February is here and that means a new set of free PlayStation Plus games to download. With a divisive but interesting variety of titles, the selection of PlayStation Plus games for February 2022 is already available on the PlayStation Store.
The February PS Plus lineup received backlash from players upon its initial reveal last week. Consisting of UFC 4, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure, and Planet Coaster: Console Edition, to many people this selection reeks of cheapness, with no title being particularly desirable. After a strong start to 2022 with Deep Rock Galactic, Persona 5 Strikers, and Dirt 5, as well as the early consistency shown with PS Plus in 2021, players were hoping PlayStation would continue with the solid releases.
PlayStation Plus subscribers can now redeem their free games for the month of February through their console, app, or PC. UFC 4 is the latest simulation fighter of the mixed-martial arts league, releasing in 2020 to positive reception from critics and players. Tiny's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure is the standalone release of a Borderlands 2 DLC from many years ago which is partially the inspiration for the upcoming Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Lastly, Planet Coaster: Console Edition brings the crazy theme park creator to consoles, allowing users to create the theme parks of their wildest dreams.
With the February PS Plus lineup announcement came subtle changes to the usual marketing, leading many to believe that Sony is starting its Project Spartacus transition. At the end of 2021, a handful of leaks gave way to Sony's secret development, Project Spartacus, PlayStation's supposed matchup against Xbox Game Pass. It is believed that Project Spartacus will be included within a higher-tier PlayStation Plus membership, with the monthly free games continuing at a lower rank. Sony itself has not commented on the development, but players are expecting to hear something sometime in the spring.
An unfortunate possibility in this whole development is that the bottom-tiered PlayStation Plus members get slim pickings compared to higher-tiered customers. One need only look at the underperforming Xbox Games with Gold service, that monthly receives backlash for not providing quality games according to players. Unless Sony has some sort of trick up its sleeve that Microsoft doesn't, the free titles given away through PlayStation Plus could start looking like Xbox Games with Gold once Project Spartacus launches. Until this discussion moves beyond speculation, though, players can continue enjoying free PlayStation Plus games in anticipation of the future.