Sony and Microsoft both have a huge year ahead of them with two brand new consoles on the horizon in the form of therecently announced Xbox Series Xand the PS5. But while new consoles aren’t far away, the current generation is far from over and digital services like PS Plus and PS Now need a bigger push than ever to smooth the transition. Sony did a fantastic job of releasing some incredibly high-quality games on PS Plus in 2019 includingThe Last of Us,Batman: Arkham KnightandTitanfall 2, and players are going to be looking for more great games to play after the holiday season. Here’s our wish list of free games for PlayStation Plus in January 2019.
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Final Fantasy XV
The highly-anticipated release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,at least the first disc of the remake, is less than three months away, bringing one of PS1’s most beloved games to a new generation of players. The last time a major single-playerFinal Fantasygame was released wasFinal Fantasy 15in 2016, which released to Metacritic scores in the 80s with critics praising the character dynamics, set pieces, and its real-world inspired aesthetic design.
Final Fantasy 15takes place in Eos, a new location to the series that takes inspiration from Earth. Eos has been divided into four nations and a war has been raging between two nations, Lucis and Niflheim. The story follows Noctis, the Crown Prince of Lucis on a road trip with four-friends to reclaim his kingdom and to marry his fiancee, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the Princess of Tenebrae. Following its road-trip theme, Noctis’ car plays an integral role in the story as the primary mode of transport. Players are able to upgrade and customize Regalia, chose between manual and automatic controls and will need to pay attention to the car’s fuel gauge.Final Fantasy 15is a verydifferent beast toFF7 Remake, but its modern design will give new players a feel for the series.
Final Fantasy 15is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia.
Dying Light
With so many great games available on PS4, PS Plus free monthly games are a great way to push older titles before the release of a sequel - something Sony has already done withThe Last of Usa few months ago. While no release date has been announced,Techland is releasingDying Light 2sometime in 2020, a sequel to its hit 2015 first-person zombie survival-horror game that combines action-adventure with light RPG mechanics and fast-paced parkour gameplay.
Last generation, Techland developed the mediocreDead Islandwhich failed to live up to its fantastic reveal trailer and zombie fantasy. It was followed up with the brilliant and underratedDying Light, an open-world zombie game with a focus on climbable environments, parkour, and melee-based combat. One ofDying Light’sbest features is its day and night cycle, which dramatically changes how the game plays. When the sun goes down zombies are more aggressive, deal more damage, and gain the ability to sprint, forcing players to go out and scavenge during the day and hide to survive the night. Techland also has plans to supportDying Lying 2withDLC for 3-4 years, something rarely seen in the single-player AAA industry.
Dying Lightis available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Pyre
One of 2017’s most underrated games is Supergiant Games’Pyre, anaction-RPG from the developers ofBastionandTransistor, two of the best indie hits in recent years. Best described as a mixture of elements from games likeTransistorandRocket LeagueorRoller Champions,Pyreis a 3v3 action-RPG and sports hybrid where players take control of a team with the objective being to destroy the enemy teams pyre by throwing a glowing ball to damage it i.e. get the ball in the hoop and score.
Player’s can have a variety of different skills in their arsenal including dashes and projectile attacks, as well as passive abilities such as the faster movement speed in exchange for less damage onPyreattacks.Pyreis one of those really unique games that don’t come around often and it was unfortunate to see that the wider player base didn’t pick it up. Supergiant is due to releaseHades, a newroguelike in the same vein asDead Cellslater this year so this would be a great time to demonstrate what the developer is capable of.
Pyreis available now on PC and PS4.
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Everybody’s Golf
Last week, Nintendo held a Nindies Direct showcasing a bunch of upcoming indie games includingthe announcement ofSports Story, a sequel to the critically acclaimedGolf Story. Less than a month before the release ofGolf Storyin 2017, another hit golf-centric game was released in the form of a new entry in the long-runningEverybody’s Golffranchise.Everybody’s Golf(PS4) was the first game in the series to come to current-generation consoles with the PS4, and it eventually released on PSVR earlier this year.
Everybody’s Golfis a lighthearted take on sports games with a cartoon-like aesthetic, character creation and customization, and a free roam golf course where players can drive golf carts around to their heart’s content. Whether it’s on PS4 or PSVR,Everybody’s Golfdoesn’t require the same attention and dedication as open-world games or looter shooters, it can be easily picked up for a short time, and can also be played online with friends.
Everybody’s Golfis available now on PS4 and PSVR.
Regardless of whether or not Sony chooses any of the above games for PS Plus in January, it’s important that it starts the new year off strong. Microsoft has alreadyannounced the new Xbox Series Xconsole and Sony is due to properly unveil the PS5 in the next couple of months. Many saw PlayStation as the leader this past console generation, but 2020 is the start of something brand new and Xbox is doing everything it can to push the industry further. Redefining PS Plus and PS Now is the first step into setting that new standard.
PlayStation Plusmembers receive two free games every month with their subscription.
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