The PlayStation Plus October 2026 games lineup is one of the busiest Sony has served up in a while. Three free monthly games are claimable now on every tier, the Extra and Premium catalogs just gained a stack of new additions — including a day-one release — and two of the biggest games ever made, Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2, are on their way out next month. Here is the complete rundown: what to claim, what to download, and what to finish before it disappears.
PlayStation Plus October 2026 Games: The Free Lineup
This month’s PlayStation Plus monthly games — available to all tiers, Essential included — are F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896, and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. Sony announced the trio on the PlayStation Blog on September 30, and the claim window runs from Tuesday, October 6 through Monday, November 2, 2026. As always, once claimed, they stay playable as long as your subscription stays active.
F1 25 (PS5) is the official game of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, with a full Career mode, the revamped My Team 2.0, and a new F1 World squad-based multiplayer hub. Hunt: Showdown 1896 (PS5) is the gritty PvPvE extraction shooter, playable solo or with up to two teammates. Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 (PS5, PS4) rounds out the list with voxel-style co-op mayhem for up to four players online or two-player local split-screen.
One regional quirk worth knowing: in Japan, Hunt: Showdown 1896 is swapped out for Hello Neighbor, per multiple outlets. So the October 2026 lineup varies slightly by region — the three games above apply to the US and Europe.
How to Claim the PlayStation Plus October 2026 Games
Claiming this month’s free lineup takes less than a minute. On your PS5 or PS4, head to the PlayStation Store, find the PlayStation Plus hub, and open the Monthly Games section — each title gets an “Add to Library” button. You do not need to download anything to claim a game; adding it to your library is enough to keep it tied to your account. You can also claim through the PlayStation App or the web store, which is handy if your console is busy or offline.
The deadline is Monday, November 2. After that, the three titles rotate out and the November 2026 monthly games take their place — Sony is expected to announce those on Wednesday, October 28, per the usual last-Wednesday schedule. If you skipped any of September’s monthly games, the deadline for those already passed on October 5, so this is a fresh start.
PlayStation Plus October 2026 Games: Extra and Premium Catalog Additions
The Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers got its October refresh following Sony’s October 14 announcement, and it is a strong month:
- The Midnight Walk (PS5) — Oct 14
- Mafia: The Old Country (PS5) — Oct 20
- Horizon Forbidden West (PS5, PS4) — Oct 20, returning to the catalog after being removed in 2024
- Mycopunk (PS5) — Oct 20, a day-one release on PlayStation Plus
- Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2 (PS5, PS4) — Oct 27
- Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn Edition (PS5, PS4) — Oct 27
- Monster Energy Supercross 25 (PS5) — Oct 27
Premium subscribers get the Classics and trial extras: Dino Crisis 2 and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition arrived October 20, alongside game trials for Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and Mortal Shell II. Extra and Premium members also get the Back 4 Blood: Tunnel of Terror DLC free from October 21. If you are on Xbox instead, the Xbox Game Pass October 2026 games lineup is the direct comparison — it is worth checking which service has the better month for your tastes.
Leaving PS Plus: The October and November Departures
Every catalog refresh comes with exits. The games that left the Extra/Premium catalog on October 20 are Silent Hill 2 (the 2024 remake), Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Jurassic World Evolution 2, Gloomhaven (Mercenaries Edition), Rogue Lords, Lake, Death Squared, and Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition — eight titles in total. If you were halfway through any of them, you will need to buy to keep playing.
The bigger headline is what leaves November 17, 2026: Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2, alongside Football Manager 26, The Talos Principle 2, Cricket 24, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, Hotshot Racing, Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break, EDF 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair, Rapala Fishing: Pro Series, and Yet Another Zombie Defense HD — eleven games on GameSpot’s full list. The timing is impossible to ignore: GTA 6 is set to launch November 19, just two days after GTA V leaves the service. Sony and Rockstar have not framed it as a promo handoff, but players reading the tea leaves will see the pattern. For more on where PlayStation goes from here, read about Ken Kutaragi’s take on the disc-less future and the Brandon Stirrup AI backlash rocking the industry.
What About the PlayStation Plus November 2026 Games?
The PlayStation Plus November 2026 games have not been announced yet. Based on Sony’s usual cadence, expect the Essential lineup reveal on Wednesday, October 28, with the games becoming claimable on Tuesday, November 3. The Extra and Premium November additions typically follow with an announcement around November 11 and availability on November 17 — the same day GTA V and RDR2 exit. That makes the November catalog refresh one of the most consequential of the year: two Rockstar giants out, and Sony will need headline additions to fill the gap.
Is PlayStation Plus Worth It This Month?
Between this month’s free lineup, a deep Extra/Premium catalog refresh with a day-one release, and the ticking clock on GTA V and RDR2, October is one of the strongest months for the service this year. If you pay for Extra or Premium, start — or finish — the Rockstar titles now. If you are on Essential, do not sleep on Hunt: Showdown 1896; it is the kind of game that is dramatically better with friends, and the claim window closes November 2. Set a reminder, claim your three games, and grab the catalog downloads before the November 17 exits. For the portable side of gaming, check out today’s Honor WIN 2 dual-fan gaming phone launch.