Happy 2026: Sony is Still Re-Gifting You Your Own Trash
Welcome to 2026, everyone. We’ve got flying cars (not really), AI that can write your grandma’s birthday cards, and yet, Sony is still out here acting like a cheap uncle giving you socks for Christmas. If you were hoping the New Year would bring a fresh start for PlayStation Plus, I’ve got some bad news for you. Put down that overpriced DualSense Edge 2 and prepare for the underwhelming reality of the 'Essential' tier.
Read Also: RIP PS4: Sony Finally Kills the Last Gen for PS Plus – Happy New Year, I Guess
We’ve officially reached the point where the 'free' games—which aren't free because you’re paying a monthly ransom to access your own internet—feel more like a chore to download than a reward for your loyalty. It’s the same old dance: one 'blockbuster' that everyone already owns, one live-service flop that’s gasping for air, and an indie game that looks like it was coded on a graphing calculator during a lunch break.
The 'Free' Games: A Catalog of Mediocrity
Let’s break down the January 2026 lineup, which leaked early because apparently, Sony’s security is as robust as a wet paper towel. This month, subscribers are 'treated' to:
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered (PS5): Because apparently, the three other versions of this game weren't enough. Sony is determined to make sure every human on earth owns this game at least four times before the sun explodes.
- Exoprimal 2: Extinction Agenda (PS5/PS4): Remember the first one? No? Neither does anyone else. This is Capcom’s desperate attempt to inject some life into a multiplayer game that has fewer active players than my local bingo hall.
- Neon Drift: Retro-Rage (PS5): An indie 'rogue-like' (how original!) that uses 8-bit graphics as an excuse for having no budget. It’s the kind of game you play for three minutes, realize the controls are floaty, and delete to make room for a 150GB Call of Duty update.
Rogue’s Deep Dive: Why This Lineup Sucks
Let’s start with The Last of Us Part II Remastered. Don't get me wrong, the game is a technical masterpiece, but giving it away now is the ultimate corporate 'middle finger.' Most of us played this years ago. Those who didn't probably bought it for five dollars in a bargain bin back in 2023. Including this in the January lineup is Sony’s way of saying, 'We have nothing new to show you, so please enjoy this recycled sadness.' It’s the gaming equivalent of a 'Greatest Hits' album from a band that hasn't released a new song in a decade.
Then we have Exoprimal 2. This is the classic PS Plus 'Live Service Life Support' move. The game is failing, the servers are ghost towns, so they throw it on the service hoping a few thousand unsuspecting souls will download it and maybe—just maybe—buy a $20 skin for their mechanical dinosaur. Pro tip: Don't. If a game has to be given away for free six months after launch, it’s because it’s a dumpster fire. Don’t waste your bandwidth on corporate desperation.
And finally, the indie filler. I’m all for supporting small devs, but Neon Drift feels like it was picked out of a hat. It’s the digital equivalent of those 'As Seen on TV' gadgets that sit in your kitchen drawer until you move house. It’s not 'challenging,' it’s poorly designed. It’s not 'retro,' it’s lazy. Calling this a 'benefit' of the subscription is like saying a punch in the gut is a 'benefit' of having a stomach.
The 'Don't Pre-Order' Mentality Applied
This lineup perfectly illustrates why you should never pre-order and why you should be skeptical of these 'Premium' services. We are paying more for PS Plus than ever before, and what are we getting? Older games, failing multiplayer experiments, and fillers. Sony knows they have you by the wallet because you want to play Grand Theft Auto VI online later this year, so they can feed you whatever slop they want in the meantime.
Stop getting hyped for these reveals. Stop acting like Sony is doing you a favor. They are a multi-billion dollar corporation that wants to keep you in their ecosystem while spending as little as possible on licensing fees for the games they give you. If you want to play a good game, go buy a physical copy of something you actually like. At least then, when Sony decides to raise the price of PS Plus to $200 a year, you’ll actually own something.
Conclusion: Keep Your Expectations in the Basement
January 2026 is off to a roaring start if you love disappointment. Between the recycled 'classics' and the dead-on-arrival sequels, there’s almost no reason to be excited. My advice? Use this month to clear your backlog. Play that game you bought three years ago and never started. Just don't let Sony trick you into thinking this lineup is 'value.' It’s just digital clutter taking up space on a server. Stay cynical, stay critical, and for the love of all that is holy, stop pre-ordering the 'Deluxe Edition' of disappointment.
Quick Breakdown
| Game Title | Release Year | Rogue's Value Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Last of Us Part II Remastered | 2024 (Original 2020) | 2/10 | Recycled Content |
| Exoprimal 2 | 2025 | 1/10 | Live Service Slop |
| Neon Drift: Retro-Rage | 2026 | 3/10 | Bland Filler |
🏆 Gamer Verdict
"A lackluster collection of recycled hits and failing live-service experiments that offer zero real value to long-term subscribers."
✅ The Good
- The Last of Us Part II is a good game (if you haven't played it 5 times already).
- The indie game is a small download, so it won't waste too much of your data.
❌ The Bad
- Zero original or 'new' AAA content.
- Exoprimal 2 is a dead-on-arrival multiplayer mess.
🌍 Global Quick Take
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Tags: #PSPlus #PlayStation #GamingNews #Sony #FreeGames
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