Sony has revealed the full line-up of PlayStation Plus Games Catalog additions for August 2024, which includes The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cult of the Lamb, Watch Dogs 2, and more.
Announced on the PlayStation Blog, a total of 15 games are joining the library, 10 on the PlayStation Plus Extra tier and five on the PlayStation Plus Premium Tier through the Classic Games Catalog. They're available August 20, 2024.
Outside of the headlining titles, the PlayStation Plus Games Catalog games are dominated by anime hit Sword Art Online and TimeSplitters this month, with several of the additions belonging to each franchise.
PlayStation Plus Games Catalog Additions for August 2024
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | PS4 + PS5
- Wild Hearts | PS5
- Cult of the Lamb | PS4 + PS5
- Ride 5 | PS5
- Watch Dogs 2 | PS4
- Sword Art Online: Last Recollection | PS4 + PS5
- Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker | PS4
- Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris | PS4
- Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet | PS4
- Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization | PS4
- Vacation Simulator | PS VR2
- TimeSplitters | PS4 + PS5
- TimeSplitters 2 | PS4 + PS5
- TimeSplitters: Future Project | PS4 + PS5
- Sword Art Online: Lost Song | PS4
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the beloved open world role-playing game set in a dark fantasy world. Protagonist Geralt of Rivia seeks his adopted daughter amid the chaos of an ongoing war while serving his role as a witcher, a monster slayer for hire. In IGN's 9/10 review, we said: "Massive in size, and meticulously detailed, The Witcher 3 ends Geralt's story on a high note."
Wild Hearts is a monster hunting game set in Azuma – effectively a fantasy feudal Japan – in which teams of up to three players take on giant nature-infused beasts called Kemono. It earned an 8/10 in IGN's review. "Wild Hearts’ building mechanics add a very fun twist to its familiar but well-executed co-op monster hunting formula."
Cult of the Lamb casts players in the role of a possessed lamb saved from annihilation by an ominous stranger, and must repay their debt by building a loyal following in his name. It become a fan favorite, also earning an 8/10 in our review. "Cult of the Lamb is a wolf of a satisfying base-management game in the sheepish clothing of an approachable action-roguelite," we said.
Ride 5 is a motorbike racing game which promises an adrenaline-filled gaming experience that is so authentic it will make you feel like you’re truly racing at break-neck speed. It features over 35 tracks and more than 200 bikes to collect and race.
Watch Dogs 2 is the beloved San Francisco set sequel to the original open world hacking game Watch Dogs. Players take on a colorful story and can drive around in and battle their way through the city as Marcus Holloway, an Oakland native. "Flexible hacking in open missions give Watch Dogs 2 a distinctive flavor, though its story clashes with its violence," we said in our 8/10 review.
Sword Art Online: Last Recollection is the first of many games based on the hit anime series available this month. It arrived in 2023 and is promised the culmination of the series and features the largest number of characters and episodes of any Sword Art Online game.
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker was the 2018 iteration of the long running anime fighting game series. It features a roster of characters from both the original Naruto series and its sequel Boruto, and is headlined by the ability to battle as a team of four against online opponents.
Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris isn't the most beloved entry in the franchise. It earned just 5/10 in IGN's review, where we said: "Fun combat and decent characters aren’t enough to save a convoluted story, terrible pacing, and tons of performance problems."
One more Sword Art Online game and one more point on the IGN scale next, in Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization. "A lack of tangible stakes, and some muddled RPG systems dull the blades of Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization," we said in our 6/10 review.
Vacation Simulator is the wacky sequel to Job Simulator. Set in the far future when humans are extinct, it sees robots set out to uncover what humans did besides their jobs. Their research led to the creation of a rough approximation of ‘not jobbing’: the Vacation Simulator.
A PlayStation 2 classic returns in TimeSplitters, a game where the actions of various heroes throughout time have caught the attention of the, well, TimeSplitters, an evil race that lives outside the bonds of time and space. It earned an 8/10 review from IGN in 2000.
Its 2002 sequel was even more popular, however. TimeSplitters 2 arrived with improved graphics and faster and smoother gameplay, featuring nine time traveling episodes, huge detailed environments, over 90 characters and enemies, and more. It earned a 9/10 from IGN.
The last TimeSplitters game arriving this month also earned a 9/10 from IGN. TimeSplitters: Future Project lets players jump through time again, stepping back into the shoes of tough as nails hero Cortez as he fights to change the past and alter the future.
If you hadn't had enough Sword Art Online already, the final entry of August 2024 is for you. Sword Art Online: Lost Song is available through the PlayStation 3 streaming service. It matched the series' best at a 6/10 from IGN. "Repetitive combat, recycled enemies, and a boring story prevent this action RPG from taking off," we said.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
