PlayStation Plus Extra includes a large library of free games you can play with no additional charges, some of which offer compelling multiplayer experiences.
Multiplayer gaming has come a long way. We can now play with or against friends and strangers with ease, but console manufacturers often charge for this service. To play most multiplayer games (not including free-to-play titles) on a PlayStation 5, you need a PlayStation Plus subscription, which starts at $10 a month. However, unlike the Xbox’s equivalent, Xbox Live Gold, PlayStation Plus comes in tiers, so while the costs increase with each tier, so do the benefits.
For an extra $5 a month, you can upgrade your PlayStation Plus account from the Essential tier to Extra. This tier includes an extensive library of complimentary games you can play with no additional charges so long as you maintain your subscription. Granted, PlayStation Plus Extra is just Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — which many consider the superior service — but it still offers a solid selection of games, some of which aren’t available on Xbox. Beyond that, quite a few of these PlayStation Plus games are multiplayer titles. Since these games are part of a service that helps keep servers for PlayStation multiplayer games running, why not play a few? You’re paying for it anyway!
With that in mind, here are 10 of the best multiplayer games you can play right now on PlayStation Plus Extra. Demon’s Souls and Bloodborne
Soulsborne games are notoriously difficult, but that is part of the charm and intent. Players can make their journeys easier — or more difficult — by engaging in multiplayer. To do so on the PlayStation platform, however, you need their proprietary subscription service. Only two Soulsbornes are available through PlayStation Plus Extra.
The «Demon’s Souls» remake needs no introduction. Many gamers first experienced and fell in love with the Soulsborne genre thanks to this PlayStation 3 original, and Bluepoint Games remastered it for the PlayStation 5. All the levels, weapons, and enemies players remember from the original are represented in crisp 4K resolution. Plus, anyone who wants to team up for an easier time or invade a stranger’s game for some quick PvP can do so thanks to the multiplayer. On a not-so-side note, «Demon’s Souls» is the only Soulsborne that lets you fight another live opponent as a boss — or fill that role, if you want.
If you don’t have a PS5 or would rather play a Victorian horror Soulsborne that slowly creeps into Lovecraftian horror territory, PlayStation Plus Extra also has «Bloodborne.» Everything that makes «Demon’s Souls» memorable is alive and well in «Bloodborne,» including multiplayer. That said, you can’t turtle behind a shield as you can in other Soulsbornes — «Bloodborne» is faster and emphasizes vampiric combat.Dead by Daylight
Most multiplayer games give both sides an equal chance by providing all participants with the same abilities and weapons. In these games, victory is determined by skill and teamwork, but titles like «Dead by Daylight” ignore that design philosophy and find balance through different means.
«Dead by Daylight» is, for all intents and purposes, a multiplayer survival horror game. Players either take the role of a helpless human fleeing from a supernatural predator, or they get to control said predator. If you’re a human, you outnumber the monster and have to win by splitting up and completing multiple objectives at once. If you’re the villain, you are alone but have the distinct advantage of being able to kill and terrify your prey.
Given the sheer number of maps, survivors, and hunters available in «Dead by Daylight,» no two matches play out the same. Plus, developers Behaviour Interactive constantly update the game with new content. While «Dead by Daylight» is full of playable heroes and villains that draw from various horror archetypes, others are ripped from fan-favorite movies and games. What other title lets you hunt Ash Williams as Pyramid Head? Or escape Freddy Krueger as Cheryl Mason? While these extras don’t come with the PlayStation Plus Extra package, purchasing them piecemeal is a lot less painful if you already have the base game for free with your subscription.Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
«Ghost of Tsushima» is a veritable masterpiece. The single-player campaign is a gripping journey through the titular island of Tsushima as players use honorable samurai steel and underhanded stealth to fend off Mongolian invaders. Long story short, «Ghost of Tsushima» didn’t need a multiplayer component, but Sucker Punch Productions added one anyway, and it turned out to be pretty great.
«Ghost of Tsushima: Legends» is a free batch of DLC that comes with the PlayStation Plus Extra’s copy of «Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut.» Instead of just inserting a mode that lets four players explore Tsushima as protagonist Jin Sakai, «Ghost of Tsushima: Legends» takes place in smaller, bite-sized locations and gives gamers several classes to utilize. Each archetype is based on Jin’s various abilities but with supernatural twists. In fact, every facet of «Ghost of Tsushima: Legends,» from the levels to the enemies, is supernatural, and the mode even features character progression alongside story beats you don’t get in the main game.
