While the PlayStation 5 has just entered its sixth year of availability, it lacks the amount of true exclusives that its predecessor offered by this point in its own lifespan. Partially to blame on COVID derailing development speeds and partially to blame on PlayStation’s failed live-service agenda, the lack of true PS5 exclusives has led to PlayStation Plus relying on older PS4 games to fill out its monthly additions. However, this was supposed to change come January 2026, as Sony had stated that PS Plus would stop offering PS4 games as a “key benefit” of its service come the new year. That hasn’t happened yet, though, and there’s really no telling when the shoe will drop.

February 2024’s PS Plus Essential Games Are Just as PS4-Focused as Ever Before

  • Undisputed (PS5)
  • Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4)
  • Ultros (PS4, PS5)
  • Subnautica: Below Zero (PS4, PS5)

Apart from the boxing game Undisputed, which is only available for PS5 users, the February 2026 PS Plus lineup leans heavily on PS4-era games. Subnautica: Below Zero will be the headlining game for most players, and it will have current- and last-gen versions available for download. The same goes for the colorful, cosmic metroidvania Ultros, while Ace Combat 7 stands out because it’s a native PS4 game with no current-gen version to its name. Sure, it may be getting added to piggyback off the hype for the upcoming Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, but a timely addition doesn’t distract from the fact that a pure PS4 game goes directly against Sony’s supposed 2026 focus.

It’s worth noting that February is continuing a pattern instead of being a one-off return to form, as the PS Plus Essential games for January 2026 were a similar case. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit’s remaster was another native PS4 title from 2020, much like the Ace Combat 7 situation, while Stanley Parable made PS4 and PS5 ports available to PS Plus subscribers. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was the PS5 freebie offered for January. All this goes to say that, thus far, PS Plus has been business as usual in 2026, offering one dedicated PS5 game and then some PS4 games alongside it.

PS4 Fans Can Celebrate, But They Shouldn’t Get Too Comfortable

Obviously, this is great news for those who have yet to move on to the PS5, as they can make sure to download the January Essentials before they’re gone and can then look forward to some more free PS4 games at the start of February. Still, while these extra months of PS4 support are an unexpected gift from Sony, there’s no telling when the end of an era for PS Plus will finally begin. Perhaps March will be when the shift happens, with Sony deliberately weening players off in January and February as opposed to taking a cold turkey approach and cutting PS4 games off the second the new year began. This is purely speculation, though, as there's really no telling why Sony hasn't kept its word yet or when the changes will happen.

Even if native PS4 games and PS4 versions of cross-gen games stop being offered, PS Plus Extra and Premium will continue to provide access to a wide range of games from older consoles.

Whenever Sony does finally follow through on phasing out PS4 games from its subscription service, it will be interesting to see what the Essential tier looks like. PS Plus has consistently offered 3-4 titles each month for Essential subscribers, and that seems unlikely to change even after this planned shift. Three-game months may become even more common, with native PS4 releases like Ace Combat 7 becoming a thing of the past, but there is also room for this shift to introduce more current-gen-only games. This could make it a “positive” in the eyes of PS5 owners, even if those comfortable sticking to their PS4s are negatively impacted. For now, though, PS Plus has yet to follow through on its warning about PS4 games no longer being a “key benefit” of the service, with January and February's PS Plus offerings being just like what gamers have grown to expect.