As an incredible year for video games draws to a close, the promising year 2026 approaches. And while upcoming titles like Grand Theft Auto 6 and Marvel's Wolverine is the talk of the town, players can look forward to services like PlayStation Plus to provide a consistent source of games that will make waiting for new releases a little easier. Looking at the past three years of January game drops, it looks like PS Plus subscribers can expect to see some solid deals in a few weeks.
January 2023 brought the stellar PS Plus Essential lineup Jedi: Fallen Order, Fallout 76and Axiom Verge 2while 2024 offered a solid trio in Plague Tale: Requiem, Bad Westand No one is going to save the world. Although the main game of January 2025 could have been divisive Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice Leaguethere was full service content since Deathstroke was added the month before. Its accompanying games, which are so popular, also helped Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered and The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe made for a colorful batch of trifles. If Sony wants to keep its service appealing and impress those who upgraded their subscriptions over the holidays, the games below would be a great way to do that.
PS Plus Free Games for January 2026 Wish List — Red Dead Redemption 2
Read Game Rant's Red Dead Redemption 2 review
Although PS Plus starts phasing out PS4 titles in January 2026 as the focus shifts to free PS5 games very soon, the first month of the year could be the last hurray for legacy games. Moreover, if the rumors are to be believed and there really is a proper next-gen update Red Dead Redemption 2 at work, then now would be the perfect time to get the Rockstar classic on PS Plus entry level. With the original Red Dead Redemption by joining PS Plus Extra in December and GTA 5PS Plus decline shows Sony is no stranger to doubling down on Rockstar projects, Red Dead Redemption 2 making it available to essential subscribers would seem like a logical progression. And whether players finally experience Arthur Morgan's titular redemption for the first time, or return to Rockstar's version of the Wild West to take a trip down memory lane, this title would be a worthy headliner for Essential's 2026 lineup.
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Explore an incredibly detailed open world on foot or on horseback, complete with third-person shooter mechanics.
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Experience a first-class story full of unforgettable characters, a powerful soundtrack and emotional moments that hit hard.
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Enjoy a fun multiplayer experience through Red Dead Onlinewhich is quite deep, although it doesn't get nearly as much support as GTA Online.
- Released
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October 26, 2018
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, sexual content, strong language, drug and alcohol use
PS Plus Free Games for January 2026 Wish List – Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Watch Kingdom Come: Deliverance on Open Critic
WITH Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 After several major Game Awards nominations, including Game of the Year, many might be interested in Henry's story. KCD2 has a four-hour trial available for Premium subscribers, but jumping into the sequel isn't really suitable for those who want to know the full story. With the first game leaving PS Plus Extra in May 2023, enough time has passed for it to be relaunched on the service, this time as a core game, pushing fans towards the celebrated sequel. Although visually a bit dated compared to its sequel, its many positives outweigh this negative aspect.
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Enjoy a unique focus on realism with difficult sword combat, challenging survival mechanics and a slow rise from peasant to knight.
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Explore an immersive bohemian world that truly achieves its goal of historical accuracy.
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Experience the origins of Henry of Skalitz and his companions, characters that players have come to love.
- Released
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February 13, 2018
- ESRB
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M For Adults 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of alcohol
- Developers
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Warhorse Studios
PS Plus Free Games for January 2026 Wish List — The Alters
Read Game Rant's review of The Alters
PlayStation Plus often offers two major AAA releases and one minor one, and it's hard to think of a better choice for the latter category than The Alters. Another Game Awards nominee, this unique title is currently discounted on both Steam and the PlayStation Store – something that usually happens before titles hit the subscription service. While The Alters' The 20-hour experience is a far cry from the tens of hours players would spend on the other two titles, making it an ideal addition as a refreshing palette cleanser after playing through the big games. PS Plus can thrive on short games, as seen with some additions to PS Plus Free Games for December 2025. The Alters will entertain players from beginning to end, with many variations of the protagonist Jan Dolski, which are sure to stick with players and inspire them to play again and again.
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Experience an unforgettable story full of difficult choices and mature dialogue.
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Enjoy a stressful yet satisfying management game where you have to carefully juggle clone needs and resources.
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Explore an unforgettable sci-fi world that will keep players coming back for more.
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June 13, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and gore, foul language, drug and alcohol use, violence
January 2026 Wish List for PS Plus Extra and Premium
- Psychonauts — While its Game of the Year-nominated sequel was a PS Plus Essential game in September, the platform classic that preceded it is currently unavailable in the Classics catalog. That should change because the crazy world and characters Raz interacts with deserve to be appreciated by as many players as possible.
- InFamous 1 and 2 — Considering how long PlayStation Plus and Extra have been around, it seems criminal that Cole MacGrath's story remains inaccessible. With seemingly no hope of remasters or sequels on the horizon, the best fans of these gritty, interesting superhero stories can hope to do is join PS Plus.
- Resistance Trilogy — While the first two Resistance games were available on PS Plus for a while, they suddenly left the game catalog in mid-2025. Some fans hoped so Resistance a remaster that uses the DualSense controller, but very similar InFamousit feels like a dream. Let's hope these memorable FPS games return to service soon, bringing with them a satisfying threequel.
- Killzone Trilogy — Not only does the classic catalog give PlayStation a chance to improve humanity's war against the Chimera, but the Helghast conflict deserves more love. Kind of like that PSP game Killzone: Liberation is in service, but the original—and more importantly, its two magnificent sequels—are nowhere to be found. Before Guerrilla started working on Horizon series, shined with these underrated FPS games, and letting newer fans enjoy some of the studio's older work would be worth it.
- InFamous: Second son — While InFamous to attract attention in the Classics catalog is more urgent, why not step in and bring it Second son to the game catalog? It has come and gone a few times and currently only First Light—a short spin-off focused on a Second son character — is available. This is really strange, the story of the said character seems incomplete without the wonderful game full of daring abilities that preceded it.
- Dead universe — While EA Motive's brilliant remake of the 2008 horror classic was an Essential PlayStation Plus title as early as 2024, there will be a considerable amount of time between then and January 2026. Anyone who missed the game should get a second chance to catch it through the game catalog, as everyone should be able to feel the awesome power of the unstoppable Fear Regeneration Plasma and Regeneration.
- Furry — This brilliant indie by Cairn Developer The Game Breakers was free on PS Plus almost a decade ago, meaning the platform is only a second away. A bold combination of bullet hell and action combat, it's basically a challenging boss with a brilliant art style. It also received a PS5 upgrade a few years ago with DLC and a few tweaks, ensuring a re-release through the games catalog was justified.
- Nex Machina — A very different bullet hell experience from Housemarque, the developer Return and the upcoming PS5 exclusive Saros. Before the studio made big-budget titles, it was the king of small two-arm shooters. Nex Machina to be the swan song for this era of Housemarque games. Brilliant music and responsive controls combine to make this shmup a forgotten gem that can shed new light on the game's catalog.
