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| Preview of Ark: Survival Ascended, free on PS5 with PlayStation Plus Essential in May 2025. |
Sony has officially revealed the PlayStation Plus Essential games lineup for May 2025, offering a varied trio of titles available for free download from May 6 through June 2. This month’s offerings include Ark: Survival Ascended, Balatro, and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, giving subscribers a mix of survival, strategy, and retro-inspired action.
Ark: Survival Ascended leads the lineup as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. This is a remastered edition of the original survival game Ark: Survival Evolved, now rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5. The new version introduces overhauled visuals, dynamic water physics, and revamped lighting. It also includes access to all previously released expansion maps such as Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, and both parts of Genesis. Players can experience the game solo, with a friend via local split-screen, or in massive online multiplayer sessions that support up to 70 participants.
For fans of strategy and deck-building, Balatro adds a distinctive twist to the mix. Available on both PS4 and PS5, this roguelike game uses poker mechanics as the foundation of its gameplay. Players build powerful hands using a mix of standard cards and unique jokers, aiming to defeat increasingly difficult bosses while managing chips, multipliers, and combo chains. With randomized elements and escalating difficulty, it offers high replay value for those who enjoy card-based challenges.
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| Image of the PlayStation 5, which supports all May 2025 PlayStation Plus Essential games. |
The third game in the lineup, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, appeals to fans of old-school shooters. Set in the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40K, the game places players in the role of a Space Marine armed with explosive weapons and charged with eliminating hordes of Chaos enemies. Styled in pixelated retro graphics, Boltgun mimics the look and feel of 1990s first-person shooters like Doom and Quake, delivering fast-paced, gory combat across multiple levels. It’s available for both PS4 and PS5.
Sony also reminded users that April's PlayStation Plus titles—RoboCop: Rogue City, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory—are available to claim until May 5. Once redeemed, these games remain accessible for as long as a user’s PlayStation Plus subscription remains active.
PlayStation Plus Essential continues to offer subscribers online multiplayer capabilities, cloud storage, exclusive discounts, and monthly free games. Subscription pricing is set at $9.99 per month, $24.99 per quarter, or $79.99 per year.