It's a simple truth for every subscription service that some months (or product additions) are not going to be as good as others, but perhaps nowhere is that more true than gaming subscriptions like PS Plus or Xbox Game Pass. Both have endured their own hills and valleys throughout their time, but the PS Plus free games for May 2023 may be considered a low point for the service.
There have been worse months, but the PS Plus essential tier gives fans Grid Legends, Chivalry 2, and Descenders, none of which carry the strength of a headlining title or the mass appeal needed to really "hit" on the service. It should be noted that these are not bad games, but the more niche a title is, the more its potential popularity suffers on PS Plus. At large, this is one of the weakest months of PS Plus in recent memory, but while the PS Plus Essential tier is now set in stone, the Extra and Premium tiers are not.
Sony's PS Plus Extra and Premium Games for May 2023 Have to Redeem The Essential Tier
Since Sony introduced its new three-tier element to the PS Plus service, higher-tier subscribers have been treated to a plethora of new games every month. While of course the quality of each month may vary, there's no denying that Sony has brought quantity and quality to the Extra and Premium tiers. Whether they are new games for PS Plus Premium's classic catalog, day-one titles that are always worth a try, or beloved titles at large, every release so far has been stellar. It has made good months great and great months something else entirely. That's exactly what the PS Plus Extra and Premium games reveal this month has to deliver - something that can make a bad month at least a good one, if not a great one. However, that possibility comes with a huge caveat.
Since Sony introduced this new tier system, there has been one possibility that has to be acknowledged here: that the quality of PS Plus' Essential Tier could suffer as a way to push subscribers to higher tiers. To Sony's credit, that has not seemed to happen so far, and if the PS Plus Extra and Premium games do redeem the Essential tier this month, once hardly indicates a pattern. But it is possible that the Essential tier's quality drops, if not now then eventually, to push PS Plus Extra and Premium on fans. This tactic, regardless of intent, can be seen in any tiered subscription service, but perhaps the easiest point of comparison is Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass.
Just as the PS Plus Essential tier provides only access and a small selection of free games, Xbox Live does the same. Just as Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate have more games and additional perks when subscribing to these, so do PS Plus Extra and Premium. Whether it happens, whether it's an inevitability, or whether Sony manages to keep its strong line-up across the board, with the occasional, understandable dip, remains to be seen. It's hard to picture when or if Sony would even want to largely rely on PS Plus Extra and Premium month after month, or if lackluster games on PS Plus Essential would have a more detrimental effect.
Regardless of the long-term possibilities, the short-term is clear: as it stands, PS Plus' May selection is pretty bad. For it to be considered a good month, PS Plus Extra and Premium need to come in clutch. Humanity has already been confirmed as a day one PS Plus Extra title, but fans still have a short wait on their hands before the rest are confirmed. It's a step in the right direction for the month and PS Plus Extra and Premium could easily redeem the Essential titles, but a future where the service relies more on PS Plus Extra and Premium than its Essential selection is ultimately not ideal.
PS Plus subscribers get a handful of new games every month.
