Sony has announced the free PlayStation Plus games for January 2021, and while there are some regional exceptions, fans in most places can look forward to adding Maneater to their PS5 library, as well as GreedFall and Shadow of the Tomb Raider to their collection on PS4. However, PlayStation Plus subscribers in Spain actually have four free games to look forward to starting January 5 in the form of an extra PS4 game.
PS Plus subscribers in Spain will three free PS4 games instead of just two. The fourth free PS Plus game in Spain is the survival-horror game Dawn of Fear. Dawn of Fear was inspired by old-school Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, with a PS1-era art style to match. As reported by Gematsu, Dawn of Fear was developed as part of the PlayStation Talents initiative in Spain, which is likely why it's part of the free PS Plus games for January 2021 in that country.
While some PS Plus subscribers in other regions may be upset that they are only getting three free games instead of four, it should be noted that Dawn of Fear is not a well-received game. In fact, Dawn of Fear reviews show that the game was universally panned, with complaints aimed at the controls, technical issues, and gameplay in general. Even so, free is free, and it's still somewhat surprising that Sony decided to limit Dawn of Fear's status as a free PS Plus game to Spain.
This isn't the first time Sony has released a surprise bonus game as part of the free PS Plus lineup. The free PS Plus games for July 2020 included Erica as a free bonus game for PS Plus subscribers on PlayStation 4. And prior to that, the free PS Plus Games for February 2020 included the PlayStation VR title Firewall: Zero Hour as a bonus game that players could claim alongside the standard free PS4 games.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how PS Plus continues to change and evolve. After all, the PS Plus Collection on PS5 gives subscribers instant access to some of the most critically-acclaimed PS4 games, and it's possible that lineup will grow with time. If Sony does add more games to the PS Plus Collection on PS5, one has to imagine such an announcement will be part of the free PS Plus games announcement for each month. Alternatively, it could be that games are removed from the free PS Plus Collection lineup over time, so subscribers should keep that in mind as well.