The PlayStation Plus Games Catalog Is a Mess

PlayStation Plus is a pretty solid deal, giving subscribers access to new and classic games, plus exclusive discounts and other benefits. But the service has some pretty glaring issues too, mainly with its games catalog which is hampered by poor organization and discoverability.

Games In the Wrong Categories

One of the first things I noticed when recently browsing the PlayStation Plus games catalog is that quite a few titles appear in sections that don’t make much sense.

When browsing PlayStation Portable games, for instance, I saw Uncharted: The Legacy of Thieves Collection and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, both modern titles that were obviously never released on that system. It’s unclear exactly how these games ended up here, but it is likely some kind of logistical error.

Meanwhile, numerous other games appear listed as PSP games that, while they did receive PSP ports at one point, are the original home console versions. Lego Star Wars 2 appears in the category, for instance, which did get a port on the PSP, but the version included is the PlayStation 2 release.

This may not be an issue for some, as both versions are comparable in terms of gameplay, but they are far from identical. It is somewhat misleading to see it featured alongside PSP titles like Daxter and Killzone: Liberation.

Including Games You Can’t Even Play

PlayStation Plus has a serious FOMO problem. Without a filter to show only games you have access to as a member, it’s easy to be set up for disappointment when you come across a game that excites you, only to find that it’s not available for your tier.

Premium subscribers will have access to everything, but those on the middle-range Extra tier have a smaller, more curated catalog and no access to streaming. Despite this, you will still see everything listed in the same catalog regardless of your subscription tier.

There are no tags or filters to specify which tier you’re a member of or exclude games you won’t have access to, which can be frustrating. Xbox Game Pass lets members view catalogs specific to each tier, but with PlayStation Plus, it feels like Sony is weaponizing the fear of missing out to encourage people to upgrade to the maximum tier.

Misrepresentation of Games

The way many games are represented to consumers in the PlayStation Plus catalog is somewhat misleading throughout the service.

A lot of games featured in the PS3 catalog are not original PS3 games but HD ports of games from the PS2, so it’s a bit misleading to call them PS3 games. Some of them feature improved graphics, but they are effectively the same games as their PS2 versions, sometimes with technical issues that didn’t exist before.

Some are labeled with inaccurate titles or cover art once added to your library, such as the recent port of Siren. On the store page, it appears normally, with the correct art and title for the US release, but once I added it to my library, it was labeled with the European PAL region title, Forbidden Siren.

Inaccurate depictions of games don’t stop there, either, as Lego Star Wars 2 features screenshots of levels that are not even in the game. It is possible that when listing the game, screenshots were pulled from The Complete Saga, which features levels from both games, by mistake. These aren’t huge dealbreakers, but they could be handled better.

Doubled-Up Ports in Multiple Categories

As I mentioned previously, a lot of titles listed as PS3 games are actually just remastered versions of PS2 games. To make things even more confusing, though, a lot of them appear in both categories, potentially misleading subscribers who might not know the difference.

Many of the Ratchet & Clank games, staples of the PS2 era, don’t even appear in the PS2 catalog, instead being relegated to the PS3 library, while others appear in both. They might be graphically upscaled PS3 versions of these games, but it is a little unfair to present them as original games for that console.

This might not be so bad if the catalog was at least consistent in where these games appeared. Even there, though, they are often spread across both the PS2 and PS3 categories, making it even clunkier for those fans who may be looking for games from one console or the other.

Streaming-Only Versions Of Games That Already Exist On PS5

Looking through the list of games on the PS Plus catalog, mainly for the Premium tier, was exciting initially, as it was full of classic exclusives and third-party games from a wide range of genres. However, when looking closer, I began to notice some strange choices in the catalog, mainly in the versions Sony chose to include.

Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6 all appear on the service along with the Devil May Cry HD Collection, which made total sense at first. That was until closer inspection revealed that they were the PS3 versions of each game only available through streaming, despite already having native downloadable versions on the PS4 and PS5.

PS Plus’s streaming service works better than I expected, but I always assumed Sony’s reliance on it was a concession to more easily release titles that were difficult to port natively. It makes a lot less sense to opt for a streaming-only PS3 version for games that have already received native ports.

Curious Choices For Native Ports

On the other side, a lot of games that have received native, downloadable versions on PS Plus make similarly little sense. The Premium and Extra tier catalogs feature classics from all eras of the platform’s history, but the ones that get native ports compared streaming versions feels somewhat arbitrary at times.

It’s nice to have classic series like Sly Cooper and God of War on the service, but it’s odd to see them relegated to streaming while more obscure titles get native ports. While major PlayStation franchises remain exclusive to streaming, movie tie-ins like Disney’s Up and a lot of other third-party titles have downloadable versions.

Streaming via PS Plus Premium is surprisingly decent for what it is, but the performance of the games will never compare to playing them natively. That makes it all the more frustrating to see titles like Ice Age: Scrat’s Nutty Adventure get chosen in favor of iconic titles like Infamous when it comes to being ported.

I’ve had a lot of fun with my PlayStation Plus Premium subscription, and I still swear by it despite its issues, but the service is far from perfect. Especially with last year’s price hike, Sony still has quite a bit of work to do to make the service easier to navigate for its paying subscribers.