PS Plus Monthly Games for January 2026 Wish List

As an incredible year for video games comes to a close, a promising 2026 approaches. And while upcoming titles like Grand Theft Auto 6 and Marvel’s Wolverine are the talk of the town, gamers can look toward services like PlayStation Plus to provide a consistent source of games that will make the wait for new releases just a bit easier. When looking at the past three years of January game drops, it seems like PS Plus subscribers can expect to see some solid offerings in a few weeks’ time.

January 2023 brought the stellar PS Plus Essential lineup of Jedi: Fallen Order, Fallout 76, and Axiom Verge 2, while 2024 offered a solid trio in Plague Tale: Requiem, Evil West, and Nobody Saves the World. Though January 2025’s headlining game may have been the divisive Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, it did come to the service content complete, as Deathstroke had been added a month prior. Its accompanying games being so beloved also helped, as Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered and Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe made for a varied batch of freebies. If Sony wants to keep its service appealing and impress those who upped their subscription over the holidays, the games listed below would be a brilliant way to do so.

PS Plus Free Games For January 2026 Wish List — Red Dead Redemption 2

Read Game Rant’s Review of Red Dead Redemption 2

Though PS Plus is beginning to phase out PS4 titles in January 2026, as the focus is switching to free PS5 games very soon, the first month of the year could be a last hurrah of sorts for older games. Plus, if rumors are to be believed and there really is a proper next-gen update for Red Dead Redemption 2 in the works, then now would be an ideal time to get the Rockstar classic on PS Plus’ Essential Tier. With the original Red Dead Redemption joining PS Plus Extra in December, and GTA 5’s PS Plus drop showing Sony is no stranger to doubling down on Rockstar projects, Red Dead Redemption 2 being made available to essential subscribers would feel like a logical progression. And whether gamers are finally experiencing Arthur Morgan’s titular redemption for the first time, or revisiting Rockstar’s version of the Wild West for a trip down memory lane, this title would be a worthy headliner for the first Essential lineup of 2026.

• Explore an incredibly detailed open-world on foot or on horseback, complete with third-person shooting mechanics.
• Experience a master-class story filled with memorable characters, a powerful soundtrack, and emotional moments that hit hard.
• Enjoy an entertaining multiplayer experience via Red Dead Online, which is fairly deep despite not receiving nearly as much support as GTA Online.

Released

October 26, 2018

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

PS Plus Free Games For January 2026 Wish List – Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Check out Kingdom Come: Deliverance on Open Critic

With Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 hot off the heels of some major Game Awards nominations, including Game of the Year, many may be interested in learning Henry’s story. KCD2 does have a four-hour trial available to Premium subscribers, but jumping into the sequel isn’t really advisable for those who want to know the entire tale. With the first game leaving PS Plus Extra way back in May 2023, enough time has passed to bring it back to the service, this time as an Essential game that pushes fans toward its celebrated follow-up. While it’s a bit dated visually compared to its sequel, its many positives outweigh this negative aspect.

• Enjoy a unique focus on realism, with difficult sword combat, challenging survival mechanics, and a slow rise from peasant to knight.
• Explore an immersive Bohemian world that truly nails its goal of historical accuracy.
• Experience the origins of Henry of Skalitz and his companions, characters that gamers have fallen in love with.

Released

February 13, 2018

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol

Developer(s)

Warhorse Studios

PS Plus Free Games For January 2026 Wish List — The Alters

Read Game Rant’s Review of The Alters

PlayStation Plus oftentimes offers two major AAA releases and one smaller one, and it’s hard to think of a better pick for the latter category than The Alters. Another Game Awards nominee, this unique title is currently discounted on both Steam and the PlayStation Store—something that tends to happen before titles make their way to a subscription service. While The Alters’ 20-hour experience is a far cry from the dozens of hours players would spend with the other two titles, that would make it the ideal companion piece, as it would be a refreshing palette cleanser after going through some huge games. PS Plus can thrive on short games, as seen with some of the additions to the PS Plus free games for December 2025. The Alters will entertain players from beginning to end, too, with the many variants of protagonist Jan Dolski sure to stick with players and inspire repeat playthroughs.

• Experience a memorable narrative full of difficult choices and mature dialogue.
• Enjoy stressful-but-satisfying management gameplay where clone needs and resources must be carefully juggled.
• Explore a memorable sci-fi world that will keep gamers coming back for more.

Released

June 13, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Violence

January 2026 Wish List For PS Plus Extra and Premium

• Psychonauts — While its Game of the Year-nominated sequel was a PS Plus Essential game in September, the platforming classic that preceded it is currently unavailable in the Classics Catalog. That should change, as the wacky world and characters Raz interacts with deserve to be appreciated by as many gamers as possible.
• InFamous 1 and 2 — Considering how long PlayStation Plus and Extra have existed, it feels criminal that Cole MacGrath’s story remains inaccessible. With seemingly no hope for remasters or sequels on the horizon, the best fans of these edgy, interesting superhero tales can hope for is that they join PS Plus.
• Resistance Trilogy — While the first two Resistance games were available on PS Plus for a time, they suddenly left the game catalog in mid-2025. This had some fans hopeful for a Resistance remaster that leverages the DualSense controller, but much like InFamous, this feels like a pipe dream. Hopefully, these memorable FPS games return to the service soon, bringing the satisfying threequel along for the ride.
• Killzone Trilogy — Not only does the Classic Catalog give PlayStation a chance to do better by humanity’s war against the Chimera, but the Helghast conflict deserves more love, too. Somehow, the PSP game Killzone: Liberation is on the service, but the original—and more importantly, its two spectacular sequels—are nowhere to be found. Before Guerrilla began its work on the Horizon series, it shined with these underrated FPS games, and letting newer fans enjoy some of the studio’s older work would be worthwhile.
• InFamous: Second Son — While InFamous getting some attention in the Classics Catalog is more pressing, why not go all in and bring Second Son to the Game Catalog? It’s come and gone several times, and currently, only First Light—a short spin-off focused on a Second Son character—is available. This is truly strange, assaid character’s story feels incomplete without the gorgeous game full of bold powers that preceded it.
• Dead Space — While EA Motive’s brilliant remake of the 2008 horror classic was an Essential PlayStation Plus title back in 2024, significant time will have passed between that point in time and January 2026. Anybody who missed out on the game should get a second chance to snag it via the Games Catalog, as everyone should be able to feel the awesome power of the Plasma Cutter and the unbridled fear of encountering the Regenerator.
• Furi — This brilliant indie from Cairn developer The Game Breakers was free for PS Plus nearly a decade ago, meaning it’s long overdue for a second coming on the platform. A bold mix of bullet hell and action combat, the game is essentially a challenging boss rush with a brilliant art style. It also received a PS5 upgrade a few years back with a DLC and several improvements, ensuring that a re-release via the Game Catalog would be justified.
• Nex Machina — A very different bullet hell experience from Housemarque, the developer of Returnal and upcoming PS5 exclusive Saros. Before the studio was making big-budget titles, it was the king of small-scale twin-stick shooters, with Nex Machina being a swan song for this era of Housemarque games. Brilliant music and responsive controls come together to make this shmup a forgotten gem that the Games Catalog can shed some new light on.