Only a single part of the PS Plus Essential September 2023 lineup leaked ahead of time. And now Sony has revealed the full roster. Saints Row, the previously leaked game, is one of the titles alongside Generation Zero and Black Desert – Traveler Edition. All three will be available starting September 5.
Here’s the PS Plus Essential September 2023 lineup
Saints Row is the biggest and most controversial of the three and is coming to both PS4 and PS5. It was widely panned near its release for its dated gameplay and array of bugs, garnering an average score of 63 on OpenCritic. Some also despised it for how it mishandled what made the series special.
However, Volition has worked over the past year on improving the game by unleashing many patches along the way. These updates squashed many bugs, added quality-of-life features, retooled the combat, implemented cheats, expanded the map with new sections, and more. Volition has been vocal about this reinvented game, as evidenced by the above trailer that coincided with its recent launch on Steam.
Saints Row also received three expansions over the last year, none of which will be included for PS Plus subscribers. The first was a Fast & Furious parody, the second was a wave-based survival set of missions in the style of Professor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Climax, and the third was a Game of Thrones-style parody mixed with Mad Max.
Black Desert – Traveler Edition is the second game and is only on PS4. It’s an open-world MMORPG that was originally released in South Korea in 2014 before coming to other platforms in the following years (and making its way to PS4 in 2019). It received middling to decent reviews that culminated in an average score of 71 on OpenCritic. Those who already own the game can’t get this edition, but can download the Traveler Edition extras separately. The Traveler Edition comes with:
- Value Pack (15 Days)
- Pearl Box – 1000
- Polar Bear
- Horse Emblem: Tier 7 White Horse (Female)
- Trainer’s Flute (30 Days)
Generation Zero is the last title and is also only on PS4. The open-world first-person shooter inspired by the Swedish Cold War era came out in 2019 and was despised by many, as noted by its average score of 49 on OpenCritic. It was widely cited as being buggy and unfinished, but it has gotten many updates in the last few years, and its recent reviews on Steam are “Mostly Positive.” It’s still going, too, and is even eventually getting an update on PS4 that will enable 60 frames per second when played on PS5.
This lineup of mediocrely received games is quite odd timing, as Sony also announced that every PS Plus tier would be jumping in price on September 6. The tiers will be $79.99, $134.99, and $159.99, respectively, for 12-month subscriptions.
