A solid portion of the PS Plus Extra games for October 2023 are either horror titles, horror-adjacent titles, or Halloween-oriented titles that make great selections for the current "spooky season." Indeed, it's nice to see Sony going so heavy on this aspect of the industry, given that many gaming services tend to be season/holiday agnostic. In fact, the PS Plus Extra selection is just doubling down on the first set of games given away this month.
The PS Plus free games for October 2023 include The Callisto Protocol, a horror game; Farming Simulator 22, which is tied to the autumn harvest; and Weird West, which focuses on the supernatural—a big part of every Halloween. Of course, not every single one of the PS Plus Extra games this month is clearly connected to the season, but given that fans get 11 games on PS Plus Extra and 4 on PS Plus Premium (Ape Escape Academy, IQ Final, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, and Tekken 6), that's understandable.
PS Plus Extra Games for October 2023 File Sizes Revealed
PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers get access to some noteworthy games this month, and their storage requirements have been revealed.
PS Plus Extra Games: Horror or Halloween/Horror-Adjacent
Looking at the selection of PS Plus Extra games makes the connections obvious. Alien: Isolation is a beloved survival horror game that's perfect for the season, but if someone wants just a touch of horror without the scares, then Dead Island: Definitive Edition feels that role. Players can smack away at zombies to their heart's content, and there's nothing more associated with horror and Halloween than zombies. Gotham Knights counts as Halloween-adjacent as well, given the popularity of superhero costumes, and then Outlast 2 brings back the real horror experience as players investigate Temple Gate. And The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes puts players in control of choices as the characters become trapped in a Mesopotamian temple.
- Alien: Isolation - PS4
- Dead Island: Definitive Edition - PS4
- Disco Elysium - PS4/PS5
- Eldest Souls - PS4/PS5
- Elite Dangerous - PS4
- FAR: Changing Tides - PS4/PS5
- Gotham Knights - PS5
- Gungrave GORE - PS4/PS5
- Outlast 2 - PS4
- Roki - PS4/PS5
- The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes - PS4/PS5
5 out of 11 games on the PS Plus Extra list being clearly connected to the "spooky season" is pretty significant, but to be fair, that envelope can also be pushed forward. Roki is by no means associated with the spooky season, but this indie adventure game has moments that stand out. It's set in a snowcapped wilderness complete with mysteries and monsters right out of Halloween's playbook, while Gungrave GORE's general aesthetic fits right in with Halloween, despite being an action game. There are a couple of loose connections among this selection, enough to show that Halloween and horror were a serious consideration during the selection process.
The result is a really strong month across the board for PS Plus Essential, Extra, and Premium. Even where PS Plus doesn't lean into the Halloween season, it chooses some really strong games to complement its focus, and while there are still a few months in the year, it seems like October could be considered one of its best months this year.
PS Plus subscribers get a handful of games every month.
