice, long stint in the Instant Game Collection will be phased out, so if you’re new to the service and haven’t had a chance to download all of the titles available through PS Plus — or if you’ve been thinking about subscribing but haven’t yet — now is the perfect time to get all the great games available with PS Plus.

As Geoff already told you, June will see European PS Plus subscribers get NBA 2K14 and cross-buy title Lone survivor added to the PS3 roster. PlayStation 4 members get Trine 2: Ultimate Story and Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate, while PS Vita members can jam Dragon’s Crown and Mutant Mudds Deluxe for gratis.

It’s pretty much clear why the PlayStation Plus system is getting reworked. Focus is slowly shifting now towards the PlayStation 4, which still needs more time to mature before it can start giving gamers more triple-A titles for free. And while the PlayStation 3 will most likely sell well for another year or two, it might not be worth the cost of licensing those particular games for that older platform.

And don’t forget, Microsoft has a rather solid line-up arriving on the Xbox 360 Games for Gold service as well, with the Xbox One also receiving beefy games and exclusives. Should be an interesting next couple of months to see how Sony and Microsoft try to one-up each other in the free game offerings.

Last Updated: May 30, 2014

98 Comments

  1. Boom! The Sony cash cow is shrinking and the fat is getting trimmed, which all began when Jack Tretton was the first to jump off the skyscraper that eventually went up for sale.

    Kaz loves trimming. He has done it with staff, with AAA game developers and now with your free games.

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 30, 2014 at 09:45

      Boom! My bacon is made from real pork!

      Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    May 30, 2014 at 09:27

    Trine 2! Such an awesome game.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      May 30, 2014 at 09:35

      Now it’s mine
      *rubs grubby paws.

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        May 30, 2014 at 09:53

        I have it on Steam, but something tells me… it will shine on the PSDomination

        Reply

  3. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    May 30, 2014 at 09:28

    That unprecedented domination!

    Reply

  4. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    May 30, 2014 at 09:29

    If you have all three consoles the biggest problem is finding the time to game…

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      May 30, 2014 at 09:35

      Agreed!

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        May 30, 2014 at 09:47

        I’m yet to play a bunch of PS+ titles. I just don’t have the time 🙁

        Reply

        • CAE9872

          May 30, 2014 at 09:58

          I second your sentiment.

          Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          May 30, 2014 at 10:46

          I gathered as much. You have buckets of discipline

          Reply

    • RinceofFuturePast

      May 30, 2014 at 09:52

      Sir, where have you been?!

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        May 30, 2014 at 09:54

        • RinceofFuturePast

          May 30, 2014 at 09:56

          You make me sad. I’m only good enough to have a comment made to someone else given as an answer. All is a lie! *Goes to lie on some clouds…

          Reply

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 09:57

            🙁 Aww comeon, I didn’t want to copy and paste, that’s even worse and just rude…

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 09:59

            *falls through cloud that is a lie

  5. Awesomeness

    May 30, 2014 at 09:30

    Last year at E3 Jack Tretton boldly boasted about the PS+ instant game collection. Not even 12 months have went by and they’ve done a 180.

    Reply

    • David Dyason

      May 30, 2014 at 09:36

      What 180 turn? They still provide it, and the games is still awesome. For R500 a year, this is still a great service.

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      May 30, 2014 at 09:37

      Um no, like Darryn said they are shifting their focus to the PS4. Games will still be released for all three platforms.

      Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 30, 2014 at 09:38

      Not as many 180s as the xboner-no-kinect 😛

      Reply

    • CAE9872

      May 30, 2014 at 10:00

      Ummm you sure you reading the article correctly? They not changing anything just shifting things around, providing a more focused PS+ and also more consistent dates so its not all a little up in the air. Now we all know – 2 games for each platform every month. Why is that a 180? Or a 360? Or anything else.

      Reply

    • Tauriq Moosa

      May 30, 2014 at 10:32

      What’s the 180? I’m confused.

      Reply

  6. Alien Emperor Trevor

    May 30, 2014 at 09:35

    LOL @ PS minus tag

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      May 30, 2014 at 09:35

      XD

      Reply

  7. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    May 30, 2014 at 09:37

    Meanwhile on Xbox, another classic from 2007?

    Reply

  8. Pieter Kruger

    May 30, 2014 at 09:38

    So basically the Games With Gold model then?

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 30, 2014 at 09:39

      You mean I can play classics from 2007?

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        May 30, 2014 at 09:40

        If you’re lucky, otherwise you’ll get Basement Crawl…..????

        Reply

    • FoxOneZA

      May 30, 2014 at 09:39

      If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        May 30, 2014 at 09:40

        That’s true, Microsoft has shown unparalleled dedication to their console and their original vision. 😛

        Reply

        • FoxOneZA

          May 30, 2014 at 09:42

          M$ is watching from the clouds. They can see and listen to everything. Everything 😛

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            May 30, 2014 at 09:43

            Even without the Kinect? O_O

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 09:45

            Now.. Kinectless!

          • FoxOneZA

            May 30, 2014 at 09:48

            Kinect was just a distraction o_O

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 09:50

            Kinect is to “distraction” as Verbal was to Keyser Soze….

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 09:50

            The real power of the boner is that secret sauce!

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 09:44

            But how… the cloud is a lie?

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 09:53

            Which clouds? The 300,000 that haven’t been used yet? 🙂

    • Hammersteyn

      May 30, 2014 at 09:43

      No, unlike gold we still lose the games if we don’t continue our membership, but why wouldn’t we?

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        May 30, 2014 at 09:44

        Same for Games With Gold on XB1.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          May 30, 2014 at 10:47

          Did not know that.

          Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        May 30, 2014 at 09:46

        Sadly, as Pieter mentioned, with GwG on XB1 you only get the games back when you resub.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          May 30, 2014 at 10:47

          LOL

          Reply

  9. FoxOneZA

    May 30, 2014 at 09:40

    Well, you couldn’t imagine them announcing this at E3 😛

    Reply

  10. Pieter Kruger

    May 30, 2014 at 09:46

    SONY once again waiting to see what MS does at E3 and then will jump in to try and trump them! Good news for the ponies, as with what MS is going to announce at E3 all Sony games will be free from now on……..

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 30, 2014 at 09:47

      Truth! They’re all copying SEGA!

      Reply

    • FoxOneZA

      May 30, 2014 at 09:49

      They’ll all be AAA exlcusive Indie titles popping from the Indiewagon.

      Reply

    • RinceofFuturePast

      May 30, 2014 at 09:55

      If by wait and see you mean not fuck up, You are onto something!

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        May 30, 2014 at 09:56

        When are you getting your PS4? I need a workout buddy (uhm punching bag) for UFC next month.

        Reply

        • RinceofFuturePast

          May 30, 2014 at 09:57

          OVG actually has one now, so I better hurry the hell up. PS. I look forward to washing the pentagon with your face!

          Reply

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 09:57

            WHAAATTT!! What is his username? I must add him!

          • FoxOneZA

            May 30, 2014 at 09:59

            OVG’s tag is OFFLINEGAMERZA 😛

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 10:00

            HAHAHAH! WIN 🙂

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 10:00

            Hahahaah seriously? OK I’ll add him this evening

          • FoxOneZA

            May 30, 2014 at 10:05

            HAHAHAHA! No man.

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 10:00

            What @foxoneza:disqus said hahahaha

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 10:00

            Pffft not if my big toe find your brain!!!! ROUNDHOUSE KICK!!! KO!!!

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 10:01

            Plaeeeeeeez. *Lays down lego piece as your foot hits the floor. WIN!

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 10:03

            I look forward to pummeling you into submission.. ELBOW TO THE JAW!!! And then, I will share the domination on TWITTER FOR ALL TO SEE!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 10:08

            You asked for it, this is me owning OVG, how many seconds? https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=313232965233&l=6912442185203169660

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 10:16

            Pfft that was OVG, you’re taking on… THE BANANA!!!

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 10:19

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 10:24

            I like how Jason counters your foot with his TEETH!!

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 10:26

            HAHA! I was very proud of this fight, threw some hectic moves in there, loved the stomping too.

  11. Slangzn

    May 30, 2014 at 09:55

    Ive been a ps+ subscriber for some time now and have downloaded more than my moneys worth in content for my ps3. The crappy line up for ps4 adds no value to ps+ for me right now and if Sony wasnt forcing me to have ps+ to access multiplayer I definitely would have cancelled it by now. With lack of triple A’s on the platform, chances are very good I will own the titles already that do eventually make the “free” list. Maybe a free weekend pass/trial would be cool instead like they did with Killzone.

    Reply

    • Josh Melton

      June 1, 2014 at 15:43

      Cute As Always…

      Reply

  12. Umar's Crown

    May 30, 2014 at 09:59

    What works on my nerves is WHAT do people expect from PS4…SERIOUSLY now…..This console is in it’s infancy still FFS

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 30, 2014 at 10:02

      Sometimes, one can only shake ones head. I wonder if they’re going to make use of Playstation Now as the major source of PS+ games in the future. It certainly makes sense though.

      Reply

      • Umar's Crown

        May 30, 2014 at 10:03

        Freaking hope not….That’s a scary prospect but Sony knows PS+ is a huge draw. They’ll be alienating a lot of people but it might be an option

        Reply

    • Tauriq Moosa

      May 30, 2014 at 10:30

      I agree – but a possibility might be backward compatibility. I would have bought all Demon/Dark Souls, for example, since this was my first console.

      Reply

    • Sk3tz0

      May 30, 2014 at 11:25

      LOL ppl want Killzone on PS+ Now..!!!!!!!

      Reply

  13. CAE9872

    May 30, 2014 at 10:08

    Great selection of upcoming PS+ and GWG games on offer. Excellent!

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 30, 2014 at 10:09

      Folks forget that if it wasn’t for PS+. Microsoft would still be hiding silly apps behind paywalls with zero rewards to subscribers. Similarly, if it wasn’t for an initial strong showing of xbox live, Sony would never have taken online gaming seriously.

      COMPETITION! It’s better than a mythical cloud!

      Reply

      • RinceofFuturePast

        May 30, 2014 at 10:10

        Agreed on both counts. MS only started offering their 2 free games a month after SONY was doing it for how long?

        Reply

        • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

          May 30, 2014 at 10:13

          Ever since the PS4 dominated sales…

          Sadly Nintendo hasn’t seen the light yet, but that might be more a case of corporate arrogance and an unhealthy case of denial. The Wii really did them a disservice because in relying on the casuals, they’re essentially sealed their own fate this gen.

          Meanwhile the casuals are on facebook playing Candy Crush and Papa Freaking Pear….

          Reply

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 10:17

            Indeed. The Japanese developers need to pull their heads out and realise they are no longer the powerhouse of the gaming market. America has oversold them by god knows how many %. Glory days of Nintendo has now turned more into glory holes…

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 10:21

            lol glory holes.

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            May 30, 2014 at 10:21

            Take a goddamn happy pill STAT!

          • RinceofFuturePast

            May 30, 2014 at 10:22

            NO! I am happy in my misery!

      • CAE9872

        May 30, 2014 at 10:31

        Yip couldn’t agree more – both corporates are pushing each other to meet our demands and in some cases even more so. FREE games!…ish! I now have many future hours of pleasure with no additional outlay – what is not to like!

        *walks off contemplating where future hours will come from*

        Reply

  14. Pieter Kruger

    May 30, 2014 at 10:12

    FACT: For at least the next 18 months all multiplat games will “look” better on PS4 as it’s easier to code for and make use of it’s full potential!
    FACT: Sony does not have the resources MS does and this means MS will outdo Sony 3:1 with AAA exclusives!
    FACT: Sony will focus more on Indies, HD remakes and opening up previously regional exclusives for their latest console than ever before!
    FACT: Sony ponies will still tell you that Basement Crawl, KZ and Knack are the best things since the invention of the floppy drive!
    FACT: I’m trolling! ????

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 30, 2014 at 10:14

      FACT: Microsoft has nothing to offer but Gears of War 56, FABLE 33 and Halo 23!

      Reply

      • Pieter Kruger

        May 30, 2014 at 10:16

        Quantum Break, Fable, Sunset Overdrive etc. But please, wait for even more announcements at E3, and also please, don’t hesitate to tell me how these games doesn’t interest you in the least…LOL!????

        Reply

        • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

          May 30, 2014 at 10:17

          Another Fable? Groan! fart.. fart.. giggle.. wave.. fart… fart… one button action!!

          Reply

          • Pieter Kruger

            May 30, 2014 at 10:18

            Shut up and start saving for your XB1 already!! LOL!????

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 30, 2014 at 10:21

            SHUT UP! I MIGHT BE!!

            Seriously though, I still want to get Dead Rising 3. I know it’s not the best of the DR games but I really want it. I don’t really want Sunset Overdrive, but I think Quantum Break might be just what the boner needs.

          • Pieter Kruger

            May 30, 2014 at 10:24

            Have DR3 and only played about 3 hours, keep going to back to Project Spark on the XB1!! I swear that is one amazing piece of software!

          • CAE9872

            May 30, 2014 at 10:35

            I do want Sunset Overdrive – when I first saw it it wasn’t anything fantastic – but now it is looking rather good and different. And I so want Forza 5 (million) and Halo (anything)!

            I do think you right about the exclusives though – Microsoft may well edge it when it comes to that. However, here is the thing – do exclusives truly sell consoles.

            FACT: Go ask Nintendo about that one…

          • Pieter Kruger

            May 30, 2014 at 10:48

            If the exclusive is good enough I’m sure it’ll sell consoles. Pretty sure Halo and Gears Of War are testament to that and I think even Titanfall boosted the XB1 sales quite a lot if I remember correctly? I believe that if one console keeps trumping the other by consistently releasing GOOD AAA titles, that will persuade 1st time buyers and might even “convert” others. In the end, it’s still about the games! ????

          • CAE9872

            May 30, 2014 at 10:35

            Oh and would add you to my 360 friends list but I suppose us lesser mortals are beneath you now 🙂

          • Hammersteyn

            May 30, 2014 at 10:48

            Dude I might seriously actually buy one. Kinectless obviously

  15. Tauriq Moosa

    May 30, 2014 at 10:29

    This is why I, as a PS4 owner, want Microsoft to do well and blow Sony out the water at this year’s E3: healthy competition means gamers win.

    Reply

    • CAE9872

      May 30, 2014 at 10:37

      You may get your wish! I really think, as no fanboy, MS may just edge Sony this year in the show and tell. Sony rightly wiped the floor last year – now its time for potential payback.

      At the end of the day – we gamers win though.

      Reply

  16. Sk3tz0

    May 30, 2014 at 11:23

    Will LG be so Kind as to post the Live Streams for E3??

    Wonder if Mircosoft gonna have another GO HOME XBOX event like last year.

    Reply

    • Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim

      May 30, 2014 at 11:45

      Yeah, we will have streams, live blogs and coverage.

      Reply

      • Sk3tz0

        May 30, 2014 at 11:48

        See this is why i Suffer from Diabetes.. Because LazyGamer is such a Sweet site..

        Reply

  17. yogesh

    May 30, 2014 at 13:32

    ohhhhh!!!!

    Reply

  18. HisDivineOrder

    May 30, 2014 at 14:19

    I imagine PS Now becoming a more integral part of PS Plus once it’s a fully armed and operational battle station.

    They could give over more than a few PS3 games to PS4 gamers without ACTUALLY giving them to the users.

    That way, they can build on what they had last gen without having to worry about backward compatibility and also have a huge game advantage over Xbox (for the present moment) because they’d count last gen games on top of next gen games. For many gamers buying PS4’s, you could have people who bought 360 last gen and are buying PS4 this gen, so it could be a boon.

    Moreover, since the games running over the service don’t necessarily have to be PS3 games, you could have games from …anywhere be streamed. You could have PS Vita games if you wanted. Or PS2 games. Or PS4 games. Or hell, PC games, if you liked. That is, Sony could make enhanced versions of older games to include over PS Now and stream them to PS4.

    So integrating PS Now into PS Plus gives them an easy way to really bolster the offerings and also to make the free offering lineup consistent across all Playstation systems in the long term.

    That is, instead of each platform getting its own game, PS Plus Now (a theoretical integrated service including both) could give you the same set of games for all platforms as freebies, requiring only that you stream them.

    Reply

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