Sony is making a massive change to PlayStation Plus at the start of 2026. To this end, starting in January 2026, the Sony subscription service is going to get a lot worse for those still on PS4 and PS4 Pro, who haven't made the jump yet to the PS5. In major gaming markets, like the United States and Europe, there aren't a metric ton still playing on the previous PlayStation consoles, though there is an appreciable amount. However, in other smaller markets around the world, the PS4 is actually the primary console, not the PS5. This is typically down to not just access, but costs. The PS5 remains too expensive in many markets around the world.
For various reasons, there are still many on the PS4 and PS4 Pro, and those who this applies to, who are also PlayStation Plus subscribers, are getting a downgrade in 2026. More specifically, while they aren't going away completely, Sony has confirmed that PS4 games will be a smaller part of the PlayStation Plus offering going forward. To this end, PS4 games will no longer be guaranteed as monthly free games. Sometimes they may be included, but there is no longer a guarantee of this. Rather, the focus is going to be on PS5.
It remains to be seen if this will lead to fewer monthly games or if Sony is going to replace the lost PS4 games with additional PS5 games. If Sony does do this, then the subscription service is going to offer more value going forward, as PS5 games cost more than PS4 games; however, the PS5 library isn't even close to as impressive as the PS4 library, so value may increase, but quality will decrease.
This is especially the case when it comes to first-party games. The first-party output from both a quantity and quality perspective during the PS4 generation takes a dump on the same measurements for the PS5 generation. So, if Sony does decide to include a first-party game in any given PlayStation Plus lineup, which does not happen often, it has a higher chance of not being a great game. We can see this just in December, this month. We got a first-party PS5 game as part of December's PlayStation Plus lineup, and it was the very underwhelming LEGO Horizon Adventures.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.