PlayStation drops 6 new free downloads, no PS Plus needed

The ever rising cost of gaming is of great concern to many of us.

Nothing is excluded; hardware, subscriptions, and software have all witnessed major price increases in recent months.

The latest releases can now set us back $80, and it’s wild that we’ve seen Microsoft raise the pricing of its Series X/S consoles, despite the generation launching almost five years ago.

With all of this considered, many of us are far more selective about the games we do pick up.

Today’s pricing doesn’t allow us to be as spontaneous as we perhaps once were with our purchases.

That’s why demos have seen a major resurgence in recent years; the idea of ‘try before you buy’ can make all of the difference when it comes to deciding when you want to part with your cash.

All major storefronts have plenty of demos to choose from but today, I wanted to highlight the six most recent additions to the PlayStation Store.

Let’s begin with HUNTERxHUNTER NENxIMPACT from Arc System Works.

This one is the HUNTERxHUNTER series’ first fully-fledged fighting game, where you’ll engage in 3v3 team battles in 2.5D world.

The demo will give you access to the Free Battle and Training modes, as well as the tutorial of the Story Mode.

Unfortunately, save data will not transfer over to the full release, but don’t let that put you off trying it out.

If you’re a sports fan, you might enjoy Velocity Riders from Yash Future Tech Solutions, although its 2.92 user score doesn’t bode very well.

This one’s a 3D bike racing adventure where you’ll zoom through “ultra-realistic” environments.

You’ll be able to try out two different tracks in the demo on just one bike; of course, there are more options in the full release.

Onskull Development has launched a demo for Alchemist: Journey of the Soul, a new first-person adventure title.

In this game, you’ll need to concoct potions in order to uncover memories and successfully traverse a mysterious world. “Will your soul survive this journey?” the synopsis asks.

Playdew brings us a demo for Lost Twins 2, the sequel to - you guessed it - Lost Twins.

This one’s a puzzler where twins Abi and Ben find themselves lost.

You’ll need to “shift entire pieces of the world to guide them through a beautifully handcrafted puzzle adventure”.

There’s no word here on how much access the demo allows; I’d assume only a couple of hours at most.

Day of the Shell has a new demo courtesy of Entalto Games.

This one’s for the roguelite fans amongst you; this is a fast-paced roguelite though with each turn played in a single click.

“The gods have brought down their wrath on humanity, and only a few remote islands remain. A lonely monster huntress has risen to challenge and appease the gods, traveling through what's left of the world,” reads the description.

The final title comes from Yash Future Tech Solutions, again, and is titled Snakes and Ladders: Championship.

It’s exactly what it sounds like, a 3D version of the classic board game.

You’ll play against one to three AI-controlled characters. The reviews don't look great for this one either but hey, you’ve got nothing to lose except a small bit of time.

All of these demos are available on the PlayStation Store now alongside hundreds of others.