The 10 Best Multiplayer Games On PlayStation Plus Right Now
Multiplayer gaming has come a long way. We can now play with or against friends and strangers with ease, but console manufacturers often charge for this service. To play most multiplayer games (not including free-to-play titles) on a PlayStation 5, you need a PlayStation Plus subscription, which starts at $10 a month. However, unlike the Xbox's equivalent, Xbox Live Gold, PlayStation Plus comes in tiers, so while the costs increase with each tier, so do the benefits.
For an extra $5 a month, you can upgrade your PlayStation Plus account from the Essential tier to Extra. This tier includes an extensive library of complimentary games you can play with no additional charges so long as you maintain your subscription. Granted, PlayStation Plus Extra is just Sony's version of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — which many consider the superior service — but it still offers a solid selection of games, some of which aren't available on Xbox. Beyond that, quite a few of these PlayStation Plus games are multiplayer titles. Since these games are part of a service that helps keep servers for PlayStation multiplayer games running, why not play a few? You're paying for it anyway!
With that in mind, here are 10 of the best multiplayer games you can play right now on PlayStation Plus Extra.
Demon's Souls and Bloodborne
Soulsborne games are notoriously difficult, but that is part of the charm and intent. Players can make their journeys easier — or more difficult — by engaging in multiplayer. To do so on the PlayStation platform, however, you need their proprietary subscription service. Only two Soulsbornes are available through PlayStation Plus Extra.
The "Demon's Souls" remake needs no introduction. Many gamers first experienced and fell in love with the Soulsborne genre thanks to this PlayStation 3 original, and Bluepoint Games remastered it for the PlayStation 5. All the levels, weapons, and enemies players remember from the original are represented in crisp 4K resolution. Plus, anyone who wants to team up for an easier time or invade a stranger's game for some quick PvP can do so thanks to the multiplayer. On a not-so-side note, "Demon's Souls" is the only Soulsborne that lets you fight another live opponent as a boss — or fill that role, if you want.
If you don't have a PS5 or would rather play a Victorian horror Soulsborne that slowly creeps into Lovecraftian horror territory, PlayStation Plus Extra also has "Bloodborne." Everything that makes "Demon's Souls" memorable is alive and well in "Bloodborne," including multiplayer. That said, you can't turtle behind a shield as you can in other Soulsbornes — "Bloodborne" is faster and emphasizes vampiric combat.
Dead by Daylight
Most multiplayer games give both sides an equal chance by providing all participants with the same abilities and weapons. In these games, victory is determined by skill and teamwork, but titles like "Dead by Daylight” ignore that design philosophy and find balance through different means.
"Dead by Daylight" is, for all intents and purposes, a multiplayer survival horror game. Players either take the role of a helpless human fleeing from a supernatural predator, or they get to control said predator. If you're a human, you outnumber the monster and have to win by splitting up and completing multiple objectives at once. If you're the villain, you are alone but have the distinct advantage of being able to kill and terrify your prey.
Given the sheer number of maps, survivors, and hunters available in "Dead by Daylight," no two matches play out the same. Plus, developers Behaviour Interactive constantly update the game with new content. While "Dead by Daylight" is full of playable heroes and villains that draw from various horror archetypes, others are ripped from fan-favorite movies and games. What other title lets you hunt Ash Williams as Pyramid Head? Or escape Freddy Krueger as Cheryl Mason? While these extras don't come with the PlayStation Plus Extra package, purchasing them piecemeal is a lot less painful if you already have the base game for free with your subscription.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut
"Ghost of Tsushima" is a veritable masterpiece. The single-player campaign is a gripping journey through the titular island of Tsushima as players use honorable samurai steel and underhanded stealth to fend off Mongolian invaders. Long story short, "Ghost of Tsushima" didn't need a multiplayer component, but Sucker Punch Productions added one anyway, and it turned out to be pretty great.
"Ghost of Tsushima: Legends" is a free batch of DLC that comes with the PlayStation Plus Extra's copy of "Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut." Instead of just inserting a mode that lets four players explore Tsushima as protagonist Jin Sakai, "Ghost of Tsushima: Legends" takes place in smaller, bite-sized locations and gives gamers several classes to utilize. Each archetype is based on Jin's various abilities but with supernatural twists. In fact, every facet of "Ghost of Tsushima: Legends," from the levels to the enemies, is supernatural, and the mode even features character progression alongside story beats you don't get in the main game. In that way, "Ghost of Tsushima: Legends" almost feels like a free spin-off title.
If you would rather spend your PlayStation Plus Extra subscription exploring the "Ghost of Tsushima" single-player experience, go right ahead. The game's developers were made permanent ambassadors to the real Tsushima Island for a very good reason. Still, if you ever wanted to play that game with your friends — and you should — "Ghost of Tsushima: Legends" is free with admission.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint
For the past few console generations, too many game developers and publishers have pushed out titles that don't work at launch. These games tend to leave a bad taste in audiences' mouths, but they are usually worth playing after a few bug-squashing and balance patches — just in time for PlayStation Plus Extra to pick them up.
Ubisoft's "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint" is the sequel to "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands" and takes place in the world of political espionage and terrorists. Like its predecessor, "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint" is an open-world tactical stealth-based shooter that lets players team up to take down opposing soldiers. Going in guns blazing is always an option, but the game is at its best when you take your time, strategize with friends, and clear out camps of enemies without raising an alarm. Ubisoft's original stealth hero, Sam Fisher (another Tom Clancy creation), would be proud.
At launch, "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint" was a significantly different (and worse) beast thanks to controversial leveling and loot shooter mechanics. However, updates have tweaked and balanced the game and — more importantly — cut out these systems for a special Immersive Mode. Audiences also received an update that added a post-game narrative, and free story additions are always a boon.
Now that the game is free with an active PlayStation Plus Extra subscription, there has never been a better time to drop into "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint" with a few friends.
Fallout 76
To call the release of "Fallout 76" rocky would be an understatement of nuclear proportions. The game was weighed down by poor gameplay design choices and arguably some of the worst bugs in Bethesda's history. Many were worried that Bethesda would give up on fixing the game, but to the studio's credit, it stuck with the latest "Fallout" entry and made it not just playable but worthwhile.
"Fallout 76" is essentially an MMO version of "Fallout 4." Players can wander the irradiated wastelands of West Virginia alone or with friends, participate in an ever-growing collection of missions and public events, and stake their claim with a robust building system.
Admittedly, "Fallout 76" has gone through some significant growing pains, thanks in no small part to the aforementioned glitches. However, now that these problems have been (mostly) patched, "Fallout 76" provides a solid adventure players can experience however they see fit. Of course, in true MMO fashion, the best content requires the cooperation of teams. Plus, Bethesda has kept "Fallout 76" alive with an underground bunker worth of free content. Once you play the game through your PlayStation Plus Extra subscription, you don't have to buy anything else.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 and Space Hulk Deathwing
"Left 4 Dead" popularized the design philosophy of partnering with three other players to survive hordes of enemies. Teamwork is just as important as individual player skill and sufficient resources, and while that game and its sequel are monumental titles, not everyone wants to fight zombies. Some people would rather fight something a little more fantastical — or alien.
At its core, "Warhammer: Vermintide 2" is "Left 4 Dead" (or "Left 4 Dead 2" to be more precise) in the wonderfully dark world of "Warhammer." Instead of controlling one of four characters whose only abilities are immunity to zombification, you step into one of five medieval fantasy archetypes ripped from the unit rosters of the "Warhammer" miniatures wargame. Each character wields and upgrades a different collection of weapons and skills, and instead of zombies, players get to slaughter hordes of demon-worshipping Skaven.
"Space Hulk: Deathwing" offers a sci-fi twist on this formula. In this game, players command a Space Marine in towering Terminator armor and exterminate Genestealers — aliens that turn victims into baby factories who pump out more Genestealers. "Space Hulk: Deathwing" is a far more tactical experience than similar titles, as it forces players to maintain limb health and create chokepoints with doors.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Back in the olden days, many developers tried creating mascot platformers to capture the magic of "Super Mario Bros." and "Sonic the Hedgehog." While the mascot platformer genre has almost been forgotten in the current gaming landscape, some studios are trying to revive them with a new generation of memorable heroes.
"Sackboy: A Big Adventure" is the latest entry in the "LittleBigPlanet" franchise, although instead of controlling a customizable sack doll in a 2D platforming world, players control a customizable sack doll in an isometric 3D platforming world. Think "Super Mario 3D World," but without the iconic Nintendo characters.
While "Sackboy: A Big Adventure" is perfectly playable solo, the game is at its best with friends. You can cooperate to complete levels and acquire collectibles, or you can mess around and sabotage your allies, just like in earlier "LittleBigPlanet" entries. Of course, some objectives and collectibles require collaborative efforts, so you might not want to do that. Unlike "Super Mario 3D World," you can trick out your Sackboy with a veritable tailor's bag worth of colorful customization options, many of which are either found in the game or are free DLC.
If you want a more 2D experience, you can always play "LittleBigPlanet 3," which also comes with PlayStation Plus Extra, but you don't need to choose between them — so long as your subscription is active, you can play both.
Mortal Kombat 11
Once, you could only play a fighting game while in the same room with your opponent. Nowadays, you can decimate your friends and foes no matter where you are — so why not do so?
"Mortal Kombat 11" is the most recent mainline entry in the "Mortal Kombat" franchise and is a game that needs no introduction. The series has served as one of the kings of fighting franchises ever since its inception, and "Mortal Kombat" has yet to be dethroned. "Mortal Kombat 11" serves as a love letter to the entire series — NetherRealm Studios even cast Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa to reprise his role as Shang Tsung from the 1995 "Mortal Kombat" film.
The game sports a diverse roster that caters to an equally diverse number of playstyles, as well as a solid net code to support the fights. If you purchase DLC, you can brutalize friends and total strangers with even more characters, including Spawn and the Terminator.
While NetherRealm hasn't worked on "Mortal Kombat 11" in a while, the studio left the game in a solid state that maintains a sizable player base, so you won't ever have trouble finding matches — at least not until "Mortal Kombat 1" launches.
Earth Defence Force 5
Many games tell engrossing stories with relatable characters, and PlayStation Plus Extra is full of these titles. Of course, sometimes you just want to shut your brain off and blow something up. PlayStation Plus Extra has plenty of those games as well.
The "Earth Defense Force" series is simple in concept. You control one member of the titular Earth Defense Force to fend off invading aliens that take the form of giant insects, robots, spaceships, and kaiju. How do you fend them off? With guns and explosions — lots and lots of guns and explosions. As you progress through each mission, you earn bigger and badder weapons, and the more partners you team up with, the more destruction can sow. Blow up the world to save the world!
Every gameplay session in "Earth Defense Force" fills the screen with invading monsters, and higher difficulty levels (and more players) add progressively more enemies. Eventually, each "Earth Defense Force" game reaches a tipping point where all the action tanks framerates and threaten to crash the client, but it never does. It's all part of the spectacle.
PlayStation Plus Extra offers quite a few "Earth Defense Force" titles. "Earth Defence Force 5" is the most recent mainline game available on the service, but you will also find "Earth Defence Force: Iron Rain," "Earth Defence Force: World Brothers," and "Earth Defence Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair." Each game delivers a slightly different experience, although you can always expect insects, explosions, and friendly fire. What's not to love?
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Most multiplayer FPS titles focus on twitch-based matches where the fastest trigger finger wins because nobody dies on the battlefield — they just respawn in a different area. That design philosophy obviously doesn't reflect reality, but some multiplayer games try to, at least in spirit.
"Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege," as you may have guessed, takes place in the same world canon as "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint." However, "Rainbow Six Siege" is a stealth-based tactical FPS where every match unfolds in an enclosed area, and players must use a combination of team tactics and individual character abilities to defend or extract an objective.
Since "Rainbow Six Siege" is a live service title, its developers, Ubisoft, constantly update the game with new characters, maps, modes, and cosmetics. While the game's new operators are technically free, players still have to purchase them with the in-game currency, Renown. Gamers can either earn this currency by playing matches or buying it in the cash shop.
Thanks to a consistent stream of content and updates, "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege" boasts a strong and loyal player base. While Ubisoft tried to replace (or at the very least supplement) the game with "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction," that title failed to live up to expectations, and the multiplayer aspects of "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege" remain well worth your time.