When it comes to first-party exclusive games, the first couple of months in the new year are typically quiet with Sony not releasing any major titles before March. And seemingly because of that, the launch of PlayStation 5 has been bolstered by stellar months for PlayStation Plus, including Bugsnax, Maneater, Control: Ultimate Edition, and more.
While every month can't be full of AAA blockbusters that will please everyone, there are some exciting new games releasing in the coming months that could benefit from having more eyes on what came before. With that in mind, here's a complete PS Plus free games wish list for March 2021 based on games that would likely do well on the service, not just impossible predictions.
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Moving out of the launch window and into the first proper year of the PlayStation 5, one of the most anticipated upcoming games is Deathloop from Arkane Studios. Based on the game's pre-release marketing, Deathloop appears to be the natural evolution of everything Arkane Studios has done previously but, most notably, the severely underrated Dishonored series. With three games in the series to date, Dishonored 2 was one of those rare sequels that improved on its predecessor in almost every way.
For those that have never played Dishonored 2, it's a first-person action-adventure stealth game with a focus on giving players a sandbox of options to play how they want. Set fifteen years after the original game, in Dishonored 2 players can choose from two playable characters that have vastly different gameplay styles and abilities. The chaos system returns from the first game, allowing the entire game to be played without taking a single life, or alternatively, players can wreak havoc using a range of weapons and supernatural abilities. And none of that is forgetting the outstanding voice cast which includes the likes of Rosario Dawson (The Mandalorian), Sam Rockwell (Vice), Robin Lord Taylor (Gotham), Jamie Hector (The Wire), Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian), and Vincent D'Onofrio (Daredevil).
Dishonored 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Another highly anticipated upcoming game is Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., a remastered upgrade of the original Nier for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Already being a spin-off and spiritual successor to Drakengard, Nier received a direct sequel in early 2017 called Nier: Automata, releasing to nearly universal critical acclaim for its post-apocalyptic narrative, characters, hack and slash combat, and impressive levels of replayability due to having 26 different endings and three playable characters.
Set in the same universe as Nier, only thousands of years in the future, Nier: Automata takes place during a proxy war between a race of alien-created machines and human-crafted androids, with the player being apart of the latter faction. The first three main playthroughs are each told from the perspective of a different android (2B, 9S, and A2) and offer varying perspectives on the war, as well as experimentation with traditional genres. While the majority of Nier: Automata is a third-person hack and slash, players will come across sections that feature air combat, shoot 'em up gameplay, and text adventures. Nier: Automata is a must-play for fans of the genre, and the Game of the YoRHa Edition adds bonus DLC and cosmetic items for use in-game.
Nier: Automata is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
During Sony's PlayStation 5 showcase in September last year, it was announced that Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, a brand new entry in the series, was in development for the next-generation console. The new game would be the eighth core entry, with all seven existing games already available on PlayStation 4 after being ported in November 2019. Five Nights at Freddy's has been a beloved horror franchise for close to a decade now, and one that any fan of the genre should experience at some point. And what better way to that than with the PlayStation VR title, Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted.
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted is a virtual reality survival horror video game released in 2019, and the seventh core entry in the series. Praised for implementation of virtual reality, new and improved mechanics, and faithfully preserving the look, feel, and atmosphere of the series, Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted consists of 50 playable minigames inspired by each previous entry in the series. While this is primarily for PSVR owners, a non-VR version of the game has been released since launch.
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Android.
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Since the release of the PlayStation 5, Sony has been giving away three games on PS Plus each month with one of the games being available exclusively to owners of the next-generation console. Originally planned as a PS5 launch title, Sony made the decision to delay the release of Destruction AllStars and, at least for the launch of the vehicular combat game, offer it up as a free PlayStation Plus game for two months. All of this means that Destruction AllStars is still available for PlayStation 5 players and will remain as a free PS Plus game for another month, alongside two or more new PS4 or cross-generation games.
PlayStation Plus members receive two free games every month with their subscription.