Is it worth free? — PS Plus Essential games August 2025

It’s that time of the month again, and PS Plus subscribers must wait in stinging anticipation no longer for news on what August’s Essential tier games will be. And with that comes another ‘Is it worth free?’ article from your friendly neighborhood gaming publication GamingTrend.

After a massive month in July, which saw games like Diablo IV (Essential) and Cyberpunk 2077 (Extra) join the service, PlayStation have gotten August off to a cracking start, mainly due to the inclusion of a certain spectacular Soulslike. Let’s dive in!

Lies of P (PS5, PS4)

Metacritic Score: 80

GamingTrend Score: 95

Lies of P review — Pinocchio comes to life in this brutal take on the classic fairy tale

Souls-like games are a dime a dozen. Ever since FromSoftware first launched their now iconic series, other developers have attempted to replicate the lightning-in-a-bottle that Dark Souls/Demon’s Souls produced, with varying degrees of success. Lies of P is the latest in this Souls-like lineage, taking notes from both

GamingTrendRichard Allen

Instantly on to the meat of this month’s offerings, Pinocchio-inspired Soulslike Lies of P from South Korean developers Neowitz and Round8 Studio is dodge-rolling its way onto PS Plus Essential. This dark fairytale action RPG sees lone puppet P navigate his way through the city of Krat in the midst of both a petrifying plague and a bad case of homicidal puppet syndrome.

Critically lauded and commercially successful, Lies of P is bound to provide players with that satisfying Souls gameplay whilst having a uniqueness that mixes up the formula enough to engage even the most seasoned of genre fans. The game also received the paid prequel expansion Overture quite recently (see our review of the DLC here), so there’s even more marionette madness on offer for those who seek it.

Is it worth free?: A solid yes. This atmospheric, fantastical and challenging experience is an instant recommendation.

DayZ (PS4)

Metacritic Score: 31

After beginning life as an extremely popular mod for Arma 2 and gestating for 5 years in early access on PC, DayZ arrived on the PS4 in 2019 to a less-than-stellar reception, mainly due to poor technical performance and optimization for consoles. Its inclusion as a PS Plus Essential game should cause an influx of new players to what is a small but consistent player base.  

Regardless, it’s interesting that Bohemia Interactive have created an online zombie survival game where the actual zombies are the least of your worries, with players much more likely to be instantly ended by their fellow humans the moment they spawn in. Still, there is absolutely fun to be had in DayZ, especially when playing with friends.

Is it worth free?: Maybe, although don’t expect a welcome mat rolled out for you if you’re new to the game.

My Hero One’s Justice 2 (PS4)

Metacritic Score: 68

GamingTrend Score: 80

A quirk-filled improvement — My Hero One’s Justice 2 review

If you grew up in the emerging otaku market in 2006, you might have experienced Clash of Ninja for the Gamecube. While it was a serviceable anime fighter, it was plagued by a major lack of content. Fast forward to… well, later that year and the sequel to that game

GamingTrendElisha Deogracias

“An improvement in every way to the last game” is how Elisha described arena brawler sequel My Hero One’s Justice 2 in our review, and the game’s wider critical reception follows a similar sentiment. Based on the My Hero Academia manga series, players battle with a multitude of characters from the franchise, employing their unique ‘quirks’ across various stages and modes.

As with many manga/anime spinoff games, knowledge of the source material is indeed useful to make sense of things, including the roster of fighters and the game’s campaign mode, which follows the plot of its source material beat-for-beat. Saying that, this doesn’t mean that fans of either anime or fighting games should sleep on My Hero One’s Justice 2, with it providing both flashy visuals and interesting character gameplay.

Is it worth free?: Maybe. It’s doubtful that fans of the source material will have not played this, and fresh-faced players may find the experience difficult to comprehend.  

PS Plus’s August offerings will be available to subscribers on Tuesday, August 5th. Additionally, as part of PS Plus’s ongoing 15th anniversary celebrations, we’re also getting some exclusive avatars thrown into the mix, which will be available to claim alongside August’s Essential games:

“As we announced a couple of weeks ago, the PlayStation Plus 15th anniversary celebrations are still going strong, and we’re excited to reveal a few more surprises! Starting August 5, PlayStation Plus members can claim a special set of 15th Anniversary Avatars, featuring fan-favorite titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, Diablo IV, God of War Ragnarök, and Twisted Metal, all available at no additional cost.”

What do you think of August’s PS Plus Essential games line-up? Leave a comment letting us know your thoughts and stay tuned to GamingTrend for the latest PS Plus news and more!