{"id":170013,"date":"2022-12-27T20:58:10","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T20:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/playstation-plus-2022-free-games-list-37-games-worth-more-than-1300\/"},"modified":"2022-12-27T20:58:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T20:58:10","slug":"playstation-plus-2022-free-games-list-37-games-worth-more-than-1300","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/playstation-plus-2022-free-games-list-37-games-worth-more-than-1300\/","title":{"rendered":"PlayStation Plus 2022 free games list: 37 games worth more than $1,300"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PlayStation Plus’ midyear rebranding and relaunch landed with a thud. The service, necessary for pretty much every multiplayer game on the PlayStation 4 and PS5, lost two million paying subscribers \u2014 and that figure comes from Sony. The company did see an increase in its PS Plus revenue for the first quarter under the new scheme, but only by 10 percent. <\/p>\n

In other words, while some PlayStation fans left, and perhaps more bought into the new Extra or Premium subscriptions, PS Plus users stood pat for the most part in 2022. PlayStation Plus’ curators did not. Even though Sony has ruled out first-party, day-one releases for the new PlayStation Plus service \u2014 something Microsoft promotes relentlessly on Xbox Game Pass (when it has titles to launch, that is) \u2014 Sony’s free game offerings remain best-in- class. <\/p>\n

The PlayStation Plus Essential games’ collection’s average Metacritic score, which we use as a shorthand reference for the catalog’s quality, came in at 78 \u2014 more than four points higher than it was in 2021, and the highest since we began this evaluation (beating 2019 by one). PlayStation Plus didn’t cheat subscribers by bringing in games that are offered (or have appeared) in other premium services, either. Only 10 can be found on Xbox Game Pass, down from 14 last year, and five of those come from Electronic Arts, whose EA Play library is available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.<\/p>\n

That said, 10 of PlayStation Plus Essential’s games for 2022 can also be found in the new PlayStation Plus Extra library of content. That’s an issue for PS Plus subscribers with a heartier appetite or heftier wallets, though; those who are still subscribers at the same level they’ve been for a decade effectively got 10 Extra-level games without having to pay for them, including 2018’s God of War<\/em>the most acclaimed title of the 37 given.<\/p>\n

It still adds up to a curious juxtaposition: Sony drives the most value through the lowest tier of its subscription service, while Xbox saves everything for its highest. That may be bad news for SIE’s executives in Tokyo and San Mateo, but it’s great for their customers, at least.<\/p>\n

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\nDeep Rock Galactic <\/em>launched on PlayStation 4 and PS5 on Jan. 5, 2022.<\/figcaption>Image: Ghost Ship Games\/Coffee Stain Publishing<\/cite><\/p>\n

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2022 in review<\/strong><\/h2>\n

PlayStation Plus Essential \u2014 known as the Instant Game Collection before June \u2014 comprised 37 titles in 2022, with an average Metacritic score of 78 and a combined retail price of $1,304.63 (prices taken from the PlayStation Store at publication time of this analysis).<\/p>\n

That Metacritic average is a significant jump up from 2021 \u2014 more than four points. The retail value is less than 2021’s, which came in at $1,424.60, although it offered 40 games to subscribers. The average price of a PlayStation Plus Essential game, from the PlayStation Store, is basically the same as last year: $35.<\/p>\n

So let’s break down the games, month-by-month. Just three are playable on PlayStation 5 only; all the PlayStation 4 games are playable on the newer console. None is a PlayStation VR game. They’re all listed with their Metacritic score and age (at the time of availability).<\/p>\n

January<\/strong><\/h3>\n