Do you keep PlayStation Plus Extra games after they are removed?
No, PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers do not keep games after they have been removed from the catalog. Unlike the standard monthly PS Plus games included with an Essential plan, the PS Plus Extra game collection operates on a frequent rotation. When Sony takes a title out of the lineup, even if you‘ve already downloaded it, you can no longer access and play that game.
As someone who has been subscribed to PlayStation Plus since the PS3 era, I‘ve seen the service evolve dramatically over the years. The recent addition of the Game Catalog with the Extra and Premium tiers is arguably the biggest change yet. However, it also comes with its own set of rules and limitations compared to past PlayStation Plus offerings.
In this article, I‘ll provide an in-depth explainer covering everything PS Plus Extra subscribers need to know about what happens when games exit the catalog.
How the PlayStation Plus Extra Game Catalog works
First, it‘s important to understand how the PS Plus Extra Game Catalog differs from the monthly games provided with an Essential membership.
With a PlayStation Plus Essential plan, subscribers can download and play a few PS4 and PS5 games each month for free. These monthly titles are yours to keep indefinitely as long as your membership remains active.
However, the 400+ game catalog available via the PlayStation Plus Extra tier operates differently:
Games are rotated in and out monthly – The PS Plus Extra collection does not remain static. Sony refreshes it routinely by adding new games and removing existing ones on a monthly basis.
You can only play catalog games with an active Extra/Premium subscription – Downloading a game from the catalog does not mean you permanently own it. Your access is tied to your ongoing membership.
Previously downloaded games are locked when removed – If you download a title from the Game Catalog that later gets taken out in a refresh, you can no longer play it.
So in summary, the Extra game catalog is not a permanent collection. It‘s regularly updated, and your access to any specific title is temporary depending on its inclusion in the current lineup.
What happens when a PlayStation Plus Extra game gets removed?
When Sony decides to take a game out of the Extra catalog, a few things occur:
- The game will display a lock icon if you still have it installed on your console.
- Attempting to launch the locked game will surface an error message about the content no longer being available through your PlayStation Plus membership.
- The locked game will not show up in your console library anymore since you do not actually own it.
- Any saved data is still kept locally. If the game is ever re-added in the future, your saves will still be intact.
To put it simply, you no longer have access to play that game through PlayStation Plus until if and when it may return to the catalog further down the road.
Over the past year, quite a few popular titles have already entered and exited the Extra and Premium libraries. This table shows some of the notable games removed so far:
| Game Removed | Date Removed |
|---|---|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | October 2022 |
| Marvel‘s Guardians of the Galaxy | January 2023 |
| Ghost of Tsushima Director‘s Cut | February 2023 |
And many more will surely leave the service over the course of 2023 as Sony looks to keep the lineup fresh.
How often are games removed from the PS Plus Extra catalog?
According to the official terms from PlayStation, the Game Catalog lineup can be updated "monthly".
So realistically, expect multiple games to enter and exit the catalog every month.
Sony has not shared exact statistics on the regular refresh rate. But based on the first 12 months since rollout, PlayStation Plus Extra saw:
- 95+ games added to the catalog
- 60+ games removed from the catalog
That works out to about 8 new games per month on average added to the Extra collection. While around 5 titles on average get removed monthly.
These refresh rates may fluctuate going forward in 2024 and beyond. But there will certainly be ongoing turnover in the PlayStation Plus Extra Game Catalog.
No individual game‘s presence is guaranteed forever. Even popular first-party Sony titles seem to exit after a matter of months.
The bottom line
As a passionate gamer myself who loves discovering new titles via my PlayStation Plus Extra membership, it can feel disappointing when games drop out of the catalog unexpectedly. Especially when it happens before I‘ve had a chance to complete longer RPGs or adventure games!
However, compared to paying full-price for brand new releases, getting 6 months or a year of access to hot new games for a reasonable monthly fee still offers good value in my opinion.
Just bear in mind that the Extra and Premium catalogs differ hugely from the permanent access offered through PlayStation Plus Essential monthly games. Titles can and will be rotated in and out regularly.
So in summary – no, unfortunately you don‘t get to keep playing PlayStation Plus Extra games indefinitely once they‘ve been removed from the active catalog. Make the most of your favorite catalog titles while they are available! And keep tabs on each month‘s refreshes to spot new gems being added.
