While some in the gaming world might consider PlayStation Now to be an inferior offering to Xbox Game Pass, there's very little doubt that Sony is trying to change that. The streaming service has spent the first half of 2021 quietly upgrading PS Now by adding new games on a monthly basis.
Perhaps even better news for PS Now is that the games the service has added are quite varied. Players looking to get their hands on a fighting game have some new options available. However, if a looter shooter is more likely to scratch that gaming itch, Sony has players covered there as well. All-in-all, it appears that Sony started 2021 off strong when it comes to making its game streaming service stronger.
January Additions To PS Now Make Survival Tough
The opening month of the new year saw PS Now focus on science-fiction survival games, as well as a nod to those who have a need for speed. The service got three new additions in January, though one is departing before long. Users couldn't be faulted if they sang "one of these things is not like the other" when looking at the announcement of the games that got added to PlayStation Now in January.
Frostpunk console edition brought the post-apocalyptic survival sim to the service. In a different kind of wasteland survival game, Surviving Mars was a new edition as well. Rounding out the trio was The Crew 2, Ubisoft's open-world racing series. However, there is a bit of a caveat when it comes to the popular racing game; it won't be on the platform all that long, leaving PS Now on July 5, 2021.
February PS Now Arrivals Explore Humanity
The number of new arrivals to PS Now were a bit light in January, but Sony made up for that in February with six varied titles landing on the platform. The biggest name of the bunch was Detroit: Become Human. That particular title is an interesting choice since Detroit is also part of the PS Plus Collection, perhaps appealing to PS4 subscribers in particular.
Darksiders: Genesis, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, and Little Nightmares are also now on PlayStation Now for the foreseeable future. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 had an extremely short stay, leaving the service on April 29. WWE 2K Battlegrounds won't be around long either, as it leaves PS Now on August 2.
March PS Now Titles Head To The Danger Zone
While January saw PS Now get three new titles and February had six new arrivals, March split the difference. Four new games arrived, though one is departing very, very soon. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown arrived a few months ago but is leaving again on May 31. That's not the only game with a short stay planned. The zombie team shooter World War Z departs on September 6. The other two new additions are on PlayStation Now for quite a bit longer, apparently.
InFamous Second Son was a PS4 launch title, and anyone who didn't get around to playing it missed out on a fantastic superhero adventure. Anyone who didn't buy it yet can now get it, for no additional charge on PS Now. Super Hot, a game that stands out because of its playing time-stopping gameplay style got a sequel last summer. Players who haven't checked out can play the original on PS Now before they dive into Super Hot: Mind Control Delete.
April PS Now Titles The Biggest Of The Bunch
One of the biggest games to launch last fall joined PS Now in April. Marvel's Avengers has had some issues finding a player base since its November 2020 release. It appears Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics is hoping the game coming to the streaming service can boost the playerbase in Avengers. Borderlands 3 is looking to get a similar boost two years later, as it came to PS Now in April as well.
With those two heavy hitters landing in the same month, it's shouldn't have been a surprise that the third new title wasn't as well known. It also has a very different feel when compared to the first two. The Long Dark isn't an over-the-top looter shooter or superhero adventure; instead, this indie title is a quieter survival game that ramps up the action and adventure as it goes along. That makes it a nice change of pace between Avengers and Borderlands 3.
May PS Now Titles Are All About The Battle
Sony has apparently worked to offer up a variety of new titles every month, though that trend changed a bit in May. There appears to definitely be a theme in the three newest additions. Jump Force and Streets of Rage 4 bring a kind of overall brawler theme to PS Now in May. However, both offer something a bit different in that particular genre. They also have different art styles that could make users of the platform pick up and play them both, without getting a sense of burnout. The third, and arguably biggest new title to land on the service in May offers plenty of fighting, though in an entirely different way.
The samurai slice 'em up Nioh has been a PS Plus title before, however it was long enough ago that new PS Now users might have missed their opportunity. With Nioh 2 out now as well, the original game being on PlayStation Now allows people to get a taste of the popular Nioh franchise. There is one caveat with this offering: The PS Now version is not the revamped and souped-up version that was relaunched earlier this year, rather it's the standard PS4 version of Nioh that came to the streaming service.