Last month's State of Play came and went with no new updates on any of Sony's major first-party titles such as Gran Turismo 7 or Horizon Forbidden West, only a small tease that more was to come before the end of summer. As the end of August nears and the official announcement of Call of Duty: Vanguard has already arrived, a title rumored to be a big part of the next event, another event seems unlikely to arrive just in time for Gamescom this week.
It's been a tough week for PlayStation Plus after a small number of users found they had lost access to their previous library of free games after the subscription lapsed. Sony is yet to make an official announcement on the matter, but one announcement that we know is coming for certain in the next couple of weeks is next months lineup of games. The official announcement of next month's lineup is less than two weeks away so here's our complete PS Plus free games wish list for September 2021.
The Medium
Released in January 2021 as an Xbox Series X/S exclusive, Bloober Team's (best known for Layers of Fear 2, Blair Witch) next-gen psychological thriller The Medium is finally coming to PlayStation 5, in a couple of weeks time. Set in post-Communism Poland in 1999, The Medium follows a spiritual medium named Marianne with the ability to travel into the spirit realm itself. On a quest to discover the origins of her abilities and a mysterious recurring dream she's having, Marianne must traverse between worlds at an abandoned vacation resort, all while on the run from a deadly creature known as The Maw.
Inspired by the likes of Stranger Things, Chernobyl, Silent Hill, and Bloober Team's own Observer: System Redux, The Medium is built around a duel-rendering system, displaying two separate points-of-view and worlds to the player at once. The game's cast is equally impressive, with Troy Baker (The Last of Us, BioShock Infinite) voicing the malevolent spirit known as The Maw, and Kelly Burke (Desperados III, Zack Snyder's Justice League) as the voice of spiritual medium and protagonist, Marianne. Given The Medium is due to release on September 3, the week before next month's PlayStation Plus games arrive, it seems like an unlikely pick but a welcomed one nonetheless.
The Medium is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Return of the Obra Dinn
Developed solely by Lucas Pope (best known for Papers, Please), Return of the Obra Dinn is a puzzle game that tells the story of the return of the Obra Dinn: A merchant ship that's been missing for five years, mysteriously reappearing off the coast of England with no survivors on board. Players must locate the corpses of those who were on board and determine the fates of the sixty souls that were on board, using a pocket watch that transports the player to the moment of their death. Praised for its monochromatic art style, puzzles, and narrative, Return of the Obra Dinn is one of the best in the genre and perfect for fans of Her Story, What Remains of Edith Finch, and The Witness.
Return of the Obra Dinn is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
Last year, dreams came true for skateboarding fans following the release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, a remake of the first two games in the series. Developed by Vicarious Visions (Diablo II: Resurrected, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 brings back all of the content from the original games with modernized controls, 37 brand new songs, collectibles including SKATE letters and secret tapes, split-screen multiplayer, competitive online play, and the return of both the Create-a-Park and the Create-a-Skater game modes.
Like Resident Evil 2 before it, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is one of those remakes that no only breathes new life into an older game for a whole new generation, it surpasses the original. In the GameRant review, we said: "It's [Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2] the definitive way to experience the core of the Tony Hawk franchise, elegantly surpassing what came before it, and setting a new bar for future entries in the process." Long-term fans might be eagerly awaiting the release of the next Skate game from EA and developer Full Circle, but for now, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 is the best skateboarding game available.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 is available now on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Don't Forget To Pick Up The August Monthly Games
Next month's PlayStation Plus lineup of free games is likely to be announced in the final week of August/first week of September and will be made available to active subscribers starting from Tuesday, September 7. For subscribers that haven't picked up any of the free games for the month of August, there's plenty of time left to download Hunter's Arena: Legends for PlayStation 5, and Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville and Tennis World Tour 2 for PlayStation 4.
PlayStation Plus members receive a selection of free games on the first Tuesday of every month.