In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sony launched the PlayStation Play at Home program in 2020. The concept of the program was simple: give away high quality PlayStation games as an incentive for people to stay home and play video games instead of going out in public and potentially spreading the coronavirus. The PlayStation Play at Home program in 2020 was met with a great deal of praise from fans, which is no surprise since Sony gave away heavy hitters like Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey.
One year later, the world is still grappling with COVID-19, and the advice from health officials is still for people to stay home as much as they possibly can. As a result, Sony has decided to bring back the PlayStation Play at Home program for 2021, though it's going to be much larger in scale this time around. For 2021, Sony is giving away bonuses like extended Funimation trials on top of giving players a lot more free games.
Sony kicked off the PlayStation Play at Home free games giveaway with Ratchet & Clank, the 2016 reimagining of the classic platforming game, which is available to claim until March 31 at 8pm PT. Nine more free games will be added to the lineup come March 25, consisting mainly of smaller-scale but well-regarded indie games as well as some of the best PlayStation VR titles available.
Sony has also confirmed a free PlayStation Play at Home game for April in the form of Horizon Zero Dawn. A PlayStation 4 console exclusive game, Horizon Zero Dawn earned critical acclaim at the time of its release for its impressive visuals and open world. It's considered one of the platform's better games, and it being free from April 19 at 8pm PT to May 14 at 8pm PT will no doubt be appreciated by PlayStation fans.
Sony hasn't revealed its PlayStation Play at Home plans beyond Horizon Zero Dawn's launch in April, but it and Ratchet & Clank seem to set an interesting pattern.. Sony has indicated that the Play at Home program for 2021 will include four months of giveaways, so there will likely be more free games for May and June as well, and the previously announced games could give fans an idea of what to expect.
Sequels
The nine smaller-scale games are still notable for PlayStation Play at Home, but based on the pattern so far, it seems each month will consist of a big headliner game. For March, the headlining game is Ratchet & Clank, a first-party PlayStation game that has earned rave reviews and is generally considered one of the better games in its series. And for April, the headlining game is Horizon Zero Dawn, which is similarly considered to be one of the better PlayStation games.
What's interesting about Ratchet & Clank and Horizon Zero Dawn is that they both have sequels coming out in 2021. For Ratchet & Clank, the PlayStation 5 exclusive Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is set to launch June 11, 2021, marking the franchise's next-generation debut. As far as Horizon Zero Dawn goes, the sequel Horizon Forbidden West does not have a specific release date just yet, but it is still expected to come in 2021 as a cross-generational game for PS4 and PS5.
While Sony should be commended for giving away free games during the pandemic, there is a possibility that it is selecting the games in hopes that they will encourage more people to buy future games from the company. It stands to reason that some people who have never played Ratchet & Clank before will check out the free Play at Home version and then have the itch to try Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart when it launches later this year. Likewise, there may be those who haven't played Horizon Zero Dawn before and after they do, they will decide to purchase Horizon Forbidden West.
These two games establish a pattern that the PlayStation Play at Home games will seemingly consist of existing PlayStation franchises that have sequels announced for 2021. Assuming that it isn't just a coincidence, this information can go a long way in helping predict the next free games. However, the pattern goes even deeper than that.
Release Years
Another pattern is apparent when one takes a look at the games' release year. Ratchet & Clank originally launched for the PlayStation 4 in 2016. Horizon Zero Dawn, meanwhile, launched in 2017. Assuming the next game keeps with the pattern, it seems likely that it will be a game that released in 2018. And when one looks at the big PlayStation exclusive games that launched in 2018, one title jumps out immediately.
The Next PlayStation Play at Home Game
Sony has not announced the next PlayStation Play at Home game in an official capacity at the time of this writing, so fans should certainly keep their expectations in check. However, if the pattern holds, there seems to be a distinct possibility that the next free game will be none other than 2018's God of War. After all, God of War would satisfy two of the patterns that have been established by Ratchet & Clank and Horizon Zero Dawn being the other free games.
For one, God of War has a sequel coming out. A new God of War game is in development for PS4 and PS5, with the release date officially stated to be in 2021. Now, many seem to think that the God of War release date will get pushed back and the game will actually come out in 2022, but for now, Sony says that the game is coming this year. Very little is known about the new God of War game, as fans don't even know its subtitle and haven't seen any screenshots, trailers, or anything of that nature. However, more information should come to light in the months ahead, especially if the game is due for release in 2021.
Regardless of if the game launches in 2021, the God of War sequel would mean God of War sticks to the pattern established by Ratchet & Clank and Horizon Zero Dawn. The game would also stick to the pattern of going in chronological order for release years. Ratchet & Clank dropped in 2016, Horizon Zero Dawn came out in 2017, and God of War was Sony's big game for 2018. Since it satisfies both patterns, it seems like the safest guess as for Sony's next PlayStation Play at Home game.
The Fourth Free Game
If Sony is looking to give away four big games as part of the PlayStation Play at Home program as expected, then the patterns would point to a game that launched in 2019. Unfortunately, there aren't really any games that fit the bill. The argument could be made for Death Stranding, but it does not have an announced sequel and it is not purely a Sony-owned game. Another possibility could be Media Molecule's Dreams, which was one of the highest-rated games of 2019, but that was its early access release. Dreams didn't have its proper launch until 2020.
Guessing the fourth free PlayStation Play at Home game is much more difficult, though fans should keep in mind that there may not even be four free games. Horizon Zero Dawn is going to be free in both April and May, so maybe the third free game will be free in both May and June. Therefore Sony would keep its promise of having four months of giveaways. Not to mention there will probably be some other bonuses as well.
And of course, fans should keep in mind that these patterns could be merely coincidence. It's entirely possible that the next big free PlayStation Play at Home game is going to be something completely different. It's also possible that there is no big free game next and Sony will instead focus on releasing smaller-scale games for free instead. Whatever the case may be, PlayStation fans should standby for more information.