Every month, PlayStation Plus subscribers are treated to a new batch of free games that they can add to their collection. Since the launch of the PlayStation 5 in November 2020, the free PlayStation Plus games lineup has typically consisted of one PS5 game and two PS4 titles. February 2022 sticks closely to that rule, though it seems many fans are extremely unimpressed with next month’s offerings.
The free PS Plus games for February 2022 have resulted in some controversy as there are many subscribers who are not happy with the lineup. And while some may be quick to say that it’s silly to get mad over “free” games, it’s worth pointing out that the free games are originally what PS Plus was for to begin with. Unlike Xbox Live Gold, which primarily sold itself as a way to play multiplayer games online and added free games later, PS Plus originated as a service to give PlayStation fans discounts and free games. Requiring PS Plus to play games online wasn’t a thing until the PlayStation 4 was introduced.
Since the original primary reason for a PlayStation Plus subscription was to get the free games, it’s understandable that subscribers sometimes get upset about what Sony has on offer. It’s happened numerous times in the past and will happen again, just like there will be popular, well-received months as well. However, it seems that there are many PS Plus subscribers who feel as though the February 2022 free games are egregiously bad, and there definitely reasons for why they feel that way.
Free PS Plus Games for February 2022 List
- Planet Coaster: Console Edition (PS5) EA Sports UFC 4 (PS4) Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure (PS4)
The free PS Plus games for February 2022 are EA Sports UFC 4 and Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure on PS4 and Planet Coaster: Console Edition on PS5. The most obvious issue that one might point out with these games is that two out of three of them are quite old, with the original version of Planet Coaster launching in 2016 and the original version of Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep launching all the way back in 2013.
Generally speaking, the free PlayStation Plus games have consisted of relatively newer titles the past couple years, especially when it comes to the PS5 offerings. Sony has established a clear pattern that the vast majority of free PS5 PS Plus games are new releases - a pattern it’s only broken a few times since the next-generation console launched. The PS5 version of Planet Coaster: Console Edition was a launch title for the PS5 in 2020, and so not only is the original version six years old, but the PS5 version is well over a year old.
Since PS5 gamers with PS Plus are used to getting new games every month, it’s understandable that they may be underwhelmed by Planet Coaster. Then when one adds on the fact that Planet Coaster is a theme park simulator and therefore a fairly niche game, it makes even more sense why PS Plus subscribers are upset. And this isn’t to say that Planet Coaster is a bad game by any means. On the contrary, Planet Coaster earned mostly positive reviews at the time of its release; it’s just old compared to what PS Plus subscribers on PS5 are used to getting in exchange for their subscription fee.
Being targeted at a niche audience is also a problem for EA Sports UFC 4. Sports games in general are niche, and then the specific sport they represent limit the potential audience interested in playing them even further. Like Planet Coaster: Console Edition, EA Sports UFC 4 reviews were mostly positive, but it’s safe to assume that the only people interested in playing it are hardcore fans of the UFC, and it’s hard to say how much overlap there is between UFC enthusiasts and PlayStation Plus subscribers.
And then there’s Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure, which seems to be the biggest point of contention for many PS Plus subscribers that are upset about the February 2022 free games. Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure is the standalone version of Borderlands 2 DLC that originally released in 2013. It’s sold for a mere $9.99 on the PlayStation Store, making it one of the least-valuable free PS Plus games ever, and not only that, but its content has already been given away for free through PS Plus in the past.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection was a free PS Plus game a few years ago, and it included the original version of Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, not to mention a ton of other content. So between that and the game’s incredibly short length, it’s no surprise that there are PS Plus subscribers who aren’t happy with what February 2022 is bringing to the table.
