PlayStation Plus gave out $1,000 in free games in 2015. Were they any good?

Free games. When Sony asks you to lay down $50 for a PlayStation Plus subscription, it says a bunch of free games are part of the bargain. How many do you get? Are they good, current titles? Are they unknown indie experiments? Are they retreads living off an old reputation?

Polygon is looking back on the year in free games with an in-depth series today picking apart both the dollar value of free games given out by PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live, and the critical score of each game on offer. First up is the first service to offer the incentive: PlayStation Plus, which in 2015 gave out 72 discrete titles — six per month — for three platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PS Vita.

[DarkOcelet]

Yeah, Ps Plus games this year were great. Hopefully, next year we see more AAA games added.

[xer0]

For what we pay, we get a hell of a lot of goodies! :)
We are spoiled for choice.

And lets not forget the discounts we get on games as well.

[FarEastOrient]

The discounts worth the value I paid for.

[S2Killinit]

Its pAid for itself many times over. And im only counting games i would have purchased anyway.

[Captain_TomAN94]

Well imo the discounts just put PSN's sales on par with Steam (Which is a good thing no doubt, and a BIG deal).

But I do agree that is a lot of the real value.

[N4GGuy24]

PSPlus games you should able to keep them like games with Gold without a subscription.

[DarkOcelet]

That is definitely something i wish to see. I hope Sony allow it.

[phallusitator]

I know technically you don't own the games but as long as you have an active PS+ account, even if it lapses, you can play the plus games on your account.
Also, I think, if your plus expires you can still play everything currently on your system you just can't redownload until you make plus active again

[Clown_Syndr0me]

@Phallusitator I'm afraid you're wrong as soon as your subscription runs out you're locked out of the games.

[phallusitator]

@ Clown

Just double checked and you're right.

However once/if you resubscibe you can play anything you already "purchased".

[Majin-vegeta]

Lets clear something up.You only get to keep the 360 games on games with gold if it runs out but not on the X1.

[kreate]

My ps plus games all disappeared off my download list when my ps plus ended.

Later i tried to redownload my ps plus games after reactivating ps plus just to find out all my previous plus games were gone.

I was pissed. Never again ps plus. I switched to games for gold and i like their system so much better.

[Phunkydiabetic1]

@kreate

Their system works no different than PS+, if your subscription runs out you lose the games.

[travestyj]

@kreate

That is b.s. and I doubt you even own a PS4 as that does not happen. Once your subscription runs out you can renew and play all the games you once "purchased" through PS+. Stop spreading misinformation because you are insecure about your Xbox.

[kreate]

I dont have ps4. I have ps3. Xbox 360. And xbox one.

Games for gold on xbox one is probably similar to the ps4.

But games for gold on xbox 360, u can keep it without restriction. And does not disappear from ur download list.

I can also download x1 games via the 360. But i cant download ps4 games via the ps3. Correct me if im wrong since i dont have a ps4.

[Hoffmann]

Ewww a Polygon article. No wonder I find the headline / question a bit...dumb.

Can only speak for myself as well but I think PS+ for me was great.

Apotheon, Skulls of the Shogun, Yakuza 4, Gauntlet, Limbo, Meat Boy, Dishonored, Far Cry Blood Dragon, Transistor, Walking Dead Season 2, Guacamelee, Twisted Metal,Valiant Hearts, Unfinished Swan, God of War Ascension were games I either played through completely or partially yet and had a great time with.

Alone these 15 games made the 50 bucks a good decision for me already.

That so many gamers among us care only about "AAA" games make me a bit sad. The majority among the featured indie games are all about great gameplay and that's what makes games a good experience for me, not the most awesome looking graphics.

[Killz4Twinkies]

PS Plus is worth the money from Rocket League alone imo

But can we stop lumping PS4/PS3/Vita as total savings... most people do not own/use all three systems so they are not getting $1,000. I've always felt this is a misleading figure

[lodossrage]

@Killz4Twinkies

True, not everyone has ALL 3 systems to take advantage of the savings.

But that doesn't negate that they have access to it or that the $1000 savings exist.

Even if a person doesn't have one of the three aforementioned systems, they still have entitlement to the content. And they can even download them from their tablets, computers, or phones.

So it's not that it's misleading, it's just that people are only going to be able to take advantage depending on what system(s) they own.

[Genuine-User]

I agree. I have had so much fun playing through some of the PS+ games.

Here's a list of some of the PS+ standouts in 2015:

Infamous First Light
The Swapper
Rouge Legacy
Transistor
Oddworld New and Tasty
Olli Olli 2
Valiant Hearts
Ether One
The Unfinished Swan
Rocket League
Styx
Stealth Inc 2
Sound Shapes
Super time force ultra
Teslagard
Broken Age
Super Meat boy
The Walking Dead Season 2
Magicka 2
King's Quest chapter one

I haven't even counted PS3 and PS Vita yet.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed. For God Of War, Batman, Mass Effect 2, Transistor etc, it was good enough. For those games ALONE it was good enough.

I've paid more for worse games lol.

[OldGuyStillGaming]

It wasn't great
Some will disagree but that's my opinion
Rocket league was probably the only game I played the most out of the rest

I've had it since it started with ps3 and this past year was pretty disappointing

[donwel]

I agree with you. Some of the PS+ games offered were excellent but most, eh not so much.
I think for most of us who have had PS+ since it started on the PS3, we've grown used to getting fairly high quality games, it's just the barrage of indie crap that floods the monthly offerings is just a little bit disappointing.

[AG6686]

When did PS plus become free?

[Vasto]

Long story short,

Only a few.

[divinealpha]

Wait I though I had to pay for ps plus , so the games weren't free

[MikleDemi]

No. The PS4 mostly got a bunch of indie crap.
Rocket League was good, but is better on the PC.
We got 0 PS4 exclusives. Seriously they didn't even give out The Order, the worst game I have ever played. I need more people to play it so we can discuss what the developer was thinking when they prevented players from running, forced them to listen to boring dialogue, had a ton of invisible walls, a very predictable story, and gave away the easiest Platinum ever.

PS3 and Vita fared better. I actually think the Vita came out on top this year. Glad I own the handheld. Plus unlike the PS3 and below, the Vita has not been emulated - so I actually got some use out of it.

[Xavior_Reigns]

Worst. Troll. Ever.

[_-EDMIX-_]

lol yes! Read in Comic Book Guy voice!

[djplonker]

Ladies and gentlemen the only time a troll is funny...

When they are useless at it.

[LoveSpuds]

What a dummy!