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PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra subscribers can look forward to 15 games as part of the August Game Catalog update on PS5 and PS4, but there's a twist this month. Typically, the new arrivals are a diverse mix of games from various developers, but August is themed around two franchises: Sword Art Online and TimeSplitters. Free Radical Design's beloved trilogy of time-traveling first-person shooters and a whopping five Sword Art Online games will be made available to players, and the rest of the lineup has a few gems to try out as well.
For some sects and violence, Cult of the Lamb is an adorably gruesome game in which you gather followers so that you can kill dark gods, and Monster Hunter fans won't want to miss out on Omega Force's fun Wild Hearts hunt-'em-up. For those of you wishing you could take a spin on motorcycles without having to worry about tasting tarmac, Ride 5 will also be available this month. As a reminder, all PS Plus subscribers can also claim this month's free games, as Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, and Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights are available until September 2.
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS5, PS4)
Long considered to be one of CD Projekt Red's finest games, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt puts you back in the boots of Geralt of Rivia and lets you loose on a continent full of monsters as you track down Ciri, a child of prophecy. The PS5 version has some nice upgrades--improved level of detail, faster loading times, real-time ray tracing, 3D audio support, and more--while the PS4 version still holds up well as a last-gen classic.
Wild Hearts (PS5)
What if Dynasty Warriors studio Omega Force made a Monster Hunter game? You'd get Wild Hearts, a recent release that puts a novel spin on the art of eliminating ferocious beasts. Set in a fantasy world inspired by feudal Japan, Wild Hearts challenges you to not only master tracking and combat skills, but also the Karakuri mechanic to construct useful machines while you're exploring.
Cult of the Lamb (PS5, PS4)
A game about a possessed lamb saved from annihilation by a dark god, Cult of the Lamb is deceptively cute and wonderfully violent. Not only do you have to explore dangerous biomes in your quest to commit some deicide, you also have to build a loyal community of woodland worshippers to help grow your power. And when that's not good enough, ritual sacrifice always does the trick.
Ride 5 (PS5)
The Ride series of games have been authentic slices of two-wheeled thrills, and for Ride 5, developer Milestone introduced helpful gameplay mechanics to make riding high-performance motorcycles easier than ever. An iterative--but welcoming--sequel, Ride 5 is good fun if you're looking to ride on famous circuits from around the world without having to worry about your IRL wellbeing.
Watch Dogs 2 (PS4)
A re-release in the PlayStation Plus library, Watch Dogs 2 is arguably the best game in the hacktivist series. Shifting the action to the San Francisco Bay Area, the game sees you team up with the hackers of DeadSec to take down ctOS 2.0, an invasive operating system that is being used to monitor and manipulate people.
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker (PS4)
Released back in 2018, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is a 4v4 multiplayer game featuring the Naruto cast as they go head-to-head in ninja combat. The game featured numerous characters from the Boruto series, multiple game modes, and is set during a Chunin exam arc during Naruto's reign as the seventh Hokage.
Sword Art Online: Last Recollection (PS5, PS4)
The first of several Sword Art Online games available this month, Last Recollection features the largest roster of SAO playable characters and is adapted from the anime's War of Underworld story arc.
Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris (PS4)
Set in Sword Art Online's infamous Underworld location, Alicization Lycoris sees protagonist Kirito set out on a new adventure. This entry in the series is an RPG-action game where you can play as one of several Sword Art Online characters and master their unique skills in battle.
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet (PS4)
An original story in the Sword Art Online franchise, Fatal Bullet takes place in the virtual world of Gun Gale Online. While it is an action-RPG like the other Sword Art Online games, Fatal Bullet places a greater emphasis on guns when compared to those titles.
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (PS4)
Next up, there's Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, a massive single-player adventure with deep MMORPG influences in its design. Compared to the anime source material, it's surprisingly more light-hearted and it has a ton of content.
Sword Art Online: Lost Song (PS4, streaming only)
There's one final Sword Art Online game available this month, although this one will only be available via streaming. Kirito and his friends are back, and this time, they're venturing into a brand-new area of Alfheim Online. Originally released on the PS3, some of the gameplay has become dated, but if you're a fan of the franchise, it's still interesting to explore the earlier era of Sword Art Online.
Vacation Simulator (PSVR 2)
What did humans do when they weren't solely focused on their jobs? That's what some cute robots intend to find out in Vacation Simulator, as these little droids are taking the job of vacationing very seriously in this VR game.
TimeSplitters (PlayStation Premium Classics)
While the future of TimeSplitters looks uncertain, the classic games are making a splash on PS Plus this month. First up, you can check out the original PS2 first-person shooter that took players from ancient civilizations to futuristic landscapes in their quest to alter history for the better.
TimeSplitters 2 (PlayStation Premium Classics)
Like the best sequels, TimeSplitters 2 took everything that made the first game fun and made it bigger and better. The sequel introduced even more time periods to explore, dozens of characters, fast-paced action. The multiplayer modes have also been preserved, so if you're in the mood for some classic PvP, you can battle friends in old-school deathmatches.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (PlayStation Premium Classics)
The third and final game in the TimeSplitters series, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is a charming jaunt through history. As Sergeant Cortez, it's up to you to save history--with or without help via co-op gameplay options--in a threequel that ended the series on a high note.
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