Skip to main content

‘XCOM 2’ headlines June’s PlayStation Plus freebie games

It’s nearly the end of the month, which means it’s time for Sony to announce the free games PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive in June. This time around, you get access to a brilliant turn-based strategy game, as well as an underrated squad-based shooter from the last generation.

Recommended Videos

Beginning June 5, PlayStation 4 owners will be able to download XCOM 2 for free. Firaxis’ excellent sequel to XCOM: Enemy Unknown is even tougher than the original, with much more difficult and intelligent enemies who will exploit your every weakness. It expands on bizarre features, such as mind-control, and its guerilla warfare story has stakes even higher than the previous game.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Also free for PlayStation 4 is Trials Fusion, the motorcycle racing game from RedLynx and Ubisoft. The excellent physics-based title adds a futuristic twist to the series’ tried-and-true formula, and with the addition of special trick-based courses, there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. User-created tracks also give you nearly endless racing opportunities, and you can challenge your fellow PlayStation Plus members to beat your high score.

PlayStation 3 players get a treat this month, as well. Free in June is Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The squad-based tactical shooter takes a far more linear approach than its follow-up Wildlands, but the game’s excellent level design and streamlined mechanics make it satisfying and replayable. The competitive multiplayer portion sees the game at its absolute best, with objective-based modes that force players to work together.

Also free for PlayStation 3 is Zombie Driver HD, a top-down driving game similar to the first few Grand Theft Auto titles, but with an undead twist. Vita owners get Atomic Ninjas, a 2013 2.5D competitive platformer, as well as the puzzle game Squares, which uses a simple tile-based interface and is a perfect fit for the system.

Sony certainly offers a better selection of free games in June than Microsoft, which revealed its own lineup of Games With Gold titles earlier this week. Sony’s program will undergo a radical change next March, as it will stop giving away free PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita games in favor of only supporting the PlayStation 4. Occasionally, we’ve seen bonus PlayStation VR games given away, as well, which will likely continue after the change is made.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Helldivers 2 film, Ghost of Tsushima anime, and more teased at CES 2025
Sony Pictures executives stand in front of key art for Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.

PlayStation Productions showed up big at CES 2025. We not only got new looks at the second season of The Last of Us and the Until Dawn film, both of which will be released this April, but also received confirmation of some other new video game adaptations during a Sony press conference.

The first adaptation to be shown off was Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, a new anime series by Crunchyroll and Aniplex. It's based on the multiplayer mode of Ghost of Tsushima, which is getting a sequel later this year in Ghost of Yotei. A press release from Crunchyroll also confirms that the series will premiere on Crunchyroll in 2027. It is directed by Takanobu Mizumo, written by Gen Urobuchi, and will feature a soundtrack curated by Sony Music.

Read more
3 PS Plus games you should play this weekend (January 3-5)
Key art for Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut.

While 2025 has just begun, we already know about some of the biggest games coming to the PlayStation 5 this year. Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and Grand Theft Auto VI, in particular, stand out as potential defining PS5 releases for 2025 right now. Luckily for those of us who subscribed to PlayStation Plus Extra, the predecessors to all three of those games are available to play as part of the Sony game subscription service's catalog. As such, those games make up my list of recommendations for new PS Plus Extra games to play to kick off the new year.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut - Announcement Trailer | PS5, PS4

Sucker Punch Productions will release Ghost of Yotei later this year, giving us yet another open-world action-adventure game set in Japan. While it isn't a direct sequel, I still think it's a good idea to check out Ghost of Tsushima before playing Ghost of Yotei. Sucker Punch Productions' last game instantly cemented Ghost as a new hallmark series for Sony; the enhanced Director's Cut version of the game is still one of the best-looking titles that you can play on PS5. And while I'm not quite as fond of the story and gameplay compared to other games, if you enjoy games like Assassin's Creed Mirage or Red Dead Redemption 2, then Ghost of Tsushima's realistic open world will really immerse you. After playing Ghost of Tsushima, you'll have a better understanding of the foundation that Ghost of Yotei will be building on and will more clearly see how it evolves and improves upon that formula.

Read more
2024 gaming report card: How did PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo fare?
Living room with Microsoft Xbox Series X (L) and Sony PlayStation 5 home video game consoles alongside a television and soundbar.

After a long and busy 12 months, 2024 is officially in the books. Players have a few weeks to rest before the video game release calendar picks up in February with a barrage of major releases. That's a problem for next month, though. Until then, we've still got some time to reflect on what was a rollercoaster year for the gaming industry, full of surprise hits, total flops, and surprising no shows.

At the center of all that was the three pillars of mainstream gaming: Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. While their power may be waning in the age of portable PCs like the Steam Deck, these platform holders are still the watercooler conversation starters whose every move generates buzz. This year, all three companies found themselves in a strange spot. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X hit the awkward midpoint of their lifespans, while the Nintendo Switch was left to tread water after its much anticipated successor was pushed out of 2024. All three would have to get creative if they were going to end the year strong.

Read more