PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for January: Resident Evil Village, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game and more

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for January: Resident Evil Village, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game and more https://ift.tt/cBZ3DpE

This month, survive Ethan Winters’ darkest chapter in Resident Evil Village, hop between Honolulu and Tokyo for heartfelt brawls in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, blaze trails through wild terrain on high-tech off-road missions in Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, or try to endure a creature-haunted apocalypse in A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. All these titles and more are available in January’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup*. Meanwhile, Ridge Racer brings arcade racing to PlayStation Plus Premium. The full lineup will be available to play on January 20. 

 *Digital PS5 games available to stream from your library will vary over time, region, and country.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium | Game Catalog 

Resident Evil Village | PS5, PS4 

Experience survival horror like never before in the eighth major instalment in the storied Resident Evil franchise. Set a few years after the horrifying events in the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, the all-new storyline begins with Ethan Winters and his wife Mia living peacefully in a new location, free from their past nightmares. Just as they are building their new life together, tragedy befalls them once again. More than just a mysterious backdrop for the horrifying events that unfold in the game, the village is a character in its own right with mysteries for Ethan to uncover and terrors to escape from.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth | PS5, PS4 

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, from the Yakuza series, brings together two heroic ‘dragons’ in an expansive new RPG that takes the franchise to a brand new location in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. Lured to Honolulu City with the promise of finding his birth mother, Ichiban Kasuga only discovers betrayal until the reclusive Kazuma Kiryu lends a helping hand. Explore the tropical Hawaiian capital and the familiar streets of Tokyo’s Kamurocho district, battle rivals from local gangs in enhanced hybrid RPG-style battles and enjoy Like A Dragon’s trademark abundance of side activities. The fate of two dragons is in your hands.

Expeditions: A MudRunner Game | PS5, PS4 

Embark on ever-rewarding scientific expeditions as you adapt to nature’s challenges and unravel the mysteries of uncharted lands alone or with other players. Venture into the vast wilderness of arid deserts and rugged forests to the steepest mountains, brimming with hidden treasures and forgotten ruins. Lead research missions as you drive a variety of all-terrain vehicles through treacherous paths, using advanced technologies and high-tech tools to overcome obstacles. Build and manage your base and equip your vehicles with essential gadgets like drones or scanners to ensure your success in the wild. Hire a team of top-notch experts to improve your skills in the field, unlocking new possibilities for exploration.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead | PS5

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a single-player horror adventure game inspired by the critically acclaimed blockbuster movie franchise that highlights a unique survivor story after an invasion of deadly creatures. In this exclusive spin-off, experience the journey of a young woman who must endure a treacherous apocalypse in the midst of interpersonal family conflicts, all while coming to terms with her own inner fears.

Darkest Dungeon II | PS5, PS4 

Embark on a roguelike road trip of the damned in this sequel to the critically acclaimed Darkest Dungeon. Form a party, equip your stagecoach, and set off across the decaying landscape on a last-gasp quest to avert the apocalypse. Discover the failings of your flawed heroes in playable backstories and help them find redemption on the road. Explore various tactics as you battle unspeakable horrors who stand between you and salvation. With careful leadership you can create the party bonds required to withstand the nightmarish onslaught, reach the Mountain and prevail against the monstrous manifestations of your failures.

The Exit 8 | PS5, PS4 

The Exit 8 is a short walking simulator inspired by Japanese underground passageways, liminal spaces and backrooms. You are trapped in an endless underground passageway. Observe your surroundings carefully to reach “The Exit 8”. Don’t overlook any anomalies. If you find anomalies, turn back immediately. If you don’t find anomalies, do not turn back. 

Art of Rally | PS5, PS4 

Art of Rally is a stylized experience inspired by the golden era of rally from the creator of Absolute Drift. Race across the world through colourful and stylized environments in top-down view. Compete for first place in the leaderboards with daily and weekly challenges. Experience the golden era of rally in Career mode, travelling across 91 stages from Finland to Sardinia, Norway, Japan, Germany, Kenya and Indonesia. Get behind the wheel of your favourite vintage cars, ranging from the 60’s to the 80’s, Group B, Group S and Group A. From beginner-friendly options to driving modes that’ll challenge the most expert drivers, all players can tackle the races using their favourite rally driving tricks: Scandinavian flick, counter-steering, left foot braking, handbrake turns.

A Little to the Left | PS5, PS4 

Sort, stack, and organize household objects into just the right spot in A Little to the Left, a tidy puzzle game with a mischievous cat who likes to shake things up! Which way should the clock hands point? How to arrange the eggs? Who put so many stickers on this fruit? Come enjoy a calming world in an observational puzzle game with surprises around every corner. Featuring charming illustrations and surprising scenarios, A Little to the Left is satisfying and curious with over 100 delightful puzzles to discover. And keep your eye out for that mischievous cat with an inclination for chaos!

PlayStation Plus Premium

Ridge Racer | PS5, PS4

Experience Ridge Racer originally released on the PlayStation console, enhanced with up-rendering, rewind, quick save, and custom video filters. The thrill of intense racing comes alive once more. Unique vehicles, roaring engines, lush scenery, and the screech of tires as they dazzle and drift. Experience the legendary racing game which once ushered in a new era. Take victory in one of two modes. Aim for top podium in Battle Mode across three difficulty levels, or race against rival cars one-one-one in Time Trial Mode. Turn up the volume by freely selecting BGM tracks during gameplay with the music player. Take high-speed control with the thrill of the wildest ride! 

*PlayStation Plus Game Catalog and PlayStation Plus Premium/Deluxe lineups may differ by region. Please check PlayStation Store on release day.

Helldivers 2: Redacted Regiment Warbond launches Jan 20

Helldivers 2: Redacted Regiment Warbond launches Jan 20 https://ift.tt/u8rVkNB

The Ministry of Defense Research & Development teams have emerged from their laboratories with the latest suppression technology and spec ops fashions to bring the Helldivers a new set of gear to live out their dream of furtive expeditions on fringes of the galaxy. The Redacted Regiment Premium Warbond* will be available for acquisition on January 20!

Weapons & Stratagems

Redacted Regiment will outfit you with two primary weapons. The R-72 Censor is a mid-range precision rifle with an integrated suppressor that will ensure you’re undetectable on the battlefield. But if you need to put a few more bullets down range, you can opt for the AR-59 Suppressor, which is a fully automatic assault rifle with a non-removable suppressor.

To complete your loadout for covert reconnaissance, you can equip the P-35 Re-Educator dart-firing secondary pistol. Each round releases a chemical agent that induces delirium in organic targets and delirium-like malfunction in inorganic ones.

If stealth isn’t your tactic, you can try to go the commando route with the B/MD C4 Pack stratagem. This backpack has six adhesive C4 charges and a wireless detonator set up for either individual or simultaneous detonation–that should let you be as strategic or destructive as you like while pushing the button from a minimum safe distance.

But you might want to wage a little more unconventional warfare by diverting the enemy away from you. In that case, you’ll want the TM-01 Lure Mine, which is a throwable anti-personnel mine that will stick to surfaces and emit lights and sounds to attract nearby targets and then detonate when they’re in close proximity.

Armors, Capes, and more

Redacted Regiment comes with two armors and two capes perfect for recon roleplay. You can get the look of a real operative with the RS-89 Shadow Paragon light armor–covered in multitudinous pads and pouches to hold all your tactical EDC items–or fly under the radar with the RS–67 Null Cipher medium armor that’s coated in a radar-absorbent polymer and null-signature heat baffle to turn you into a real sensor ghost. Both armors are fitted with the Reduced Signature passive, which reduces your noise level and the range at which the enemy can detect you. The enemies of Democracy will have to get real close before they can spot you.

These pair perfectly with the Pillar of the Abyss and Triangulation Veil capes and player cards. You’ll also receive a new victory pose, Target Sighted, to let your squad know you’ve got your eye on the enemy.

The new booster, Concealed Insertion, will equip your Hellpod with a smokescreen to deploy on impact, so your dive can be on the down low.

You’ll also be able to claim a new player title, [Redacted]. Maybe you can’t share the details of your assignment, but you can let them know you’ve seen some real action.

Redacted Regiment is coming January 20, Helldivers. Get ready to infiltrate and perform a surgical strike–they’ll never see you coming.

*Requires base game, paid purchase of Super Credits, and game progression to unlock.

My Hero Academia: All’s Justice – Team Up Mission and Hero’s Diary modes detailed, out Feb 6

My Hero Academia: All’s Justice – Team Up Mission and Hero’s Diary modes detailed, out Feb 6 https://ift.tt/dsKaFwM

The epic saga of My Hero Academia has drawn to a close, but the adventure continues! Relive the excitement and immerse yourself in the world of the anime with the highly anticipated release of My Hero Academia: All’s Justice.

The game features a story mode that lets you relive the anime’s final season as well as play original missions crafted specifically for the game.

Join us for a unique look here as we delve into the creation of these unique, game-original scenarios.

Unique, original game modes

My Hero Academia: All’s Justice offers two original game modes to enjoy: Team Up Mission and Hero’s Diary, which is unlocked by completing Team Up Mission.

In TeamUp Mission, you’ll become a student in Class 1-A at U.A. High School and experience hero activities in a virtual space that mirrors the U.A. High Class 1-A student activity. Use the Quirks of the students in Class 1-A to take on parkour movements and various missions, fully enjoying your hero activities.

Hero’s Diary is a mode where you can catch a glimpse of the unknown daily lives of the Class 1-A students. Enjoy three episodes each for all 20 students to your heart’s content.

Behind the scenes: How the game’s original elements were born

Are you curious to know the kind of challenges and innovations involved in incorporating the original elements into My Hero Academia: All’s Justice? 

Here’s an inside scoop from our production team: 

The decisions behind selecting episodes for Hero’s Diary mode

In this game’s TeamUp Missions, you can experience the growth of each Class 1-A character leading up to the final battle through lesson missions that take place behind the scenes of the manga and anime. However, student life includes not only lessons but also daily life filled with communication with friends and colleagues. To allow you to experience the world of My Hero Academia more deeply and enjoy student life, we’ve focused on depicting each character’s daily life in Hero’s Diary.

We’ve carefully selected game-original stories that show the relationships between all the Class 1-A students. Fun fact: the scenario production was supervised weekly by the manga and anime production team – working together to create these unique in-game scenes was a special experience. 

For example, you’ll be able to see Bakugo hanging out with classmates like Iida after school at a family restaurant or catch a sweet moment with Kirishima & Koda as they look for animals. We hope you’ll enjoy the Hero’s Diary, which is unique to the game.

The meaning behind the collectible items found in various mission types

The customizable items you can obtain as rewards are designed not only to show off your achievements to opponents in online battles, but also to be enjoyable when playing offline. We’ve implemented multiple designs with your favorite characters as motifs.

The HUD is a particularly popular customizable item among the development staff. In Japan, there’s a culture of customizing vehicles and bags with visuals that prominently display your favorite characters, like itasha (decorated cars) and itabags (decorated bags). During development, we were happily working on what we affectionately called Ita-HUDs. We hope you’ll enjoy creating your own unique customizations.

Also, the cards that you can obtain by exploring missions and stages feature many famous scenes from the past of My Hero Academia, so be sure to collect them.

The story hidden in the unique character movements using Quirks, immersing players in the world of My Hero Academia

Of course, we’ve focused on recreating the abilities from the battles and making you feel the power of the Quirks, but this game goes beyond that. We’ve designed the movement actions of each character so that you can experience on the town maps how you might use a Quirk if you had it – how you could move around the town, or how you could solve problems. This is something that many of you probably felt while watching My Hero Academia.

When designing Deku’s light parkour movement actions, we were conscious of both sharpening and toning down the actions, taking into consideration the differences in Quirks between him and other heroes and villains in this world. 

While maintaining a light movement speed, we’ve made subtle adjustments based on the Quirk comparisons of the characters, as Iida is, of course, faster in this world. We encourage you to experience the Quirks of each Class 1-A character in the TeamUp Mission.

My Hero Academia: All’s Justice  is scheduled to be released on February 6. We hope you’ll enjoy this new My Hero Academia experience that can only be found in this game. Early unlock characters are also available as pre-order bonuses so be sure to get this opportunity.

Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 531: Dispatching The New Year

Official PlayStation Podcast Episode 531: Dispatching The New Year https://ift.tt/Gl4TWnI

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

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Hey, everybody! Tim, Kristen, and I are back this week to finish discussing our top games of 2025, chat about the colorful new Hyperpop Collection, and look forward to another great year of gaming.

Stuff We Talked About

• Code Vein II hands-on report — See how combat customization elevates the sequel with new weapons, companions, and abilities to round out this time hoping adventure.
  
  
• Hyperpop Collection — Check out the new colors for PS5 console covers and DualSense wireless controllers coming March 12.
  
  
• PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for January
  • Need For Speed Unbound | PS5
  • Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed | PS4, PS5
  • Core Keeper | PS4, PS5

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The Cast

Kristen Zitani –  Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE

O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE

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Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Share of the Year 2025

Share of the Year 2025 https://ift.tt/fFtuBxa

It’s a new year, but we’re taking one last look back at the 2025 year in gaming. We asked you to share your favorite shot taken in 2025 using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

SheikhSadi80 shares Sam fighting off a BT grabbing him in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

fwto_ shares a black and white capture of Atsu crossing a rope in front of a waterfall in Ghost of Yōtei

__Auron__ shares a portrait of Maelle wielding her weapon in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

PhotoModeColin shares a tense scene from Cyberpunk 2077

Yuric83 shares Hinako peering through the red vines in Silent Hill f.

wingsforsmiles shares a desert landscape in Star Wars Outlaws

pavesoint shares an ornate outfit from Infinity Nikki

NemesisNatVP shares Kat wearing a bird mask in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

RazinZamee shares a plane taking off from an island in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

Photomode_Raro shares a a space traversing moment from The Alters

evo_pixel shares a portrait of Snake in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

calisarah1998 shares a stylishly lit moment of Deacon with his bike in Days Gone Remastered

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on January 14, 2026

Next week, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 steps into frame. Share moments exploring Lumiere and beyond using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Code Vein II Interview: world building, player choice, weaponry, and more

Code Vein II Interview: world building, player choice, weaponry, and more https://ift.tt/8E0DG5O

Code Vein II, launching for PlayStation 5 on January 30, is the newest entry in the dramatic exploration action RPG series, Code Vein. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, it depicts the drama of Revenants and humans who fight to defy their doomed fate. Players confront relentless foes and treacherous locations alongside a trusted partner, while their choices rewrite history and shape the destinies of both the world and its characters.

We recently got a chance to go hands-on with the upcoming title and have a chat with the game’s producer, Keita Iizuka, and the director, Hiroshi Yoshimura.

Keita Iizuka, Producer, Bandai Namco Entertainment (left) & Hiroshi Yoshimura, Director, Bandai Namco Entertainment (right)

Follow a hero’s journey that transcends time to rewrite fate and history

PlayStation Blog: Your studio has worked on action RPGs like the God Eater series, the Tales series, and Scarlet Nexus. What aspects did you focus on to set this title apart from those games?

Yoshimura: I think one of Code Vein’s defining features is its challenging difficulty.

Iizuka: Another crucial aspect of Code Vein is that you can only bring one companion on your journey. Even when facing deadly environments or powerful enemies where a single mistake could mean death, it’s just the two of you. That may feel isolating at times, but the unique bond and trust that form between you and your partner is unique to Code Vein.

Yoshimura: Code Vein also places a strong emphasis on creating a world grounded in realistic backgrounds. The team made thoughtful design choices to blend anime-style characters naturally into these detailed environments. This commitment to a distinctive visual style is another hallmark of the game.

Yoshimura-san, back when you were developing God Eater 2, you talked about how you organized your ideas by carefully putting them into words. Did that approach carry over or influence your work on this project?

Yoshimura: The “verbalization method” I used during God Eater 2 has been applied not only to this title, but also to the previous Code Vein. It involves the enormous task of writing out every game element and clarifying how they connect to one another. We repeatedly iterated on the core action systems from the prototype stage. As projects grow in scope and development periods stretch, the market and player expectations keep evolving. If the team does not continually update its mindset during development, the game risks feeling outdated by the time it launches. The action in this title is the result of extensive iteration; while respecting and carrying forward the sense of camaraderie with your buddy that was so well received in the previous game, we rebuilt the system around two new strategic concepts – “Summoning,” where you fight alongside your partner, and “Assimilation,” where you become one with them. We hope players will enjoy this new approach.

When it comes to the game’s worldbuilding, were there any elements you carried over from the previous title or specific aspects you chose to emphasize?

Yoshimura: Code Vein II establishes a new setting while still retaining core elements from the previous game. Because this title is built around the idea of rewriting history, directly linking it to the previous game’s world would risk overturning the established history and player experiences. That said, it’s not an entirely separate world either; fans will notice familiar items, weapons, gifts, and other small callbacks scattered throughout the game.

During the hands-on demo, the design differences between Josée as your Revenant buddy and as a boss really stood out. What’s the concept behind the Revenant’s boss transformations?

Yoshimura: Those design differences are intended to make players wonder what happened to the character. While their appearance changes drastically, there are still subtle elements shared between the two forms. You might miss them during battle, but as the story unfolds, you’ll begin to understand the reasoning behind the transformations. We’d love for players to look back at the character designs after those revelations.

Ensuring narrative integrity amid history-altering changes

Player choices play a big role in this game. Does altering history result in multiple endings?

Iizuka: The core gameplay revolves around traveling between the present and past to progress the story. When you intervene in the past and return to the present, relationships with characters or the world itself will change. The game has multiple endings, so even after reaching one ending, you can go back in time to alter it.

Yoshimura: It’s a pretty unique structure. There are multiple endings, but the way players approach them is different. What really defines this game is how players actively shape the story through their own choices.

Iizuka: There’s also New Game+ that lets you carry over your levels and certain progress for those who want to revisit the story from the beginning.

The history-altering system must be challenging to maintain story consistency. What were your key focuses or struggles when crafting the narrative for this title?

Yoshimura: I took it on myself, but it was far more challenging than expected. As I built out the narrative, I found myself wanting to push the boundaries further. I want to create living, breathing characters, so I refused to make them act like puppets that were convenient to the game’s system. Maintaining narrative consistency was tough, but character integrity mattered even more. My core rule was ensuring that player experiences were reflected without any contradictions. The complexity made it difficult to convey my vision clearly to the team, so I just powered through it myself (laughs).

Iizuka: The story went through extensive rewrites. However, the final version achieves solid consistency and a smooth flow, making the history alterations feel seamless without any sense of disconnect.

Character creation has expanded with adjustable body types, new hair options and broader gradient options. You can mix-and-match outfits with on/off toggles to unlock even more variety. Cloaks and hoods are separate parts of vampire gear, and there are no longer accessory cost limits.

What are the standout features of the new Rune Blade and Twin Blades? Are there any changes to weapons carried over from the previous game?

Yoshimura: The Rune Blade is a tricky weapon that leverages formae power to levitate swords. With specific formae, you and the blade can move independently to attack, pulling off solo coordinated assaults. Twin Blades, held in both hands, prioritize speed and spin. It was highly requested by fans of the previous game, so we’re excited for the new addition. In Code Vein II, you can stack wounds with every hit to maximize Ichor from blood drains, so hit count is key.

It’s difficult to pinpoint changes to the five returning weapon types, but the animations have seen a major quality upgrade, so nothing feels exactly like the previous game. Every move, from weighted swings to combos, has been fully rebuilt to match the elevated animation standards.

Iizuka: This game now lets you equip formae directly onto weapons, with many more type-specific options. This makes  tailoring builds to each weapon’s strengths far more intuitive than in the previous title.