Sony announced that starting January 2, PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers will have access to three games for free: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Fallout 76 from Bethesda Softworks, and Axiom Verge 2, a side-scrolling Metroidvania game released in 2021.
See also: A playable 1995 Prey prototype leaked online
Fallen Order needs no introduction: it's a Star Wars adventure set in the aftermath of the Empire's hunt for and extermination of the Jedi. While it's packed with action and lightsaber combat, the game's deep exploration and puzzles will appeal to players looking for a more cerebral challenge.
Fallout 76 is an interesting choice for PlayStation Plus Essential because Bethesda Softworks, the game's publisher, is typically associated with Xbox. However, Microsoft acquired Bethesda a few years after Fallout 76's release in 2018. This is the first time a game published by a Microsoft studio has been included in PlayStation Plus Essential. Before that, Fallout 4 was offered in the PlayStation Plus collection for PlayStation 5 users (in 2020).
The battle continues
Microsoft and Sony are still at loggerheads over Microsoft's attempted acquisition of Activision. Sony has filed lawsuits in the US and Europe to block the acquisition. The reason is that they believe that Microsoft's ownership of games like Call of Duty and Diablo would give it a big advantage in the market. Microsoft says it has offered Sony a 10-year deal to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation. Bloomberg also reported two weeks ago that Microsoft has offered to allow Call of Duty to be released through the PlayStation Plus network. The US FTC on December 8 formally filed a lawsuit to block the $68.7 billion deal, which was announced almost a year ago.
See also: Xbox: 3 future Bethesda games will be console exclusives
The third title available to subscribers is Axiom Verge 2, the sequel to 2015's Axiom Verge, which was created primarily by a single developer, Thomas Happ, over a five-year period. In August 2021, Happ self-published the game for PlayStation 4, while a PlayStation 5 version was added a year later.
Biomutant, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and Divine Knockout will be available to PlayStation Plus subscribers for free until Monday, January 1.
As for online games, a monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription to Playstation Plus Essential, (known as PlayStation Plus), is still required to play. The costs are: 9.99, 24.99, and 59.99, respectively.
