Practically since the reveal of the PS5, it seems Sony has been dedicated to showing that it has the software to match that hardware too. PS Plus is Sony's premiere subscription service, which while required to play online games, has one bigger benefit that many enjoy: free games. Of course, given the sheer value and popularity of the PS Plus service, that almost goes without saying, but it does beg a big question.
March 2021 was a big month for PS Plus, giving away Final Fantasy 7 Remake, 3 other games for the month, Destruction AllStars for its second month, and being joined by the Play at Home Initiative's free Ratchet and Clank. In terms of quantity and quality, there's really no beating PS Plus's March offerings, but it does hint at a pattern that April can seize and follow.
PS Plus Free Games for March 2021
While every month's games are anyone's guess, there have been identifiable patterns in the past. For example, the end of 2019 and start of 2020 saw PS Plus in its "one big game, one niche game" phase where it was traditionally one big appealing first-party game and another smaller game. This erupted in May 2020 when it had two niche games, but then it also smoothed itself over, somewhat, with two big games in June. Nonetheless, while the past few months haven't been as identifiable, there seems to be a developing pattern of broad appeal.
For example, Final Fantasy 7 Remake will appeal to FF fans who couldn't afford it, fantasy fans in general, and even action fans too. Maquette is a PS5 puzzle game that scratches that itch decently well, while Farpoint is great for VR enthusiasts. Remnant is great for third-person shooter fans and even fans of the Soulslike genre, and Destruction AllStars is there as a game for fans looking for dumb multiplayer fun. All in all, there's a little something here for everyone, and while maybe April doesn't hit the same scope of games, it can tackle the same breadth.
PS Plus Free Games for April 2021
For example, fans already know that Oddworld: Soulstorm is the next PS5 PS Plus game to be available on the service from April 6th to May 6th. This is a cinematic 2.5D sidescrolling platformer that'll likely appeal to fans of the franchise or fans of platformers in general. Eliminating what was covered last month, aiming for the same breadth could see something like a first-person shooter added, an RTS game for the smaller niche appeal, perhaps a great survival horror game, and maybe something more Sandbox-oriented in terms of gameplay.
Obviously, it could be anything and fans will find out in the coming weeks, but with PS Plus seemingly soaring to new heights every month, it may be best to look at how to appeal. Quantity over quality has never been PS Plus' approach, but meeting the new expected quantities with high-quality means pulling different eggs from different baskets. In the long run, that can only be good for PS Plus.
PS Plus subscribers get a handful of free games every month.