It's that time of the month once again, Sony has just announced the next round of PlayStation Plus Essential games, and this month is another set of strong offerings. Last month, PS Plus subscribers got PGA Tour 2K23, Dreams, and the Indie gem Death's Door, which was a solid line-up for the service, especially with Dreams being a hub for thousands of microgames. But PlayStation Plus' September 2023 free games might be even better than last month's, with Saints Row, Generation Zero, and Black Desert Online all being available on September 5.

Though it wasn't received all too well, Saints Row is still a pretty big get for PlayStation Plus, and for no extra cost, it's definitely worth a download. A retro-futuristic first-person survival game, Generation Zero is another title that met a mediocre critical reception, but again, for no extra cost, it's certainly worth trying for at least an hour or two. But the real star of the show here, surprisingly, is Black Desert Online, which has timed its PS Plus release to perfection.

RELATED: Crimson Desert Has a Lot of Influences, But The Zelda Similarities Are The Clearest of All

Black Desert's Spot on PlayStation Plus Is Perfectly Timed

It's often the case that when games come to subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, they're timed to coincide with something. The most common example of this is when a sequel is about to release, and the first game comes to PS Plus or Game Pass, just like Alan Wake did a few months ago. Another frequent example is when a developer is about to, or has just made some kind of high-profile announcement. And Black Desert Online's place on PlayStation Plus is the latest - and one of the best - examples of that.

The recent Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase featured a number of exciting announcements, reveals, and updates, ranging from another look at Alan Wake 2, to yet another Mortal Kombat 1 trailer, to highlighting some smaller Indie games like Dustborn. But by far one of the most exciting reveals from the event - and definitely one of the most surprising - was the gameplay trailer for Crimson Desert, which comes from the same developers as Black Desert Online.

According to the South Korean developers, Pearl Abyss, Crimson Desert began life as a prequel to the incredibly successful MMO Black Desert Online, which itself has been running for almost a decade now. But during development, Crimson Desert started to evolve into an IP all of its own. While some sources say that Crimson Desert will be loosely connected to Black Desert Online, many have also stated that it will be a completely new IP. But regardless of what ends up being true, Black Desert Online's appearance on PlayStation Plus has been perfectly timed.

Even if Crimson Desert won't be directly connected to Black Desert Online, the latter's place on PS Plus will act as a great testing ground for those unsure or unaware of Pearl Abyss' previous work. Though Crimson Desert will be a single-player action-RPG and not an MMO, it'll presumably share a decent amount of DNA with Black Desert Online, giving players a good idea of what Crimson Desert's gameplay might feel like. This will also give players a chance to see how Pearl Abyss handles a fantasy story and open-world setting, which Crimson Desert is set to have. Being the Traveler's Edition of Black Desert Online, this version on PS Plus will also give players a wealth of in-game currency, presumably letting them bypass a number of early-game roadblocks so that they can get the full experience right away. Pearl Abyss has made an excellent decision by putting Black Desert on PS Plus, using the hype surrounding Crimson Desert's recent trailer to onboard a bunch of new players.

MORE: 5 Things Crimson Desert Should Take From Ghost Of Tsushima