PS4 games are now a thing of the past on PS Plus Essential

With the arrival of 2026, a long-discussed change on the PlayStation Plus front has officially come to fruition. PS Plus Essential will now largely offer PS5-focused games, and the PS4 era will gradually come to an end. This decision clearly reveals both the point the PlayStation ecosystem has reached and Sony’s future strategy.

PS Plus Essential Closes the PS4 Era

Since the release of the PS4 in 2013, PlayStation Plus subscribers have been offered at least one PS4 game every month. This tradition remained unbroken, even though the service changed names over the years. However, as of 2026, this guarantee is gone, and PS4 games will now only be included in the Essential list in exceptional circumstances.

The main reason behind this change is that the number of PS5 users has surpassed a critical threshold. Sony knows that, according to official figures, the PS5 has reached over 80 million sales and assumes that a large portion of its active user base is now on the new generation. This reduces the need to support the appeal of PS Plus Essential with PS4 games.

For PS4 owners, this decision naturally represents a loss. Players who have regularly expanded their libraries every month for years may no longer see the same continuity. However, Sony specifically emphasizes that the PS4 is not being completely abandoned; only the priority has changed.

On the other hand, the doors are not completely closed for those who want to maintain access to PS4 games. Premium packages like PS Plus Extra continue to offer a vast archive of PS4 games. With this move, PS Plus Essential has officially entered a new era that honors the past but builds the future on the PS5.

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