On May 16, PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers will be able to add 23 games to their library, while PS Plus Essential users will be able to claim 3 games until June rolls around. This disparity has existed since Sony introduced the new tiered system, and it makes sense. PS Plus Extra and Premium cost more, and subscribers can and should expect more in return—as far as quantity is concerned, at least. However, that doesn't mean the PS Plus Essential tier's quality should suffer as a result.
There is a caveat here worth keeping in mind: nearly every year, the PS Plus free games for May 2023 are lackluster. It's not certain if this pattern is intentional or not, but with a few expectations, Sony tends to give out its best PS Plus games in March and some of its worse in May. The PS Plus free games for May 2023 join previous releases at the bottom of the barrel, and while the month as a whole is better because of the PS Plus Extra and Premium games, it highlights a potential problem down the road.
PS Plus Extra and Premium Games for May 2023 Make Up for a Bad Month
The PS Plus Extra and Premium Games for May 2023 include the following:
- Bus Simulator 21: Next Stop
- Conan Exiles
- Dishonored 2
- Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
- Humanity
- Lake
- Rain World
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration
- Rune Factory 4 Special
- Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
- Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town
- Soundfall
- The Evil Within 2
- Thymesia
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- Wolfenstein: Youngblood
- Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light (PS Plus Premium)
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered (PS Plus Premium)
- Pursuit Force (PS Plus Premium)
- Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (PS Plus Premium)
Not only is this a lot of PS Plus games, but it's a lot of good PS Plus games. Humanity is a day-one release, but games like Rune Factory, Sakuna, Story of Seasons, and Lake all have their audiences too. Thymesia, meanwhile, is a solid soulslike indie game, one with an intriguing plot and set-up perhaps most comparable to Bloodborne. And supporting these smaller releases are a plethora of top-tier AAA games. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart represents one of the best PS5 exclusives on the service and has been a long time coming, but a headliner is only as good as its support. Conan Exiles, two Dishonored games, two Tomb Raider games, The Evil Within 2, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, and Watch Dogs: Legion are all excellent additions to the service.
In comparison, the PS Plus free games for May 2023 are Grid Legends, Chivalry 2, and Descenders. Each game is a solid title, but they all have a niche appeal and audience in contrast to the sheer juggernaut that PS Plus Extra and Premium represent this month.
PS Plus Extra, Premium Isn't More Important Than The Essential Tier
Now, one bad PS Plus Essential month and one good PS Plus Extra/Premium month doesn't mean this is a new norm, but it could eventually be. Again, the PS Plus free games for May 2023 were probably always going to be bad, but just as Sony broke tradition for the PS Plus free games for March 2023, it could have here too. It could have been a scenario where top-tier subscribers got 26 excellent games, while those who prefer the lower tier got three solid titles too. Now, however, its highest-tier subscribers get 23 great games and the lowest-tier of subscriber gets discernibly much worse games and much fewer.
It may happen a time or two again in the future, but it's important that Sony doesn't diminish the PS Plus Essential tier for the Extra or Premium tiers. On the one hand, it makes sense from a business perspective as it could push subscribers to pay more for PS Plus Extra and Premium. On the other hand, the PS Plus free games played a major role, for years, in the popularity of the service. PS Plus is known as a premium subscription, and it was before that premium included more money. That name and branding are important, and that goes for all three tiers.
The long and short of it is that the PS Plus Extra and Premium games redeemed a bad month, which is good, but if it does it constantly, that's bad for subscribers. It remains to be seen, this is waving a potential red flag early after all, but it has happened with subscription services before. It shouldn't happen with PS Plus.
PS Plus subscribers get a handful of games every month.