.png){kind=logo}
May's PS Plus free games are live, featuring Ark, Balastro, and Warhammer Boltgun. Don't miss out on these exciting titles – claim your free games from May 6 to June 2 and level up your gaming experience. Get ready to dive into thrilling adventures and epic battles. Claim your free games now and enjoy!
PlayStation Plus retains gamers engaged through free games each month, and May 2025 introduces a new set. Ark: Survival Ascended, Balatro, and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun arrive in the Essential tier, providing survival, strategy, and quick-action shooting.
Found available from May 6 until June 2, these games provide something for everyone. Each game is discussed here, including reasons why to play and tips for acquiring them, based on current PlayStation Blog announcements and gaming reports.
PlayStation Plus Essential, the lowest subscription level, provides three games per month for PS4 and PS5. May's offerings cover a broad range of genres, so there's something for everyone.
Ark: Survival Ascended remakes a survival title, Balatro turns poker into a strategic classic, and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun brings back old-school shooters. They can be added to the library through May 2, as long as membership remains current. April's offerings, such as RoboCop: Rogue City, have to be redeemed by May 5.
This PS5 game remasters Ark: Survival Evolved from 2015 with Unreal Engine 5. Players awaken on a strange island, domesticating dinosaurs, making tools, and constructing shelters to live in. Better graphics, improved physics, and quality-of-life changes make it feel new.
The game features all expansions: Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Genesis Part 1, and Part 2, for massive exploration. It accommodates up to 70 players online, eight in private games, or two in local split-screen.
Survival game fans will thrill to the adrenaline rush of hunting, crafting, and riding primal beasts. The improved graphics and physics make the experience richer. Multiplayer enables tribes to be formed, and teamwork or competitiveness can be introduced. Polygon reviews laud its polished makeover, though still in early access, with Studio Wildcard refining it further.
PS4 and PS5 release, Balatro combines poker and roguelike deck-building. They craft poker hands, powered by special Joker cards that initiate crazy combos. Each play-through has them battling more difficult ‘blinds,’ with secret decks and rewards to discover. Simple yet profound gameplay won the 2024 Game of the Year nominations and Best Independent Game awards at The Game Awards.
Balatro's engrossing gameplay captures strategy enthusiasts and casual gamers. Its vintage graphics and entrancing tunes induce a wacky atmosphere, according to Engadget. No knowledge of poker is required, merely an inclination to try new things with cards. Social media hype on X refers to it as "crack cocaine" due to its time-wasting allure, which makes it an absolute must-try.
This PS4 and PS5 ‘boomer shooter’ is reminiscent of 90s favorites such as Doom. In the Warhammer 40K world, players are a Space Marine who shoots Chaos forces with retro-look weapons.
Pixelated graphics and high-speed combat bring back nostalgic fun. It came out in 2023, following 2011's Space Marine, according to Polygon. Levels promote running, jumping, and shredding enemies.
Boltgun is for lovers of retro-style shooters and Warhammer lore. Its constant action and dark sci-fi environment shine, with Radio Times likening it to Space Marine 2. Accessibility options such as infinite ammo keep things fun for players of all skills, according to NeoGAF. It's a great choice for fast-paced, explosive gaming sessions.
Subscribers must have an active PS Plus Essential, Extra, or Premium subscription. From May 6, go to the PlayStation Store on a PS4 or PS5, go to the PS Plus section, and add Ark, Balatro, and Boltgun to the collection. No download is necessary to lock them in, simply add them before June 2. Signing in to the PlayStation Store website is also a solution, according to The Shortcut.
April's titles: RoboCop: Rogue City, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker's Memory, run out May 5. Pick them up for the library before they're gone, as they're still playable with an active subscription.
Its fast rounds fit busy schedules. Try Joker cards to unlock crazy strategies, according to Gizbot.
Play with friends in multiplayer to catch dinosaurs quicker. There is chaos in public servers, but chill servers are private.
Play with accessibility cheats for stress-free enjoyment, particularly on more difficult modes, according to NeoGAF.
May 2025's PS Plus roster offers diversity, from the dino-populated survival of Ark: Survival Ascended to the ingenious card battles in Balatro and Boltgun's throwback mayhem. From May 6 to June 2, they give subscribers a wealth of enjoyable hours. Find out more at PlayStation Blog or TechRadar. Get them soon and embark on this eclectic trio.
