Key Points
- PlayStation offers monthly free games to users based on membership tiers, to be played within the month.
- Crash Bandicoot 4, Man from Medan, Arcadegeddon are the free games released by PlayStation for the month of July 2022.
- Good news for those who are fan of the game “Stray,” which has taken the world by storm, an upgrade to PlayStation Plus will give you this game for free.
July is coming to a close, but there is still time to get this month’s selection of PlayStation Plus games.
This month, PlayStation has three free titles available for download as well as some new additions to the game catalog for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members.
These three free games are only available until the end of July, so don’t waste any more time!
PlayStation Plus Free Games
Who doesn’t love free games? Our expert team is here to give you the rundown of the free games available to you this month from PlayStation.
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[amazon link=”B08BMDZBK8″ title=”Crash Bandicoot 4“]
[amazon link=”B08BMDZBK8″ title=”Crash Bandicoot 4“] has been a long time coming. For over 20 years, fans of the beloved marsupial were clamoring for the next game in the series. Those fans finally got their wish on October 2, 2020.
The game follows Crash as he tackles challenging platforming levels to find the Quantum Masks. All the usual suspects are here, like Neo Cortex and Dr. Nefarious Trophy. Plus, you can play as Crash’s sister Coco at any time. Full of zany humor, tough-as-nails platforming, and puns that are so bad they’re good, this game is a true throwback to the original series.
It was generally well reviewed when it first came out. The main critique lobbed at the game was that it was “stuck in the past.” The graphics look great, but many critics claimed the gameplay felt dated. Crash Bandicoot’s brand of fast-paced, linear platforming didn’t fit with modern gaming sensibilities and level design didn’t do enough to break the monotony of the platforming.
The game certainly met its expected sales goals—Crash sold 402,000 copies in the first month.
Fans of the old games were thrilled to have a new Crash game to play, driving it to such success. All in all, Crash Bandicoot 4 is drenched in nostalgia and 90s humor and has some really fun, tight platforming, making this game great for PS Plus subscribers.
strongThe Dark Pictures Anthology Presents: Man from Medan/strong
emMan from Medan/em is the first standalone game in developer Supermassive Game’s Dark Pictures Anthology. Supermassive is known for creating intense psychological horror games, like Until Dawn and this year’s the Quarry.
Man from Medan takes place aboard a ghost ship called the Qurang Medan, which is based on the real ship, SS Ourang Medan. The plot centers around a group of young divers looking to discover a rumored WWII wreck in the South Pacific Ocean. They eventually find their way onto an abandoned ship where all hell breaks loose. They are subject to intense horrors and impossible choices as they try to survive the dive.
The game is fully voiced and motion-captured, giving it a cinematic look and feel. The gameplay is similar to games like Heavy Rain or even full motion video (FMV) games. Your choices determine everything from the story of the game, who lives and who dies, and your mental state. There are head and heart choices that inform the character’s personality traits. It is possible for all characters to die if you make too many wrong choices.
The game was met with positive reviews for the PC version and mixed reviews for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One console ports. It was very well received in the UK where it was ranked the third best-selling game the week it came out. It was also nominated for multiple awards and won Best Action and Adventure Game at The Independent Game Developers Association Awards.
strongArcadegeddon/strong
emArcadegeddon/em was fully launched on July 5th, 2022. It spent about a year in early access giving the developers a chance to refine the gameplay—and it shows.
Arcadegeddon is a tight, third-person shooter in the vein of Fortnite. It has similar mechanics and even graphics as Fortnite, mixed with a more cartoony art style. It features competitive multiplayer or a rouge-like solo adventure mode.
Set in a world where everything is owned by giant mega corporations (sound familiar?), the last independent arcade struggles to survive. In a last-ditch effort to save his arcade, Gilly creates the ultimate arcade game that brings players in droves. But, the evil FunFUNCo is hell-bent on Gilly’s destruction and they infect the game with a virus that the player has to root out.
Other than that, the game is not very plot-heavy and it relies on its fast-paced, chaotic gameplay to carry it the rest of the way.
As a fairly new game, the jury is still out on whether it will find success. Many critics speak positively about the game, hailing it as a fun, well-designed shooter game with a cool art style.
The game comes from the studio, Illfonic, the developers behind Friday the 13th: The Game and Predator: Hunting Grounds. The studio hopes that Arcadegeddon will be the game to finally put them on the map, but only time will tell. Test it out for yourself!
Game Catalog Updates
You likely know what we’re about to talk about here.
The game, emStray/em, was released July 19th, 2022 as a PlayStation exclusive. It is safe to say that it has taken the gaming world by storm. This is an adorable RPG where you assume the role of a street cat. Stray is now the number one global seller on Steam. And, guess what? You can get it for free if you upgrade to PlayStation Plus Extra or higher. So, sure, not exactly free.
Since Stray is a PlayStation exclusive, it was added to the game catalog available to all PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Subscribers.
If you aren’t aware, PlayStation Plus has three tiers of membership. The first is Plus Essential—it’s the lowest tier, but still guarantees you the free monthly games.
Plus Extra is the next tier above Plus Essential, which gives you access to the game catalog where you will find Stray as well as Ubisoft+, which gives you access to Ubisoft’s library of games. Ubisoft+ was originally called Uplay+ and can still be purchased as a standalone subscription.
PlayStation Plus Premium is the highest tier, and it gives you access to game trials and cloud gaming. Prices staircase up for each upgrade and they are available in 1-month, 3-month, and 1-year plans.
So, for players who are already Plus Essential members, there is a pro-rated fee to upgrade, and you can access the game catalog.
Is Stray worth it, you ask? It depends on how much you want to be a kitty. We know we’re sold!
Update Rundown
Before we wrap it up, let’s run down every game available in July.
- Three new games that are free for all PS Plus members:
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
- The Dark Pictures Presents: Man from Medan
- Arcadegeddon
- Game Catalog updated with the game Stray for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium Members
These titles are only available for another couple of weeks, so if you are interested, jump on it before it’s too late!
Check out the August update here!
Next Up…
- The Top 10 Games from 2019 That We’re Still Playing: Some games become so engaging and entertaining that we cannot stop playing it. Here are 10 such player favorites for your consideration.
- The 10 Absolute Best Xbox Action Games of All Time: Fond of Xbox action games? Find out which seven games are all time player favorites.
- The 7 Absolute Best Fighting Games for the PlayStation 4: Here are the top seven fighting games to play on PlayStation for, voted and vetted for by players.
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