While the recent State of Play had its ups and downs, not many were expecting an early reveal of the PS Plus games for March 2023. Not only did Sony give a look at the new PS Plus free games, but it also confirmed a handful of games coming to PS Plus Extra and Premium. The jury is still out on the latter, but as far as the Essential tier is concerned, the PS Plus free games for February 2023 are a mile ahead.
This is surprising given PS Plus' typical "big March" pattern. For those who may be unaware, some of the best games of the year are typically given out in March. Past years have seen releases like Bloodborne, 2016's Ratchet and Clank, The Witness, Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and more. That's a huge line-up to have to follow, and it seems this year is the year Sony breaks from this tradition.
PS Plus Free Games for March 2023 vs. Past Years
- Battlefield 2042 (PS5/PS4)
- Minecraft Dungeons (PS4)
- Code Vein (PS4)
PS Plus subscribers can take any of the new games, pair them against past March releases, and they're going to lose. Battlefield 2042 has been controversial since its release. It has reportedly gotten better and some may give it a second chance here, but the fact of the matter is it pales in comparison to any other March release. Code Vein is a solid title and Minecraft Dungeons certainly has its fans, but once again, they cannot go toe to toe with Bloodborne, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, or anything akin to that.
At the same time, the February games can at least comfortably be put into the same league as some of the March releases. Destiny 2: Beyond Light is timely and forever popular, Evil Dead at least has time on its side, OlliOlli World reviews in 2022 were through the roof, and Mafia: Definitive Edition has a huge fanbase. What's clear is that this February's selection is closer to what some fans may have expected for March, and that the March pattern may be over. Perhaps it'll be February moving forward, but perhaps there are so many changes happening to PS Plus that the past March releases will remain there, in the past.
After all, one advantage to this year is that the entire slate of PS Plus Extra and Premium games has yet to be revealed, so the month as a whole could be stronger than the Essential tier would indicate. PS Plus Extra and Premium already confirmed Ghostwire: Tokyo, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Rainbow Six Extraction, the day-one launch of Tchia, and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. It's a solid line-up so far, even if it still doesn't quite meet up with giants like Bloodborne, but then again that's hard to do. No matter what, it'll probably be a solid month, but when looking at how the Essential tier compares to past years, it seems clear that the PS Plus February games are better than the March games.
PS Plus users get a handful of games every month.