On July 7, PS Plus subscribers will be able to download not two, but three games due to its subscription. Replacing Call of Duty: World War 2 and Star Wars Battlefront 2 is NBA 2K20, Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration, and Erica. The third game comes as a gift in celebration of PS Plus's 10-Year Anniversary, among other smaller items as well.
In addition to the third game, Sony released an exclusive PS4 theme of the PS Plus anniversary and is currently hosting a free multiplayer weekend until July 5 at 11: 59 PM local time. There's a touch of irony to the free weekend, as PS Plus was not required to play online in its early days but is now, and so for its anniversary it's almost as if it's going back to those earlier days. In lies one big fan desire: what PS Plus used to be.
PS Plus: 5 Year vs. 10 Year Anniversary
First, it's worth looking at how the two anniversaries were celebrated. Both release some statistics about the service, with the most downloaded PS Plus games being recently revealed, but the 5-year anniversary came with a physical gift. It took some time for many to receive it, but for those who had PS Plus since day one, a plaque came that outlined a few of the gamer's stats. Obviously 5 more years down the road, something similar with the increased subscribers and the on-going COVID-19 panemic isn't feasible, but it doesn't have to be.
At that time, Sony was providing fans with PS3, PS4, and PS Vita games. There wasn't much of anything "special" it could do for its subscribers in that regard, and ironically, its ten year anniversary is celebrated by pretending it's more like 5 years ago. Occasionally, whether it's a VR game for PS Plus or a random third, PS Plus will give out more than 2 games. Month after month, though, it's the same old same old with PS Plus games. It's even noticeable that Sony typically follows a pattern with this.
PS Plus: More Bang for Your Buck
The subscription does a lot. It allows players online, it gives discounts on the store, and PS Plus can occasionally be bought at a discounted price itself. It's hard to say, though, that the free games every month isn't the biggest draw (and not technically "free"). Reducing it from 4 games to 2 games, even if they were the less claimed PS3 and PS Vita games, devalues it a tad. It would be one thing if the two games were high quality games, but PS Plus giveaways and even Xbox Games with Gold are often criticized for being lackluster.
May's PS Plus games were so niche that it led to a petition to change them, and even with the bonus third game, July has its critics as well. NBA 2K20 is the point of contention here, but for many subscribes, three offering's at least makes up for that. The same can be said of Games with Gold, but it's clear that moving forward, fans want more bang for their buck.
The big question becomes how to do so. The PS5 will inevitably influence the PS Plus offerings, and it would make sense for PS5 and PS4 games to be offered eventually. However, as there will be a limited supply of next-gen titles within the first year or so, it's not likely to be a quick change. Another possibility is continuing to offer at least three games, perhaps making it occasionally a VR title or offering a fourth VR title to support PSVR players, but July goes to show that fans liked the old model. It's an acceptable gift now, but it should eventually be more of a mainstay.
PS Plus subscribers typically get two free games every month. July's games can be downloaded beginning July 7.