PlayStation Plus free RPG is unplayable for some as unexpected ban resurfaces

The latest batch of PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium games has arrived, and while most will be looking forward to playing them, there are some countries where certain games won't be accessible to subscribers.

Earlier this month, Sony announced nine new games that are coming to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, with the second of three waves available today in the US, UK and Japan. The games available today are: Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Firefighting Simulator: Ignite, Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy and Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit. Elsewhere, the full line-up has already dropped.

These PS Plus games won't be available in certain countries

As brought to our attention by Reddit user kabirsingh84, Rise of the Ronin, which became available with PS Plus on July 15 for those on the phased rollout, was never released in South Korea, so that’s one game already excluded. Additionally, Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (wave one) and Dying Light (wave two) were never released in Germany.

“That's why we NEED PHYSICAL RELEASES. Once PS6 is here, you WON'T have any option to play (or watch) anything your government doesn't like,” replied Astro_BS-AS, referring to Sony’s recent controversial decision to ditch physical media in January 2028.

READ MORE: PlayStation Plus issues August free game update with 6 titles set to depart

Why are these games banned?

Dying Light is banned in Germany because of its graphic violence, and it’s not necessarily due to the zombies, which is quite baffling when the likes of Wolfenstein: The New Order is available in Germany, a graphically violent game that lets you kill hordes of Nazis.

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is banned in Germany because of graphic violence, too, which is especially tame by today’s standards, more so with its being a retro game.

As for Rise of the Ronin, while it’s not banned in South Korea, it wasn't officially released at retail due to its historical portrayal of Korea and Japan. But it can be imported without issue.

Could any of these bans get lifted?

It’s possible, but considering that Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy was originally released in 2004, and Dying Light in 2015, I wouldn't expect Germany to be lifting those bans anytime soon. If they were, they’d probably be long done by now.

That being said, not only can you pretty much import any video game to any country, I doubt very much that Germany’s ban on the likes of Dying Light has actually stopped those who wanted to play the game nearly a decade ago. Plus, it’s super easy to create a PSN account for another region.

We reviewed Rise of the Ronin

“Rise of the Ronin has some incredibly enjoyable peaks, but so too does it feature some annoying pitfalls - making for an experience that may be jarring in comparison to other perfectly polished PlayStation exclusives,” said GAMINGbible’s Kate, in her 2024 review.

Rise of the Ronin is available on PC and PlayStation 5. Dying Light on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. While Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy was available on PC, PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox. But as already mentioned, it is now included with PS Plus Extra and Premium.

READ MORE: PlayStation Plus drops must-play RPG for Legend of Zelda gamers