A year has flown by so quickly since we rolled out our new PlayStation Plus tiered plans, ushering in new benefits to the service such as our Game Catalog and Classics Catalog, along with Game Trials for blockbuster titles. Whether you subscribe to PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra or Premium/Deluxe, it’s been great to see the positive feedback we’ve gotten from  players around the world for the quality titles that we offer monthly. 

Today, we’re celebrating this wonderful milestone with 10 days of activities for the PlayStation community. It’s also our way of saying thanks to players everywhere for supporting us in this new era for PlayStation Plus.  

First off, we have very exciting news for PlayStation Plus Premium members. We’re currently testing cloud streaming for supported PS5 games – this includes PS5 titles from the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and Game Trials, as well as supported digital PS5 titles that players own. When this feature launches, cloud game streaming for supported PS5 titles will be available for  use directly on your PS5 console. That means as a Premium member, it’ll be easier to jump into your favorite games without downloading them first onto your PS5 console. Our goal is to add this as an additional benefit to PlayStation Plus Premium as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the value of PlayStation Plus.  

We think it’s important for Premium members to be able to enjoy as many games as possible via cloud streaming. As more games continue to launch on the PS5 console, we look forward to adding cloud streaming capability for PS5 titles in addition to the PS3, PS4 and classic titles that are already available for Premium members to stream. We’re in the early stages right now, and we can’t wait to share more details when we’re ready, including a launch time frame. Stay tuned! 

Now, here are some of the games joining the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog next week: 

● Far Cry 6 (PS4/PS5) 

● Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (PS4/PS5) 

● Rogue Legacy 2 (PS4/PS5) 

● Inscryption (PS4/PS5) 

● Soulstice (PS5) 

● Tacoma (PS4) 

● Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PS4)

● Killing Floor 2 (PS4) 

Game Trial for WWE2K23 (PS4), will also be available on June 20. 

View and download image

Sonic is back and in a very familiar way. Sonic Superstars returns the speedy blue hedgehog to his 2D retro roots, complete with playable appearances from some of his best friends to defeat Doctor Eggman again (or Robotnik, if you’re feeling super nostalgic). But don’t let the classic exterior fool you. Superstars is here to show that an old hedgehog can still learn new tricks.

Play Video

Four playable characters

Like most classic Sonic titles, Sonic Superstars features more than just the headlining hedgehog as a playable character. This time around, there are four heroes to choose from, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles ‘Tails’ Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and sporting her original Sonic CD outfit, Amy Rose.

In the retro Sonic spirit, each of these characters has their own abilities that make them perfect for different playstyles and types of playthroughs. Sonic has the speed, Tails has his high flying, Knuckles can glide horizontal distances and climb up structures, and Amy has her hammer, which can break walls and allows her to double jump with the widest damage radius of each character. These characters alone are reason enough to revisit the game more than once, but they aren’t the only thing that will keep you playing.

Four-player simultaneous co-op

For the first time in the series, four players can venture through the world of Sonic at the same time. You and your squad can pick from the four selectable characters and work together to collect the Chaos Emeralds and save the innocent animals from the mechanical clutches of Eggman.

Zones full of fresh air

Sonic Superstars harkens back to the series’ 2D origins, but there is nothing but all-new zones here. That means new-level themes, new setpieces, and a lot of new eye candy while you roll around at the speed of sound. These include things like a foggy jungle, a forest full of natural rail grinding, bungee jumping vines, and much more. It’s visually rich and contemporary but in keeping with the classic series vibe. But you better keep your eyes off the scenery and focus on where your feet are going…

A new roboticized rogues’ gallery

This year’s Summer Game Fest hosted tons of new gaming faces. Between all the familiar friends and new arrivals showcased, there’s almost an overwhelming amount of new titles to be excited about coming to PlayStation. Whether you’re looking for an indie fix or a new spin on an old icon of the industry, here are some of the games we got our hands on that you’ll want to keep an eye out for.

Play Video

Viewfinder

A picture is worth a thousand words and may just be the doorway to even more paths. In Viewfinder, you find yourself in a mysterious world with nothing but pictures found and taken along the way to guide you. But these pictures have properties allowing them to be placed anywhere and traversed through. You’ll be tasked with using the images to make your way through various puzzles in ways that only your mind can limit you.

Take an image of a hallway and place it on the roof to have items fall on top of you. Or maybe take an image of a building and place it sideways to make a bridge across a fatal pit. And with so many art styles spanning a simple child’s crayon drawing to classic pixel art, there’s tons of eye candy to take in and use to your heart and eyes’ content. Arm yourself with your camera on July 18, 2023.

Read more

A varied lineup of exciting games coming to PlayStation was revealed in the Capcom Showcase livestream! From a new look at the highly anticipated Dragon’s Dogma 2, to the reveal of the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, we featured games for all types of players.

Ascend, Arisen, and slay the dragon

The Capcom Showcase dove deeper into Dragon’s Dogma 2, which made its grand unveiling just a few weeks ago at the PlayStation Showcase. The game’s director, Hideaki Itsuno, explained a few of the game’s core elements, and revealed a bit about how the sequel is upping the ante on PlayStation 5.

At the heart of Dragon’s Dogma are two key features: the Pawn system, and best-in-class action-RPG combat. Pawns are AI controlled companions that join you on your adventures. You’ll take a main Pawn with you that can be customized to your heart’s content, and two others that can be hired from other players. With your party of up to four, you’ll enjoy companionship and camaraderie on your adventures.

Dragon’s Dogma 2’s action is all about choice. Wield swords, bows, or magick, it’s all up to you. Your chosen vocation determines how your Arisen plays in combat, and there’s a wide variety to choose from. Choice is also a key part of combat scenarios. You’ll constantly be challenged to try and take on situations in your own way, whether it’s seeing what happens when you destroy a bridge or toppling a monster over by pulling their leg. 

Dragon’s Dogma 2 leverages Capcom’s RE Engine, resulting in a densely populated world about four times the size of the original, woven with the latest graphical technology, physics technology and character AI to immerse you in its fantasy world.

Two important characters that are featured in the key art will play an important role in the Arisen’s journey. UIrika, a woman who wields a bow and has a deep connection to the Arisen, and Nadinia, a high priestess of the new beastren race, will impact the Arisen’s destiny and help shape their fate.

A trio of Ace Attorney Games take the stand

Take that! Court is back in session with Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

Hi PlayStation Blog readers! Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora debuted a bunch of new gameplay in today’s Ubisoft Forward. Here at Ubisoft, we’re thrilled to bring you a little more insight into the world of Pandora and the Western Frontier directly from the game’s creators.  

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will launch on PlayStation 5 on December 7, and PlayStation players will receive the Aranahe Warrior Pack for free, which grants them exclusive character and weapon cosmetic sets. Developed by Massive Entertainment – a Ubisoft Studio in collaboration with James Cameron’s production company Lightstorm Entertainment and Disney, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora lets players take on the role of a Na’vi who awakens on Pandora years after being abducted as a child and raised by the Resources Development Administration (RDA), a human militaristic corporation.  Now a stranger on Pandora, you must learn what it means to be a Na’vi while reckoning with the RDA and the threat they pose to the birthplace you are only just becoming familiar with.    

Play Video

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Creative Director Magnus Jansén explains that this push-and-pull between two different worlds shapes the heart of the game. “This character has never connected with Pandora,” he says. “You’ve never set foot there. You don’t know the ways of the Na’vi. You must learn how to become Na’vi, and that is what a big part of this journey is about.”  

Being a child of two worlds has its practical uses, too, and your knowledge of humans uniquely positions you to combat the RDA. “You know how humans think,” says Jansén. “You know their gear, you know their tech, and that gives you an enormous advantage.”    

A new world 

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is an expansion of the Avatar lore, and as a result Jansén and his team at Massive were afforded an exciting sense of freedom, one they wanted the game itself to reflect.   

“It brought me great joy very early on in the project when it was clear that Lightstorm didn’t want a game that repeated events that you see in the movies,” says Jansén. “In the world of Avatar, the joy comes from discovering and seeing mind-blowing new stuff.”   

With this in mind, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora takes place on a never-before-seen region of Pandora: the Western Frontier. “The Western Frontier hasn’t been explored in any other media, and we’re excited to take players on an all-new adventure,” explains Jansén.