The issue with these games is how limited each one is.Grid Legendsis a Codemasters-developed racing game, and while racing games have their audience, it’s not enough to carry a month of PS Plus. Some racing games maintain a higher level of popularity and appeal, such asNeed for Speed, F1,or even Codemasters' ownDirt, butGrid Legendsis not on the same level.Chivalry 2,meanwhile, is a solid multiplayer game. In any other month, combined with other games, it may not seem like such a bad addition. But its multiplayer elements don’t negate its hack-and-slash medieval approach, with both of those qualifiers being limiting in nature. And finally, there’sDescenders—a cycling game. It’s actually deceptively fun, but combined with the otherPS Plus gamesthis month, none of them have the star power to “lead” the month, leaving it underwhelming as a whole.
The thing is, thePS Plus free games for May 2023were always going to be underwhelming.
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PS Plus Free Games Have a “May Curse”
While there’s no predicting the PS Plus games month after month, there have been two historical patterns fans could rely on: thePS Plus “Big March” Pattern and the “May Curse.“Typically speaking, the PS Plus free games for March are some of the biggest every year, with past years seeing the release ofBloodborneand Final Fantasy 7Remake in this month, for example. However, thePS Plus free games for March 2023 broke from traditionand, as a whole, were pretty rough. April picked up some slack, but perhaps some hoped this meant that the May Curse would be broken too. It was not; in fact, this was probably a sign it would be worse.
Every year, May tends to have some of the weakest games added to the PS Plus service. The curse really dates back to May 2018, hit its worse in May 2020, and has continued ever since. For example, PS Plus free games for May 2018 wereBeyond: Two Souls, Rayman Legends,andRisen3. Again, none of these games are bad, but they don’t have the appeal PS Plus needs. The first is a QTE-heavy interactive drama, the second is perhaps the best but was entirely reliant onRaymanfans (with this particular franchise struggling in the past years), and the third is highly limiting. As a threequel, fans need to enjoy theRisenfranchise as it is, but the very nature of aEurojank game likeRisen 3means the appeal is inherently limited.
May 2019 followed this up withOvercookedandWhat Remains of Edith Finch, both popular games within certain circles, but not beyond. They both fall into the same trappings asRisen 3; their appeal is strong but limited. Then came May 2020. What made this month worse was a rumor that PS Plus was addingDying LightandDark Souls Remastered, and this lit an excited fire under many members of the fanbase. Sony actually releasedFarming Simulator 19andCities: Skylines, two simulators which, by definition, have limited appeal. The reaction was so sour that fans actuallypetitioned for the PS Plus free games for May 2020 to be changed.
When looking purely at May and not the whole year around them, it’s evident that some months suffer more from the May Curse than others. Arguably, the PS Plus free games for May 2023 are the worst since May 2020, but at the very least, they leaked accurately ahead of time—as thefalse rumor made PS Plus in May 2020ten times worse.
That said, PS Plus in May has a strength that none of these others had. Sony has yet to reveal thePS Plus Extra and Premium games for May 2023, and while it’s up in the air as to what they are, these titles haven’t been subjected to the normal pains of the Essential tier. Not yet, at least.
PS Plussubscribers get a handful of games every month.
MORE:The Best Games on PS Plus Extra and Premium (April 2023)
