First PS Plus Essential Game for August 2026 Announced

Let's be honest, this does not augur well for the rest of the line-up.

You want me to use toys with strangers? Maybe dinner first?

Sony were on a roll last year, after promising “more value” or whatever after the price hike. Didn’t last long.

Wow this Nintendo Direct is painful. Absolutely nothing there for me. Was hoping for that standout game to encourage me to upgrade to Switch 2. Shame.

Actually looking forward to this so I’m happy it’ll be on plus.

Rubbish no thanks

“Sometimes communication is complicated”
Especially if you haven’t provided your ID details yet.

This will be a challenge for gen Z!! Comunication? What does this mean? And…why? (I think i like this one)

Nice, it’s been long since they launched a game on PS + Essential right?

I'm interested, I'll give it a try

I do like sky-WALKER, but I'm more of a SOLO guy.

So one free "slot" wasted, hope the rest two will be singleplayer...

Perfect game for my sons and me. Untill one of us will ragequit...

Saw the byline for this article and thought it might be Death Stranding 2.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Thanks, but no thanks. I'll give Hades 2 a spin.

That’s the game everyone pays for the Plus to play.
Amazing.

What a load of nonsense 😒😒

Honestly, it's been a year since we haven't gotten trash. Come on, PS, get with it! Nobody wants trash. I'm hoping we'll get like Death Stranding 2 or something way cooler. Alas, PS isn't cooking in the kitchen right now.

This should not be dismissed - Untitled Goose Game by the same devs was really charming and unique.

@Swizzle agreed. Had a great time playing Goose with my daughter. Wouldn't be Push Square without everyone having a good old moan though would it 🤣

@old_gamer74 Aye very true, can't please em all 😉. I guess people feel starved for a big hitter on essential of late.

I simply do not understand why any dev would choose to make their game in a genre with such a substantial barrier to entry. Liked goose game but no interest in playing something that requires other people.

@Swizzle minor edit: online co-op only i have just realised so can I start moaning now? 🤪

@old_gamer74 I know it's a shame there's no local coop but I get it for what the game is about I think it is about communicating things one player can see on their screen to someone else. So local wouldn't work for that. Perhaps it's asking too much of people in this day and age though it's an admirable enough ambition 🫠

Never heard of it , watched the video and I think it's a cool concept. Hopefully can get my young sons to play it with their mates.

some one you might need to find a new hobby if this hobby brings so much negativity into your life , video games are supposed to be fun, and this looks like it would be fun to play.

What's with all the negativity? This is a scoop! Looks like really good whimsical fun.

@Bluemoon2008 Not to be mean but it is a bit funny you consider needing friends to play with a 'substantial barrier'.

Anyway I'm shocked at how negative the reception is to this game - this may be my most anticipated PS Plus game ever (and I've been subscribed since early 2014).

Me and my mates were gonna buy this day 1 anyway as it looks like a blast so we're estatic that we'll get it for 'free'.

@James_42 if you cannot play something without being entirely reliant on another person then of course it's a substantial barrier to entry.

I’m interested. It’s at least taking a swing at something.

If it can manage to be non-toxic, it might be fun for my son to play. But people always find a way, don’t they?

Been looking forward to this for a while

Looks like that Nintendo or Xbox game from years back can't remember what it's called. Either way not convincing me to renew my subs when they run out later today.

@AK4tywill negativity is like knee-jerk reaction for some people, especially gamers it seems.

This doesn't SOUND great, but I enjoyed Untitled Goose Game, so I'm definitely willing to give it a look.

@itsfoz Lol, my initial impression with seeing the article subtitle was a little more realistic, but still disappointed that it wasn’t what I thought it would be — Baby Steps

@Silenos Why?

I assume you are not aware of House House, because as far as I'm concerned their games are fantasic. The untitled goose game was brilliant.

Another therapy app for depressed millennials masquerading as a video game. Undeserved critical praise will no doubt follow.

I actually love the look of Big Walk, very much my kind of thing. But I don't really have any game playing friends, so doubt it's going to be something I experience, unfortunately. Still cool though.

@Bluemoon2008 Damn. You must hate sports.

Looks a fun little time waster to be honest. I'll definitely give it a shot if it's from the Untitled Goose Game guys.

I don't get the negativity, it's essentially free if you already pay for PS Plus. If you don't like it, fair enough, but writing off a game that's not been released yet smacks of entitlement.

I haven't downloaded a single title from the June line up, not my thing but I'm sure there's plenty that are enjoying the games. Some months for me are great, some are awful, but we all enjoy different titles.

One thing I do complain about is the lack of PSVR2 titles, haven't had one for eons and what was there has gradually been removed. Seems like Sony have given up on it for a second time, I don't know why they bother if they aren't going to support the damn things. Surely they could add the Horizon game that's pretty much a tech demo by now? I can't see anyone buying that for £50 - even a few apps would do, they have a bloody Sony film app, why not let VR owners watch them in VR. If it wasn't for GT7 I'd pack mine up and flog it while it's still worth a few quid.