Every PlayStation Plus Free Game for November 2026, Explained

The PlayStation Plus Essential lineup for November 2026 is one of the stronger ones in some time. Two of three games — Monster Train 2 and Dead Island 2 — are relatively high-profile games in their respective genres. And the third — Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered — is at least historically important. These Essential lineups can often have an obvious weak link that comes across as PlayStation scrambling to find a cheaper third title. Regardless, all three will be available for members from November 3rd to November 30th.

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Here’s an explainer going over all three PS Plus Essential November 2026 titles that will go over what they are, how they were received, and how they have been supported since launch.

3) Monster Train 2

Monster Train 2 is the newest of the three games and is the sequel to the beloved deckbuilding roguelike set aboard a train. It was a hit with critics and players, which resulted in a high average score of 88.

Monster Train 2 is regarded as one of the best roguelikes, which, given its competition, is quite the accomplishment. Having to defend against enemies before they hit the engine’s pyre on the top floor of the train takes planning, strategy, and luck, as was the case with the first game.

Many aspects of that debut are present here, but the difference here is how much deeper Monster Train 2 is. It has significantly more variables to juggle, which then branch out exponentially and lead to a roguelike that’s stunningly complex. Having a wealth of variables is key to a game like this, so doubling down on adding small elements here and there leads to a game that can be played for years and years. The story and some of the art may be lackluster, but Monster Train 2 prioritizes its deep, roguelike mechanics above everything else, and that tradeoff works in its favor.

Monster Train 2 has been supported well since launch. Aside from balance changes and bug fixes, developer Shiny Shoe has added new cards, events, equipment, bosses, cosmetics, mutators, challenges, artifacts, and another clan all for no extra cost.

The title also has a few bits of paid DLC. It currently has one premium expansion, Destiny of the Railforged, that is $9.99 and comes with new clan, more artifacts, additional enemies, and another game mode. The second expansion — The Punished — will be $7.99 when it comes out on November 10th and has a new clan based on risk and reward.

2) Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is the throwback of the bunch that, as its name implies, includes the fourth, fifth, and sixth mainline Tomb Raider games. Those games had inconsistent releases decades ago, and this collection didn’t quite shake that negative perception, as seen in its average score of 69.

The lukewarm reception of this remastered trilogy has a lot to do with the quality of the base games it holds. The first three games of the series are regarded highly, so the average score of the previous collection was understandably higher. Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered‘s three games are much more inconsistent. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is among the better installments, because it takes place in the rich setting of Egypt and is like an ultimate version of what came before. Tomb Raider: Chronicles gets away from that single location by being a highlight reel of Lara Croft’s off-screen adventures and is a pretty safe, if underwhelming, Tomb Raider game. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was notorious for being shockingly bad and not much has changed about that, thanks to its poor controls and unclear puzzles.

This remaster aims to improve that beleaguered sixth title through a modern control scheme, but it doesn’t suddenly turn The Angel of Darkness into an all-time classic. Instead, the remaster, as a whole, preserves what was there — warts and all — while introducing a fair bit of small tweaks that streamline the experience. It adds a photo mode, ability to toggle between the old visuals and new ones, quicksaving, boss health bars, a higher frame rate, and even reimplements some of The Angel of Darkness‘ cut content. Although behind-the-scenes interviews or extra materials would have been great, it respects the source material yet isn’t afraid to make these games a bit more digestible.

Despite being a remaster of three old games, Aspyr supported the collection through a few free updates. Post-launch patches added new costumes, better brightness controls, more consistent font, texture improvements, camera changes, a higher frame rate for the inventory screen, better vehicle controls, enhanced skyboxes, higher quality assets, more detailed hair physics, classic controls for The Angel of Darkness, golden pistols in the first two games for those who register on the series’ website, and a massive collection of other bug fixes and adjustments. There was also a separate update to remove AI-generated voices.

1) Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 is the highly troubled 2023 sequel to Techland’s zombie-filled RPG that came out in 2011. Despite its development-related woes, this follow-up was received moderately well and earned an average review score of 75.

Dead Island 2 is one of those games that isn’t overly ambitious — something that likely helped sink the other failed versions of the game — but plays well within set boundaries. Instead of being a massive open world with a hundred missions, it splits Los Angeles into separate zones that have little no fluff, meaning most missions don’t drag on for too long and means players get to see more iconic parts of the area like Bel-Air, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach.

Combat is simple, but it’s responsive and improved through the way in which the various elements like fire, water, electricity, and poison that are scattered about can react with one another and create chaos. The brilliant gore systems sits at the game’s core, as it renders out skin, muscles, organs, and bones in real time to provide instant feedback that makes every zombie unique. Combined with the surprisingly funny and satirical writing, Dead Island 2 is a well-built action RPG that succeeds because of its ability to prioritize quality over quality.

Dambuster Studios supported the game for some time after launch. It now has crossplay, a bigger storage locker, a New Game Plus mode, and a cooperative-focused wave-based survival mode called Neighborhood Watch.

There is also a lot of paid DLC: six character packs with cosmetics and weapons, five weapon packs, and two story-based expansions. Haus, the first expansion, is $6.99 and revolves around a high-class cult that takes the series in an unexpected direction. SoLA, the second expansion, is $9.99 and takes place on a vast music festival not unlike Coachella, a popular annual music festival held in Southern California.

What game looks the most promising to you? Let us know in the comments.