New PlayStation Plus Free Game Is a Huge Hit With Subscribers

One of May’s free PlayStation Plus games is a huge hit with PS Plus subscribers on PS4 and PS5, according to a new report. For may 2025, PlayStation Plus subscribers were treated to the following three free games: Ark: Survival Ascended, Balatro, and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. The first of these three free games is only available to PS Plus subscribers on PS5, while the latter two are available to both subscribers on PS4 and PS5. Meanwhile, all three PlayStation Plus free games are available to all PS Plus subscribers, no matter the tier of their subscription. And they are all available to download for free until June 3.

According to data from True Trophies, Balatro is by far the most-played free PlayStation Plus game this month. Adding to this it is claimed it is the third biggest PlayStation Plus release in terms of number of players of the year, behind only High on Life in February and RoboCop Rogue City from April. To this end, since True Trophies began collecting data on this in 2023, it is the 7th biggest PlayStation Plus release yet.

For those familiar with the new free PlayStation Plus game this is probably not that surprising, but for those unfamiliar with it Balatro is a roguelike deck-building Poker game. Developed by LocalThunk and published by Playstack, it debuted back on February 20, 2024, and is widely considered one of the best games of the year. This is most evident by its 90-95 score range on Metacritic. Coupling this, as of earlier this year, it had sold over five million copies.

Further decorations include nominations for Game of the Year and Best Game Direction at The Game Awards 2024 and awards for Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Best Mobile Game.

“Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big,” reads an official description of the game on the PlayStation Store. “The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos. Combine valid poker hands with unique Joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds. Earn enough chips to beat devious blinds, all while uncovering hidden bonus hands and decks as you progress. You’re going to need every edge you can get in order to reach the boss blind, beat the final ante and secure victory.”

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Those that decide to check out Balatro via PlayStation Plus should expect to are bare minimum put about 7 hours into the game to beat it. However, mix in side content and you are looking at a game that is more like 40 hours long. Completionists, on the other hand, will need north over 200 hours with the Poker game.

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