There’s nothing better than an extended weekend to treat yourself to some guilt-free gaming time. Memorial Day means a ton of us get a whole extra day to chill out and explore the best games on PlayStation Plus, which just so happen to have added a huge chunk of titles. We’ve got multiple dangerous open world games, RPGs, and more to pick from, making this one of the hardest weeks I’ve had in narrowing down my recommendations to just three. That’s a great problem to have and only means you will easily find a game that clicks with you. Even though we’ve got a three-day weekend, there’s no time to waste, so here are the three best new PlayStation Plus games you need to be playing.
Sand Land
Akira Toriyama is most famous for creating the Dragon Ball universe, but that wasn’t his only creation. Sand Land was one of his last projects, but has that trademark Toriyama look and feel. This is an open world RPG where you play as the Fiend Prince Beelzebub on a big adventure in search of the Legendary Spring in the desert world of Sand Land. Don’t expect huge energy beams and cosmic-level clashes here. The majority of your time will be spent piloting and fighting inside all sorts of charming and creative vehicles. You can even collect resources to build and customize your own vehicles to suit your needs. Plus, since this game covers the relatively short story, you can jump right in and understand exactly what’s going on.
Sand Land is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy – Enhanced Edition
All of us PlayStation fans still can’t get our hands on Stalker 2 just yet, but we can at least be prepared when it eventually does come to PS5 with the brand new bundle of the first three games fully remastered. If you’re unfamiliar with the franchise, you’re exactly who this package is made for. The Stalker games invite you to investigate the deadly Zone, an alternate version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. These games are meant to be hardcore and incredibly unforgiving. At the same time, the systems and AI are such that every situation is unique. You won’t hear any two people’s experiences mirror each other in this game. If you can put yourselves into your character’s shoes and really roleplay, this survival FPS trilogy will easily become your next obsession.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Battle Engine Aquila
Anyone who has been reading these recommendations regularly knows I can’t help but include a classic game whenever possible. This week, there was only one to pick from, but I was instantly intrigued because it has to be one of the very few remaining PS2 games I’d never heard of. Battle Engine Aquila is a vehicular combat game where you pilot the titular mech in massive battles. Your Battle Engine can swap between an airborne and land mode to trade off more mobility and speed for stronger weaponry. You can choose between multiple Engine types for each mission, each of which is ranked to encourage you to replay them for a better score. There’s not much story going on in the game itself, so just enjoy this one for the technical combat and novelty.
Battle Engine Aquila is available now on PS5 and PC.