3 Free PS Plus Games for January 2026 Officially Available Now
The PlayStation Plus free games for January 2026 are now officially available to claim. The first batch of 2026 PS Plus freebies consists of three titles with a combined retail value of just under $150.
The December 2025 wave of free PS Plus games included five titles, well above the usual number. This month, the service is reverting to its standard three-game format, with the January 2026 lineup featuring Need for Speed Unbound, Core Keeper, and Epic Mickey: Rebrushed.
Best Local Co-Op & Split-Screen Games On PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus has something for everyone, and that includes great couch co-op and split-screen games. Here are the absolute best on Sony’s service.
$150 Worth of Monthly PS Plus Games Now Available to Claim
The PS Plus free games for January 2026 are officially available as of today, January 6, at 12pm EST. Sony’s subscribers are able to claim them until February 2. Based on their typical retail prices, the January 2026 freebies have a total value of $149.97, averaging $49.99 per title. Their average OpenCritic score is 79.67, largely driven by Core Keeper.
All Free PS Plus Games in January 2026
What Makes Core Keeper the Highlight of January 2026’s PS Plus Monthly Lineup
The highlight of this month’s PS Plus free game lineup in terms of both critical acclaim and user scores, Core Keeper is a top-down survival sandbox title developed by Swedish studio Pugstorm and published by Fireshine Games. Beneath its pixel art exterior lies a complex, system-driven survival experience that tasks players with mining, crafting, farming, cooking, building, automating, and fighting their way through an epic quest meant to uncover the mystery of the titular Core. The entire gameplay loop can also be experienced in co-op for up to four players. With an OpenCritic average score of 87 and an 89% reviewer recommendation rate, Core Keeper ranks among the highest-rated co-op games of 2024. It also holds an outstanding 4.74-star user rating on the PlayStation Store.
NFS Unbound Is the Only AAA Game from This Month’s PS Plus Freebie Lineup
Strictly from the standpoint of production values, the headliner of this month’s free game lineup is Need for Speed Unbound, the only AAA title among the newly offered trio. Released in 2022, it remains the latest entry in the long-running racing franchise. While not among the series’ most acclaimed installments, NFS Unbound holds a “Strong” rating on OpenCritic, with an average score of 75 and a 60% recommendation rate. Critics praised its stylized art direction and strong sense of speed, but noted issues with inconsistent drifting physics, aggressive AI rubberbanding, and an overly punishing police system. Despite being an overall well-received entry, NFS Unbound prompted some fan backlash after being revealed as part of the January 2026 PS Plus lineup, largely because it had already been available for most of 2024 and 2025 to Extra- and Premium-tier subscribers.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed Is the Most Family-Friendly Free PS Plus Game for January 2026
Rounding out the January 2026 PS Plus free game lineup is Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, a remake of the 2010 Wii exclusive Epic Mickey. Developed by THQ Nordic’s Vienna-based subsidiary Purple Lamp, this HD reimagining of the cult-classic platformer follows Mickey Mouse as he explores a haunted wasteland of forgotten Disney characters using a magical paintbrush that can restore environments and a thinner that can erase them. The choice between the two affects both gameplay and certain quest outcomes. The most family-friendly title in this month’s PS Plus freebie lineup, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed holds a 77 average score on OpenCritic and a 4.38-star player rating on the PlayStation Store.