What to expect from next month’s PlayStation Plus lineup.
Credit: Erik Kain
The school year is almost over, though we’re still in the middle of spring, and a new batch of free PS Plus Games is on the horizon. April’s games will still be available for a couple more weeks, but it’s time to start looking ahead to what Sony will offer PS Plus subscribers next.
Read on for everything you need to know about May’s PlayStation Plus lineup of Essential titles, including leaks, rumors and more.
Everything You Need To Know About The May 2026 PS Plus Essential Lineup
Stray
Credit: BlueTwelve Studio
It’s been a pretty good year for PS Plus subscribers so far, with games like Monster Hunter Rise releasing in March and Subnautica: Below Zero in February. Race car gaming fans got Need for Speed: Unbound in January. And Lords of the Fallen dropped in April.
May’s lineup hasn’t been revealed yet, though we know the port of the PS1 game, Time Crisis, is heading to the Classics Catalog (available for Premium subscribers) next month.
(See below for every PS Plus Essential game released in 2026 so far).
Last Year’s May PS Plus Essential Lineup
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Credit: Warner Bros
Last year’s May PS Plus lineup included:
- ARK: Survival Ascended (PS5)
- Balatro (PS4/PS5)
- Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (PS4/PS5)
If you haven’t played it, Balatro is a terrific little poker game with some clever twists to the rules. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a really fun retro FPS. If May’s lineup this year is as good as last, I’ll be content.
What Is PlayStation Plus And How Much Does It Cost?
PS Plus is Sony’s monthly membership program that grants access to online gaming. You don’t need it for streaming movies or TV shows on Netflix and other services, or for free-to-play games like Warzone or Fortnite. Any paid online games, however, require a subscription.
There are three PS Plus tiers—Essential, Extra and Premium. Premium grants the most benefits, including the largest game catalog and classic games from older consoles like PS2, PS3 and PS4. PS Plus Essential costs $9.99/month or $79.99/year; PS Plus Extra costs $14.99/month or $134.99/year; PS Plus Premium costs $17.99/month or $159.99/year.
For the purposes of this post, we’ll only be discussing the three free monthly titles coming to PS Plus Essential in May. The Extra and Premium titles are revealed midway through the month they release.
When Will Sony Reveal Next Month’s PS Plus Games?
Neon White
Credit: Annapurna
Sony typically reveals the following month’s games on the last Wednesday of the month, though this isn’t always the case. The actual rule of thumb is that the new lineup (almost) always releases on the first Tuesday of the month and the games are revealed the previous Wednesday.
That means we’ll learn about next month’s games on Wednesday, April 29 and the games themselves will be available on May 5. You have until then to download this month’s free titles.
PS Plus May 2026 Leaks, Rumors And Predictions
Lords of the Fallen
Credit: CI Games
Unlike last month, so far there have been no reliable leaks for May’s PS Plus lineup, and none of the new releases coming out on May 5 look like they’d be included, either. No rumors, leaks or safe bets then. I’ll update this post if that changes, but for now we’ll move on to predictions and the wishlist.
PS Plus May 2026 PS Plus Predictions & Wishlist Games
Kingdom Come Deliverance II
Credit: Warhorse
Some of these are more likely candidates than others and some of these are quite obviously just wishful thinking. Most of these remain from past prediction lists, since they haven’t been picked yet!
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered — This is a modern classic open-world adventure game about fighting giant robotic dinosaurs in a post-apocalyptic future. It seems like the perfect candidate for a PS Plus title, since the remaster came out two years ago.
Atomfall — The first-person survival-action game set in an alternate-history 1960s Britain after a nuclear disaster is a top pick for a lot PS Plus hopefuls. It only released in early 2025, however, so it’s pretty new for a PS Plus inclusion. Then again, we’ve seen quicker turnarounds (Dragon Age: The Veilguard for instance).
Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition — Two reasons for this. One, there’s an Anniversary Edition out and the second season of Amazon’s excellent Fallout series is currently streaming. Some kind of Fallout release makes sense.
Dispatch — An absolutely wonderful interactive movie style superhero game that blends gorgeous animation and incredible writing and acting with a fun superhero management sim.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance — The excellent Medieval RPG is many years old now, and the sequel just came out. Why not release the original on PS Plus? Well…I guess because it was a PS4-era game. But they could release the sequel!
Blue Prince — One of my favorite games of 2025, this would make a great indie title to go with some bigger releases. What an absolute gem.
Resident Evil 4 Remake — The remake of the popular action-horror game from 2005 was released in 2023 to wide acclaim. It’s old enough to be a contender for a PS Plus release and would definitely be a crowd-pleaser.
Elden Ring — FromSoftware’s mega-hit action-RPG would be a huge win for Sony and PlayStation Plus gamers. Even Demon’s Souls Remake would be a massive win, though I put both of these in the “wishful thinking” column. Still, Elden Ring might make sense given the recent release of the standalone multiplayer spinoff Nightreign.
Star Wars Outlaws — Ubisoft’s open-world Star Wars game wasn’t the hit they needed, but it’s still a pretty fun way to head to a galaxy far, far away and rub shoulders with scum and villainy. It would make a really perfect PS Plus release.
Death Stranding — Hideo Kojima’s weirdest game was a big enough hit to commission a sequel and that sequel just came out in 2025. Makes sense to get the original onto PS Plus at some point, if only to drive more people to the newer (and more expensive) sequel.
Street Fighter 6 — The popular fighting game franchise continues to be a crowd-pleaser, and releasing this 2023 game on PS Plus would be fun despite getting a fighting game last month. That makes me doubtful we’ll see this one, but I’d play it if Sony put it out there.
Cocoon — Indie developer Jeppe Carlsen (Limbo, Inside) released this innovative and unique puzzle game back in 2023 to stellar reviews. It’s been on the wishlist of various PS Plus guessers for a long time now and would certainly be the exact sort of small title that would make gamers happy in August.
Squirrel with a Gun — As the title indicates, this is a little game where you play as a squirrel with a gun. It’s the kind of indie title that often accompanies bigger, AAA releases in a PS Plus lineup.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage — Releasing a free Assassin’s Creed game makes sense with the Black Flag remake on the horizon. Get people excited about the re-release. It’s already been added to Extra and Premium, of course.
Trine 5 — I used to absolutely love the Trine games. I remember playing them with my kids when they were little. The gorgeous artwork in those games plus the couch co-op just made them such a delight. Then I forgot about them, and I actually never did play the fifth game. I’d love to, though. It would be super nostalgic for the whole family. Here’s hoping!
All The PS Plus Essential Games Released In 2026
We’re not that far into 2026 yet — no matter how fast this year seems to be going — but we’ve already had three months worth of PS Plus releases. Here’s what we’ve nabbed so far.
January 2026
- Need for Speed Unbound
- Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
- Core Keeper
February 2026
- Undisputed
- Subnautica: Below Zero
- Ultros
- Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
March 2026
- PGA Tour 2K25
- Monster Hunter Rise
- Slime Rancher 2
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Road Collection
April 2026
- Lords of the Fallen
- Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered
- Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream
What games would you like to see come to PS Plus this May? Any insights or predictions? Any leaks I should know about? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. You can also sign up for my Substack newsletter, Diabolical, where I talk culture and politics and the arts.

