Since its inception in 2011, PS Plus has seen its fair share of ups and downs, twists and turns, and more. For example, PlayStation Plus Video Pass seems so far out of left field that it's not surprising its limited in availability. That's not a strike out, but that's not to say PS Plus has never struck out either.

It seems like a fair assessment to say PS Plus is on a hotstreak. The past few months have offered a wide variety of games to appeal to all walks of life, while offering up PS5 titles and other beloved games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake, GreedFall, a couple of Call of Duty games, Fall Guys, and far more. But that hotstreak began somewhere, and it was on the heels of PS Plus' darkest times in recent memory.

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The Backlash of PS Plus in May 2020

PS Plus seemingly circles through pattern after pattern, sometimes diverging from it for variety's sake. It's easy enough to argue that the current pattern is a wide variety of games to help push the PS5 while still continuing to support the PS4. On the other hand, the end of 2019/start of 2020 saw a PS Plus pattern of  big game, 1 niche game. This seemingly worked and kept fans occupied until May 2020, that is, when Sony broke this pattern. Instead of offering any big games, it was 2 incredibly niche games that only appealed to a certain demographic of gamer.

PS Plus' free games for May 2020 were Cities Skylines and Farming Simulator, and while there are diehard simulator fans out there, it's not exactly what fans expected from PS Plus. The backlash was so immense that thousands signed a petition to change PS Plus' May 2020 games, and there's something to be said about PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold subscribers there. Games with Gold are practically panned month after month, to the point where they've grown used to the GwG being a cog compared to Game Pass, but PS Plus fans have proven their grit. They'll clearly let Sony know when they are dissatisfied, with this perhaps being a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, Sony is definitely aware of the diehard PS Plus fanbase. Since May 2020, so basically for almost a year now, PS Plus games have hit hard. Part of this was surely to push the PS5, but part of it could be proving the value of PS Plus all over again. An "underdog" scenario, even for a company like Sony, is always a good. On the other hand, it could make the next disappointment even worse than May 2020, as fans expect a certain level of caliber that's hard to measure. That's not to say it'll happen soon, but in terms of probability, someday it's likely there will be a month where PS Plus misses the mark. PS Plus has built up a lot of goodwill to counter that, but the overall effects remain to be seen.

The Hope of PS Plus in May 2021

ps plus free games wishlist

Nonetheless, PS Plus' free games in May 2021 come with a lot of hope. For many, it's the last month of school before summer, and it's a good time to get new games to play over then too. Fans already know Oddworld: Soulstorm will be one of those games, but what else is coming to PS Plus then, as well as after, is anyone's guess.

Between PS Plus, though, and the continued Play at Home Initiative, it's a good time to be a PlayStation fan. Hopefully, May 2021 is a continuance of PS Plus' hot streak, and based on the past few months, that seems like a safe bet.

PlayStation Plus subscribers typically get a few free games every month.

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