January 2024 PlayStation Plus free games revealed

Image: Drinkbox Studios

Charlie Hall
is Polygon’s tabletop editor. In 10-plus years as a journalist & photographer, he has covered simulation, strategy, and spacefaring games, as well as public policy.

PlayStation Plus subscribers have several games to look forward to in January, with free Essential games including A Plague Tale: Requiem, Evil West, and Nobody Saves the World. Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the lineup on Wednesday. Players can download the trio of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games beginning Tuesday, Jan. 2.

A Plague Tale: Requiem (PlayStation 5), a Polygon Recommends title, is firmly focused on stealth gameplay. The sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence, it follows Amicia and her young brother to a tropical island in search of a cure to his mysterious illness. But the population of that island eventually turns against them, resulting in a medieval tale that veers into folk horror.

Evil West (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5), on the other hand, is a blood-and-guts shooter where players take on the role of a cowboy named Jesse Rentier on a quest to dismember as many demons as possible. In Polygon’s review, we noted that it suffered due to its “charmless characters and [a] bland plot,” but with solid gunplay and monsters that go boom, it’s the perfect way to spend this weird liminal week if all you want to do is sit on the couch.

Finally, Nobody Saves the World (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5) is a bright, cartoony, Zelda-inspired dungeon-crawler from Drinkbox Studios. The team behind Guacamelee and Severed brings its A-game with a a substantial storyline and well-balanced gameplay. It also excels at boss fights, with compelling challenges that punctuate its catalog of diverse, procedurally generated dungeons.

January’s PS Plus Essential games will be available to download through Feb. 5, 2024.

PlayStation Plus subscribers can still pick up December’s PlayStation Plus Essential games — Lego 2K Drive, PowerWash Simulator, and Sable — until Jan. 1.

PlayStation Plus Essential is the lowest tier available in Sony Interactive Entertainment’s subscription service. It offers online multiplayer access, a monthly assortment of free PS4 and PS5 games, cloud storage, and discounts on PlayStation Store purchases. PlayStation Plus Essential costs $79.99 annually, $24.99 for a three-month subscription, or $9.99 monthly — a price that went up last August.

 

Source: Polygon