PS Plus Blows Xbox Game Pass Out the Water, Quality Freebies On Demand

PlayStation Plus users are looking back at the year gone by, with some calling it a “damn good year” for the service.

You know the drill by now. PlayStation Plus is an excellent recommendation for any PS5 or PS4 gamers who want to access a large library of video games at a fraction of the cost.

Similar to Xbox Game Pass, you also get a bunch of new games from third-party publishers available from Day 1, which is an excellent feature if you’re unable to fork out a load of money for brand new AAA titles.

Even the cheapest tier, PlayStation Plus Essential, is seen as having a great deal of value if you play a lot of games.

What was on PlayStation Plus Essential in 2025?

As shared on the PlayStation Plus Reddit page, the past year of PlayStation Plus Essential has seen some decent titles hit the service.

Throughout 2025, the service has seen big AAA games such as Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Alan Wake 2, to smash indie hits like Balatro and Stardew Valley.

There were also some hidden gems sprinkled in there, like Viewfinder and Cocoon.

“If anyone is still hesitating whether to buy a subscription - just look at how many great games were given away this year on the cheapest Essential plan,” wrote one user on Reddit.

“Yeah TBF it covers the cost,” responded another user in the replies. “Lies of P, Alan Wake 2, Diablo these 3 alone would be like 80 bucks or more if bought on discs used.”

“Is it just me or was that a damn good year for PS-Plus Essential subscribers?” wrote another.

“For me, it's been worth it,” a third user wrote, citing games like Lies of P and Psychonauts 2 as games they enjoyed on PlayStation Plus Essential. “And I got the chance to play a lot of games I otherwise would have made some very bad financial decisions about.”

Some fans are still a little sceptical about PlayStation Plus’ value, however. Or at least, that it isn’t necessarily better than outright buying the games.

“I like the subscription, but I have a hard time saying it's a conclusively better option than owning games,” wrote another user. “Each has perks. With Plus, I get to come home and play pretty much anything, but with owning, I can just buy what I actually want to play.”

Next month, November's offerings for PlayStation Plus Essential include Stray, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, and EA Sports WRC 24.