We’re at the tail end of a particularly long gap between new PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra game catalog drops. As such, I don’t have new games coming to the service to recommend. Instead, I want to spotlight the games you should check out to prepare for some of the first high-profile releases of the year. New games in the Dynasty Warriors, Sniper Elite, and Monster Hunter series will be launching over the next couple of months, and prior entries in each of those franchises are available as part of Sony’s gaming subscription service. That’s why PS Plus subscribers who are looking forward to these games should use this weekend to play catch-up (if you aren’t already checking out Dynasty Warriors: Origins).
Sniper Elite 5
Sniper Elite: Resistance launches on January 30 and serves as a spinoff of Sniper Elite 5. It follows a Special Operations Executive agent helping the French Resistance fight off the encroaching Nazi threat. While it’s meant to be standalone, some of the narrative context might not make sense unless you’ve played Sniper Elite 5. Thankfully, that game is part of the PS Plus game catalog and it’s a substantially entertaining game in its own right. There are few things more satisfying in gaming than this series’ slow-mo sniper kills. Sniper Elite 5, in particular, excels in making each level feel like a large sandbox with lots of options for completing objectives.
The PS4 and PS5 versions of Sniper Elite 5 are available to PS Plus Extra subscribers. It’s also on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S as part of the Game Pass catalog.
Dynasty Warriors 9
Dynasty Warriors: Origins launched on January 17, serving as a soft reboot of sorts for the long-running Musou action game series. If you want to learn more about why Koei Tecmo thought it was necessary to do that, you should check out Dynasty Warriors 9 on PS Plus. That game took the core Musou formula and ambitiously applied it to an open-world structure. Unfortunately, that concept was too ambitious, so Dynasty Warriors 9 disappoints as both a Musou game and an open-world one. Playing it will give you a deeper appreciation of how Dynasty Warriors: Origins brings the series back to its roots while also pushing it forward in more logical ways.
The PS4 version of Dynasty Warriors 9 is available as part of the PS Plus Extra game catalog. It’s also on PC and Xbox One.
Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the most anticipated games of 2025. If you’re finding it hard to wait for Capcom’s next game, you should check out Monster Hunter Rise on PS Plus. This game serves as a midpoint between Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Wilds while still providing hundreds of hours of distinct monster-hunting fun in its own right. Familiarize yourself with the series’ eccentricities through Rise, and you’ll hit the ground running when Monster Hunter Wilds launches on February 28.
The PS4 and PS5 versions of Monster Hunter Rise are available now as part of the PS Plus Extra game catalog. It’s also available on Nintendo Switch and as part of the Game Pass Ultimate catalog on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
