March is almost upon us and so is Sony’s big PlayStation Plus reveal for next month’s lineup of free games on PS4 and PS5.
Each month, Sony announces the following month’s free PS Plus games on the last Wednesday of the month (though occasionally the calendar forces a different reveal day). The games are typically given away the following Tuesday, though this can also change from time to time.
This month, we’re expecting Sony’s reveal to take place on Wednesday, February 23rd. The free games should be given away the following Tuesday, March 1st. The current crop of PS Plus titles is still available.
So what can we expect? Have there been any leaks or credible rumors? What games make sense for giveaways this March? Let’s take a look.
Leaks & Rumors
There aren’t really leaks or rumors this month, but there is a curiosity that might be a leak—or just a bug. TechRadar posted an image of the PlayStation store with the recently released Kung Fu brawler Sifu that has the PS Plus icon next to the title. This doesn’t show up on all the games but it does show up on all the PS Plus games in the PlayStation Store, like Persona 5 Strikers.
Still, this seems like a mistake or glitch of some kind. It strikes me as incredibly unlikely that Sony would give away a well-received game that only launched this February. Too many PlayStation Plus members would feel justifiably burned by such a move, and the only way to salve that hurt would be issuing lots of refunds—not something any self-respecting corporation is eager to do.
You can read my thoughts on Sifu here.
PS Plus March Predictions
One thing I like to do when predicting giveaway titles each month is take a look at what games are coming out on the same day we expect the PS Plus titles to be given away. On PlayStation there are three games releasing on March 1st, and each of them makes sense as a PS Plus freebie.
Elex / Elex II
Elex II is the follow up to the ridiculously janky Eurojank RPG Elex. I can’t say I was a fan of the first game—I’m not patient enough to get past the voice-acting and dialogue—but I could see either the sequel or the original as potential PlayStation Plus titles this March.
FAR: Changing Tides
March 1st also sees the release of FAR: Changing Tides, a super chill game described as an “atmospheric vehicle adventure that follows the emotional journey of a boy and his ship as he embarks on a voyage to find a new home.”
I am all about super chill games these days. As much as I love to play Call Of Duty, Elden Ring and other challenging and/or competitive titles, kicking back with games like this one or Omno or Spiritfarer really is nice.
Either way, this little indie would make a perfect PS5/PS4 giveaway.
Shadow Warrior 1/2/3
Another March 1st release that would make a lot of sense as a PS Plus March game is Shadow Warrior 3. Well, in fairness it might make more sense to release either Shadow Warrior or Shadow Warrior 2 as the free game and charge full price for the new game.
Whatever the case, one of the games in this over-the-top shooter/slasher FPS demon-hunting series would make a good addition to the PlayStation Plus lineup. These games are filled to the brim with silly, irreverent humor and lots of gore, and while the sense of humor isn’t for everyone I find it pretty fun.
Pathfinder: Way Of The Righteous
The problem with all three of these new releases is that you can pre-order them on the PlayStation Store. One clue that a game might be coming to PS Plus is if you can’t pre-order it.
This is the case with Pathfinder: Way of the Righteous which you cannot pre-order on PlayStation. The game is also officially not coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one according to the developer, Owlcat Games, which could leave the possibility of PS Plus open, especially since it lands on March 1st.
Conan Chop Chop
Another very big possibility for March’s PS Plus lineup is the little hack-and-slash game Conan Chop Chop, which also comes out on March 1st, can’t be pre-ordered on PlayStation, is a smaller, cheaper game and has gotten plenty of buzz on the PlayStation Blog. It checks all the right boxes, actually.
P.S. When I first read about this game I read it as Conan Chop Shop and assumed it was some kind of barbarian car game or something. Steal motorcycles, take them back to the chop shop, scrap ‘em for parts. Drive your enemies before you.
Other predictions:
- Firewatch, because how is this not a PS Plus game yet?
- Uncharted: Lost Legacy, since that’s the only Uncharted game not released on PS Plus and the Uncharted movie just hit theaters. (I’m off to see it today, actually!)
- The Order 1886 because we have to keep guessing this one until they finally give it away!
- BioMutant because it’s exactly the sort of game that gets tucked into a PS Plus lineup—not great, not terrible, lots of people skipped it but would be happy to take it for a spin.
- Some kind of Simulator game. There are so many. Farm Simulators and city-building sims and random animal sims and the list never really ends. These make good filler in a PS Plus lineup.
- Some kind of motorcycle or kart-racing game.
Finally, Sackboy A Big Adventure seems like a very safe bet. It’s a PS5 launch title and we’ve seen others like it released recently, such as Godfall and Dirt 5. It’s a fun, cute family game and a PlayStation exclusive. It’s also one I haven’t played yet, so I’d be happy. I love the Sackboy / Little Big Planet games.
What do you think we’ll get this March? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/02/21/playstation-plus-free-games-march-2022-predictions-rumors-leaks-and-more/