PS Plus Free, Extra Games for January 2026 Officially Prove Premium is the Black Sheep of the Family

Though PlayStation Plus has been a consistently good way to play a ton of games, not all its tiers are created equal. There’s Essential, which is a must for online play, and the 3-4 free games a month it provides help sweeten the deal. Then there’s Extra, which tacks on what used to be PlayStation Now, providing gamers with a massive (and constantly growing) pool of games to play. Lastly, there’s the Premium tier, with the most expensive version of the service providing game trials and a Classics catalog of PSP, PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 games. Unfortunately, this final PS Plus tier has been regularly criticized for not living up to its name, and January only furthers this argument.

While not everyone was thrilled with the PS Plus free games for January (Need for Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, Core Keeper), they at least succeeded at offering different experiences that span three genres. On top of that, PlayStation Plus Extra has picked up the ball with an incredible selection of games, including:

• Resident Evil Village (PS5 | PS4)
• Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS5 | PS4)
• Expeditions: A MudRunner Game(PS5 | PS4)
• A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead (PS5)
• The Exit 8 (PS5 | PS4)
• Art of Rally (PS5 | PS4)

However, as the PS Plus Extra games for January continue to justify the extra money it asks of players, all that Premium subscribers are getting access to this month is the original Ridge Racer. A single old racing game just isn’t enough for a lot of players, as if somebody doesn’t make use of game trials, then a stagnant Classics catalog is hardly a reason to stay subscribed to the top tier. Realistically, PS Plus Premium is the black sheep of the three tiers, as while the others regularly live up to or surpass expectations, Premium leaves fans scratching their heads more often than not. That’s something that can—and should—change, but that’s unlikely to happen if 2025 is anything to go by.

PS Plus Premium’s Drive Down Memory Lane in January 2026 Just Isn’t Enough

Image via namco

To be clear, the original Ridge Racer is an iconic video game that holds up surprisingly well thanks to its vibrant look and core gameplay, with mechanics like drifting and the actual driving being satisfying despite 30 years of genre improvements. That said, Ridge Racer feels like a 1990s release when it comes to its content. There isn’t a tremendous amount to do in the game, as there’s only a single course on offer, with the PlayStation version allowing it to be mirrored not being nearly enough variety. After a few hours, players will have completed the Time Trials to obtain the speedy “Devil” car, and since that’s the only true goal to grind for, it’s hard to imagine players spending a significant amount of time with Ridge Racer.

A simple solution to this problem would have been to let Ridge Racer’s follow-ups accompany it this month, as this is a trick Sony has used in the past with properties like FromSoftware’s Armored Core series. Rage Racer and Rage Racer Revolution both offer more content, which would have been a boon for Premium players since they won’t see another catalog addition until February. Instead, Sony expects its most loyal players to keep busy with Ridge Racer for an entire month, which doesn’t seem fair at all. Yes, there are all the other games in the Classics catalog to play, but there are huge voids in said catalog that could be filled each month. Dropping just a single Premium game in January isn’t going to fill those gaps, and it’s hard not to feel like the odd one out when Essential and Extra are showered in games at every turn.

Ridge Racer Isn’t a One-Off Letdown for PS Plus Premium, But Part of a Larger Pattern

Unfortunately, PS Plus Premium only bringing one new game to the Classics catalog this month isn’t anything new at all. While it’s true that the Classics catalog expanded rapidly in the months after it was first introduced, and regularly used to get 2-3 games with each of the mid-month PS Plus drops, that hasn’t been the case for some time now. When looking at the last several months, the disappointing state of PS Plus Premium becomes clear:

In the last year, only one month has offered more than 2 PS Plus Premium additions despite there being a world of opportunity available for the service. 6 of the 12 months in 2025 brought only one game to the Classics catalog, and there is now a five-month streak of just a single game coming to PlayStation Plus Premium each month. Yes, there are other benefits to Premium, but the reality is that most players spend a few extra dollars every month to access the PS Plus Premium Classics catalog, which feels like an afterthought.

Simply put, Sony needs to step its game up here. Several iconic PlayStation franchises aren’t fully represented via the Classics Catalog, with all the Resistance games, a majority of the Killzone IP, and multiple titles from the Infamous series no longer on the service despite being first party properties. That isn’t okay, especially when there’s a perfect place to put these important pieces of PlayStation history. The sheer value of the core Game Catalog makes the Extra tier feel more premium than the tier that boasts that name, with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Resident Evil Village being two massive additions that prove that point.

Hopefully, the widespread criticism about PS Plus Premium doesn’t fall on deaf ears, as Sony can and should make this tier a bigger deal throughout 2026. If January and its lone game Ridge Racer are any indication, though, Premium subscribers could be in for more of the same.