4 PS Plus Games You Should Play Before They Leave in August 2025

Games cycle in and out of the PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium libraries all the time, as is to be expected for a subscription service. Some are likely perhaps worth skipping, while others would be best to run through before they possibly leave the service for good. There are a few great titles leaving PlayStation Plus Extra in August 2025, and here are the four worth playing before they fully check out on August 19th at 10 AM PT.

1) Bugsnax

Out of all the games mentioned here, Bugsnax should be the first on most people’s list. That’s not to say it is the best one — it is not — but it is the most doable and the hardest to pin down. It’s about eight to 14 hours, depending on whether players want to just finish it or grab the Platinum trophy. There’s not much like Bugsnax, so it’s going to be difficult for many to know if they’ll like it before they buy it, meaning it’s prime for a service like this.

Bugsnax is a creature-collecting game where players have to scan and grab all sorts of the titular creatures, almost all of which are animal-food hybrids with punny names like Crapple and Cinnasnail. Herding these beasts makes up the bulk of the gameplay, as players have to scan each to see their weaknesses before using their available gadgets to come up with a plan to capture them. Most of them are either straightforward or a little too obtuse, but thinking through how to snag each one is a unique loop that only gets a little stale right as the game wraps up. It’s a relaxing central mechanic that is only made more relaxing by its chill soundtrack. 

Feeding them to the local inhabitants causes their limbs to change into the related snack, and this odd phenomenon is often at the heart of most objectives. While it would be easy to write Bugsnax off as a silly Muppet-like game for children, interacting with the locals is surprisingly engrossing because of the strong writing at its core. Each of these beings is wonderfully flawed and the story delves into their insecurities and relationships. Without this strong narrative foundation, Bugsnax would likely lose its luster after a couple of hours. All of this well-earned drama leads to an absolutely bonkers ending that makes for a fantastic and memorable payoff.

Developer Young Horses also gave away the free The Isle of Bigsnax expansion around a year and a half after launch, which, as its name implies, added bigger creatures, as well as a customizable hut, some extra story bits, and small hats for the Bugsnax. Shrinking Bugsnax to capture them is only a little novel, but this DLC is mainly more of the same both in the gameplay and narrative sense, which is fine. This expansion contributes to the overall one-of-a-kind quality of Bugsnax that makes it well worth playing. 

2) Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the semi-divisive sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order that takes around 20 to 35 hours to complete, depending on how much players want to explore and if they want to try and unlock everything. It’s beefy but also perfectly beatable within a month.

Survivor is an action game in the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice mold where it’s mostly about parrying enemy blows; it’s appropriate to treat a lightsaber like a katana, given how legendarily fatal the two are. Duels can sometimes be thrilling when deflecting Stormtrooper blasts and countering baton swings from a Purge Trooper, but its controls often get in the way of the fluidity it so desperately wants. Parrying and attacking can be a tad sluggish, meaning swordplay crumbles at most difficulties and keeps the game from true greatness. Although, it’s still decent enough, especially when played on easier settings where the controls aren’t put under stress they can’t handle.

Its narrative is also similarly conflicted. Protagonist Cal Kestis’ journey is rife with questions about the personal toll resistance to an evil empire takes on someone and those around them. Many of his crewmates are also endearing for one reason or another. However, a late-game and poorly telegraphed twist and forced cameo relinquish much of the goodwill the story has built up until then.

While many parts of the game oscillate between greatness and mediocrity, the overall vibes of exploring a Star Wars world makes Jedi: Survivor an easy one to try when it’s still in PlayStation Plus Extra’s library. There’s a reason this universe is so beloved and being able to slice up droids, use Force powers to traverse, and uncover new bits of the universe demonstrates why. Even after many patches, it’s still got its share of technical issues, making the prospect of trying it without paying full price even more enticing. 

3) Wild Hearts

Wild Hearts came out in between major Monster Hunter entries, which made it more appealing for impatient fans of Capcom’s popular series. But, even though Monster Hunter Wilds is now out, Wild Hearts still has its place in the beast-hunting genre. It’s likely going to take players dozens of hours to get through, though, so it might be tough for some to hit credits before it leaves PlayStation Plus Extra.

Wild Hearts takes the foundation of Monster Hunter but adds its own bits of flair that make it worthy of experimentation. Its biggest new addition is the Karakuri system that lets players build all sorts of items on the field. While it sounds like it could be laborious, constructing these structures is fast and intuitive. They range from big hammers, walls that can stun on impact, giant launch pads, and springboards that send players horizontally, just to name a few. 

It’s a clever system that has such broad implications when taking down Wild Hearts’ bestiary of large, corrupted monstrosities. The right Karakuri can turn the tide of battle and they help make the game faster and more tactical. Hacking away feels solid enough yet is elevated by the Karakuri system and is at its best when players are efficiently using both. This system gives players freedom outside of battle since they can choose where to build camps and how they traverse the wilds, but its impact is most clearly felt on the battlefield.

Although Wild Hearts launched in a rough state, developer Omega Force spent months rebalancing it, fixing bugs, adding quality-of-life features, and introducing new monster variants. These changes make it a better game than the one that reviewers played when it first came out in February 2023. Monster Hunter Wilds is still being supported and likely will stay on top for years, but it’s always worth it to try something new, too.

4) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt hardly needs an introduction. CD Projekt Red’s industry-shaking 2015 RPG still hasn’t slowed down a decade later, a notion helped by its 2023 and 2024 updates and current-gen overhaul. It’s an extremely long game, so getting through around 60 hours of game (which can easily double or triple depending on how much players want to explore) in just a month is a tall task for anyone but the most dedicated.

However, it’s still worth at least testing out, if not only to see what all the fuss is about. The Witcher 3 is a sprawling RPG that is full of excellent writing and fleshed-out side quests, two elements that have given the game its lasting legacy. The well-realized world gives its narrative room to thrive by taking place in a space players naturally want to explore. There’s so much to uncover, and the quality of its world is still impressive, despite the release of subsequent open-world stunners like Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Its magic-infused melee combat may not hit those high marks, but still offers depth for those who want to dig for it, which is a requirement on harder difficulties.

The Witcher 3 is a genre classic — especially after the many huge updates that have come out over the past decade — and an important staple for the overall medium, making it worth seeing for even those who aren’t big RPG players. Services like PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium allow easy access for those who have avoided highly acclaimed games like this, and those opportunities should not be taken lightly.