2025 has been a banner year for the games industry. Not only has there been a slew of high-profile, fantastic releases like Death Stranding 2 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus have been on fire as well. With these subscriptions offering a buffet of hard-hitting titles at a reasonable price, it can be hard to know where exactly to begin.
If you’re sitting on a PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium subscription and aren’t quite sure what direction to head next, then read on. The following five games have been hand-picked to ensure maximum entertainment value, but they are artistically significant as well. With live-services failing left and right, and promising studios being shut down, it’s important to get back in touch with the real meat and potatoes of the gaming hobby every once in a while, and the following titles are designed to help you do just that.
Blue Prince
It seemingly came out of nowhere, but Blue Prince is already a contender for Game of the Year. It’s a puzzle game, which might turn some players off straight away, but the real beauty of Blue Prince is its accessibility: you don’t need to be a puzzle wunderkind or have a through-the-roof IQ to understand the game’s basics, and ultimately have a lot of fun. Blue Prince is endlessly surprising, unexpectedly intuitive, and deceptively moving, and the less you know about it before jumping in, the better. Even if you don’t put it at the top of your best games of 2025, you will probably at least appreciate what it’s going for, as it’s truly a one-of-a-kind gaming experience.
- How long to beat Blue Prince: 15-20 hours for the main campaign, but a completionist playthrough can last around 100 hours.
Blue Prince
- Released
-
April 10, 2025
- ESRB
-
E For Everyone // Alcohol Reference
- Developer(s)
-
Dogubomb
- Engine
-
Unity
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Here’s the perfect chance to fill in a gaming blind spot: The Witcher 3 is widely accepted as a must-play game, and its status as gaming royalty would normally exclude it from a list of this kind, but exigent circumstances have intervened. The Witcher 3 is reportedly leaving PS Plus in mid-August, so if you’ve never played this RPG masterpiece, now would be a great time to start. Naturally, there’s a good chance that you won’t get through all of The Witcher 3‘s content in just one month, so consider this a trial run: if you get hooked, then you can buy the game and its DLCs in earnest. The Complete Edition is regularly marked down to a significant degree, so if playing the game for free on PS Plus won’t convince you to shell out for this famous title, then I doubt that anything can.
- How long to beat The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: around 50 hours for the base game, though completionist runs can last over 150 hours, and expansions offer dozens more hours of gameplay as well.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
9/10
- Released
-
May 19, 2015
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Engine
-
REDengine 3
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
When Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was first unveiled, it attracted quite a bit of skepticism from the series’ fans. This was not the full-3D stealth-action title that so many of them had been waiting for, but a side-scrolling metroidvania with a completely different cast of characters. But many of those who set their skepticism to the side long enough to actually play the game found it to be refreshing, addictive, and endlessly compelling, able to go toe-to-toe with some of the best of the metroidvania genre. Traversal and combat are the stars of the show here: The Lost Crown has excellent moment-to-moment gameplay, and if you’re looking for a fresh take on a classic franchise, it’s hard to find much better.
- How long to beat Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown: 16 hours for the main campaign, but it can take around 30 hours to reach 100%.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
9/10
- Released
-
January 18, 2024
- ESRB
-
T For Teen Due To Blood, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Ubisoft Montpellier
- Engine
-
Unity
Risk of Rain 2
Roguelikes are a dime a dozen these days, but Risk of Rain 2 outdoes most of them. Featuring a roster of distinct playable characters and innumerable upgrades, Risk of Rain 2 understands that the roguelike genre is at its best when players can craft powerful improvised builds over the course of a run. Thanks to clever and diverse combat mechanics, stackable upgrades, and a killer soundtrack, Risk of Rain 2 is likely to be one of the hardest-to-put-down games you’ll ever play.
- How long to beat Risk of Rain 2: approximately 11 hours for the main campaign, but the game has plenty more to offer, and completionists can milk as much as 150 hours out of it.
Risk of Rain 2
- Released
-
September 11, 2020
- ESRB
-
T For Teen // Blood, Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Hopoo Games
- Publisher(s)
-
Gearbox Publishing
- Engine
-
unity
Road 96
Here’s another roguelike, though one of a decidedly different ilk. Road 96 follows various hitchhiking teens attempting to escape their home country during a period of sociopolitical strife. As these faceless avatars, players will encounter a number of colorful side characters who can offer help, harm, or something in between, which lends the broader experience a sense of true danger and unpredictability, not too unlike a real-life rough-and-tumble road trip. It’s a decidedly charming, unpredictable, and vibrant game world that you might not want to leave once the credits roll. It’s also the perfect game to hop in and play for just an hour or so, making it a good fit for PlayStation Plus.
- How long to beat Road 96: purpose-built and relaxed, Road 96 only offers about 10 hours of gameplay, even for completionists.
Road 96
6/10
- Released
-
August 16, 2021
- ESRB
-
T For Teen // Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Drug Reference, Violence, Language, Use of Alcohol And Tobacco
- Developer(s)
-
DigixArt
- Publisher(s)
-
Plug In Digital
- Engine
-
Unity
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