PlayStation Plus and the January 2026 free games will redefine how Sony’s subscription service works after more than a decade of cross-generation support. On 31 December 2025, Sony will announce the first monthly lineup that contains only PlayStation 5 titles. From that point forward, PlayStation 4 games will no longer appear in the Essential tier of PS Plus. As The WP Times reports, citing leading gaming news portals, Sony has concluded that PS5 engagement now far outweighs PS4 usage across its global subscriber base.
Sony has confirmed that the January 2026 PlayStation Plus Essential games will be revealed on Wednesday, 31 December. This is not just another monthly update but the formal end of the PS4 era inside PlayStation Plus. Sony says the decision reflects how players actually redeem and play their games today. Internal usage data shows PS5 titles are now claimed and played far more than PS4 ones.
A PlayStation spokesperson said the company is aligning PlayStation Plus with the modern PlayStation ecosystem. Sony explained that most subscribers now access PS5 games through the Monthly Games and Game Catalogue features. Continuing to prioritise PS4 titles would hold the service back technically and commercially. From January 2026, the Essential tier will therefore exist solely to serve PS5 players.
What exactly changes for PlayStation Plus subscribers in 2026
From January 2026, the Essential tier will be redesigned around PlayStation 5. Sony will still offer three free games per month, but none of them will be PS4 titles. PS4 games will remain available only through the more expensive PS Plus Extra tier. This creates a clear separation between legacy support and Sony’s next-generation strategy.
Key changes compared
| Feature | Until Dec 2025 | From Jan 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Essential games | PS4 + PS5 | PS5 only |
| PS4 titles in Essential | Yes | No |
| PS4 games via Extra tier | Yes | Yes |
| Claim PS5 games without PS5 | Yes | Yes |
Three practical examples
Example 1 – PS4-only owner
A player with a PS4 can still claim PS5 games via the PlayStation app or website. Those games are saved to their account even though they cannot be played yet. When the player upgrades to PS5, the games will be available instantly.
Example 2 – PS5 player
A PS5 owner will now receive higher-quality, more technically advanced monthly titles. Sony no longer has to choose games that also run on 12-year-old PS4 hardware. This allows better graphics, faster loading and more modern design.
Example 3 – Budget subscriber
Players on the Essential tier will no longer receive PS4 games unless they pay for PS Plus Extra. This encourages Sony’s most active users to move to PS5 and aligns spending with how the service is actually used.
When the January 2026 free games are announced and released
Sony will reveal the three January 2026 PS Plus Essential games on 31 December 2025. This date also marks the final time PS4 games are ever considered for the Essential lineup. Once announced, the games will become available to download in early January. They remain playable for as long as the PlayStation Plus subscription stays active.
How the process works
Example 1 – Announcement day
Sony posts the three games on 31 December via the PlayStation Blog and PlayStation Store. The titles are shown as “coming soon” to all subscribers.
Example 2 – Claiming the games
From early January, users can add the games to their library on PS5, the PlayStation app or the PlayStation Store website. Once claimed, the licence stays tied to their account.
Example 3 – Long-term access
As long as the subscription remains active, the claimed games can be downloaded and played at any time in the future. Cancelling the subscription locks them until the subscription is restored.
Which PS5 games are predicted for the January 2026 lineup
Sony has not confirmed the lineup, but analysts expect a strong first PS5-only drop to justify such a major shift. Three titles are being widely predicted by gaming media and industry observers. These choices reflect Sony’s typical mix of cinematic, indie and blockbuster games.
Three predicted games
Deliver Us The Moon
A cinematic science-fiction adventure originally released in the PS5 launch window. Many players missed it due to console shortages in 2020. Adding it now gives the game a second life and introduces it to a far larger PS5 audience.
Button City
A pastel-coloured indie game combining arcade mini-games, exploration and puzzle solving. Sony often uses PS Plus to promote creative PS5-exclusive indie titles. Button City fits this strategy and offers something very different from big-budget action games.
Forspoken
A large open-world fantasy RPG from Square Enix. It recently left PS Plus Extra and Premium, which historically signals that a game may soon appear on the Essential tier. Forspoken would give the January lineup a technically impressive headline title.
Why Sony is ending PS4 games now
The PS5 has now been on the market for five years and represents the majority of Sony’s active player base. Continuing to support PS4 in PlayStation Plus limits the technical ambition of monthly games. It also increases licensing costs for Sony without matching how people actually play. The shift to PS5-only allows Sony to modernise the service for the next decade.
For PS4 players, the service is not disappearing, but it is no longer being built around them. They can still collect PS5 games for later use. Sony’s message is clear: PlayStation Plus is now a PS5 service designed for 2026 and beyond, not for the hardware of 2013.
UK & London
In the UK, the January 2026 PlayStation Plus shift has direct financial and practical implications for players, particularly in London where console ownership and digital subscriptions are among the highest in Europe. A standard PlayStation Plus Essential subscription costs £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year in Britain, while upgrading to Extra costs £10.99 per month and Premium £13.49 per month. Major London retailers such as GAME, Smyths Toys, Argos and Currys will continue selling PlayStation Plus gift cards, but from January 2026 those cards effectively become PS5-focused products. For London households still using a PS4, this means the subscription’s value now depends on whether they plan to upgrade to a PS5, which currently sells in the UK from around £389 to £479 depending on the model and retailer.
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