June 28, 2013June 28, 2013

PlayStation Plus: Celebrating 1 Year of the Instant Game Collection

With the upcoming launch of PlayStation 4, everyone here at PlayStation is hard at work preparing to deliver the best place to play — the absolute best gaming experiences imaginable.

As you heard at E3, PlayStation Plus will play a huge role in delivering amazing next gen online gaming experiences, while offering incredible value to members. With a single PlayStation Plus membership, you’ll get all of the benefits across PS4, PS3 and PS Vita, making sure you always have something fun to play and experience online with friends.

This week PS Plus has reached a milestone: the one year anniversary of the Instant Game Collection!

PlayStation Plus has been around for three years now, and make no mistake, we’ve always felt that it was a great value for gamers. But at E3 2012, when the Instant Game Collection made its debut, we knew that PS Plus was delivering something innovative, exciting and unique. It was evident in the passionate responses you had in communities around the web that you agreed. From our very own PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation Community, to gaming message boards like NeoGaf.com, to your comments on gaming sites like IGN.com, Destructoid.com, Kotaku.com, we knew that you thought PS Plus presented a gaming service like nothing else out there.

Looking back, it’s easy to see the tremendous value PS Plus offers. In the first year of the Instant Game Collection alone, if you own both a PlayStation 3 and a PlayStation Vita, 64 games were included, including blockbusters such as Sleeping Dogs and Spec Ops: The Line.

We’re not stopping there. We’ve already started Year Two off with a bang with the announcement that #DRIVECLUB PS Plus Edition will be available in the Instant Game Collection at launch and one digital title will rotate in each month. We also debuted a powerful June lineup for PS3, including the introduction of three new marquee titles: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (single-player), Little Big Planet Karting and XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Up next: the July month outlook next week, which is not to be missed!

Whether you’ve been a member since Day 1 or you’re a newcomer, we thank you for supporting PS Plus and the Instant Game Collection. If you have yet to take the plunge, now is a great time to take advantage of the incredible IGC games offered on PS3 and PS Vita – while ensuring you’re locked and ready for the PS4 this holiday season.

So that’s year one of the PS Plus Instant Game Collection! Which game was your favorite?

Comments are closed.

245 Comments

11 Author Replies

markos_silvano
June 28, 2013 at 10:05 am PDT

Congratulations to all PS+ staff! I’ve been playing videogames since Atari 2600 and this by far is the best service already offered to consumers. It’s undeniable the value of the 64 full games for just $50.00. The PS+ was the main reason why I chose the PS3 over the X360. Paying for just a good multiplayer experience doesn’t seems enough for me. It’s also the reason by which I’m strongly thinking on getting a PS Vita for a more deep gameplay experience than I’ve been having on the smartphone

Hope you guys may maintain the same level on the PS4 and keep doing the excellent work on PS3 and PS Vita!
SickHabitz_
June 28, 2013 at 10:06 am PDT

the only thing that really bothers me is PS+ EU gets much better tittles i really hate this, they also get a list of what games are coming to playstation plus instant collection for the next month like right now they know that for july they will be getting battlefield 3 and others i mean when do we ever get tittles this good and this fresh i mean we get good games but if you take a look of what they been getting you can tell playstation is really giving them the best they can.
Joe-TFW
June 28, 2013 at 10:07 am PDT

This month was a major win for PS+ subs. Lots of good stuff. Looking forward to July’s update, especially for the Vita selection.
NEOSIMKIN
June 28, 2013 at 10:07 am PDT

I’m really happy with the Instant Game Collection! I hope Persona 4 gets added for PS3 one day, and not just Vita, I know it isn’t an Instant Game Collection item but just in general.
D33DL1T
June 28, 2013 at 10:07 am PDT

Best service ever
liammill18
June 28, 2013 at 10:09 am PDT

Definitely Spec Ops: The Line or Ninja Gaiden Sigma+! Happy birthday to PS+, I’m looking forward to many fun-filled years in the future!

Also a big thank you to the amazing team behind PS+, I don’t know who you are, but you all deserve congratulations!
NeonBlade
June 28, 2013 at 10:11 am PDT

Whoop. Swag, swag, swag, swag. I bought Uprising quite a while ago, it’s disappointing even with it being a Plus addition I hardly see anyone online playing. Oh and pick up Closure you fools!
boomstickbhg
June 28, 2013 at 10:12 am PDT

Btw “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (single-player)” Is not a marquee title, it’s yet another example of Plus giving us only part of a game and claiming how great you are for it. (Starhawk, fighting games, walking dead, etc… there’s been a few).

I’ve been a member of Plus and the PS3 community since day one. Give me an option to only buy cloud save space since it’s been an entire year now of the BBRC and Plus has lost all the good things it had:

Avatars, themes, Qore, regular high discounts, not having the same items on sale over and over, not putting something on sale one week and making it free the next, we even still got free games back then!!!.

The BBRC has almost made me quit gaming this generation, thank god people still make RPGs (even though you tend to ignore that category not just in Plus, but for digital titles as whole).

Got plenty of ‘free’ Plus time left, hopefully it changes into something good before the PS4 launch when they start to forget/ignore ps3 customers entirely.
HUMDUDE
June 28, 2013 at 10:14 am PDT

Seeing that list makes me kick myself for not being a Playstation and PS+ member all along! Awesome list of games. Proud PS+ member!! Thanks Sony!!
boomstickbhg
June 28, 2013 at 10:14 am PDT

Tried to answer the survey, but the only games on the list that don’t suck are ones I owned long before Plus offered them as a rental.

Now that you’re a rental service, try to stay more current with your offerings at least.
TheUndertaker85
June 28, 2013 at 10:15 am PDT

Loving PS+ on my Vita and PS3, soon to add PS4. You guys are doing the subscription thing right.

Any chance we’ll see the permanent Vita games change soon?

Now, for something somewhat Plus related. Any chance you all will look to add the Cloud Save feature for everybody, even if its a small amount for non-Plus subs?
- Morgan Haro
  June 28, 2013 at 10:33 am PDT
  
  No news on the evergreen PS Vita titles changing, but keep your eye on the PS Blog for news as it comes.
Awe_some1-2-3
June 28, 2013 at 10:15 am PDT

i really wanted the walking dead, i wonder whats coming next week.
Fardeenah
June 28, 2013 at 10:20 am PDT

uncharted and gravity rush was awesome for me. i am hoping for some cool vita games like rayman origins and mgs hd collection next month. i will even take the psp gow…
Busca-Cabezas
June 28, 2013 at 10:22 am PDT

They are way too many great games to have a favorite.
I’ve been with Plus since day one. All I can say is, the program itself became my favorite.
As a loyal Sony customer and PlayStation Gamer… I thank YOU SCEA! Woot!
nowayjose16
June 28, 2013 at 10:29 am PDT

I do not know if you have a say in this or not but since seeing the PSP game, Gods Eater Burst, compatible with Vita, I have been wondering if PSN would be willing to place classic PS2 games on the Playstation Network Store that are compatible with PS3. I’m not exactly an expert but I am sure that making PS2 and PS1 games for PSN and IGC would be an excellent way to increase sales and PS+ membership.
Deadpool_425
June 28, 2013 at 10:29 am PDT

Less than $1 per game! So amazing. We know the PS4 is not backwards compatible, but will existing PSN games be carrying over? I will still have a huge backlog of stuff to play even in December.
Rainwater
June 28, 2013 at 10:32 am PDT

Spec Ops: The Line was my favorite this year. The story really captivated me.
ffxxcecil
June 28, 2013 at 10:33 am PDT

Great summary in one picture, which will be used as my wallpaper background.
Rainwater
June 28, 2013 at 10:38 am PDT

How the heck did I miss Just Cause 2?!? I usually ensure I can can always download the IGC games, even if I’m not planning on playing one at the moment, but Just Cause 2 passed me by. Weird.
Satnamji
June 28, 2013 at 10:44 am PDT

While it’s easy to complain about how many games that I already owned were added to the IGC (especially this month), I say it’s a testament to the quality of games that are selected to the IGC.

And whatever you do, fellow Plus members, do not, I repeat, do not, overlook Deus Ex before it leaves next week.
cmdluke
June 28, 2013 at 10:44 am PDT

Hey guys, is there a blog-cast coming today? I use it to make the friday traffic after work bearable.
MKPACK
June 28, 2013 at 10:44 am PDT

PS+ is the main reason that I own the PS3, Vita, and have pre-ordered the PS4. Please keep providing the same value over the full life-cycle of the PS4.

I hope that having “PS+” versions of games that are more limited than full games is only a transitional strategy until there are more full PS4 games available to include in the collection.

I’m looking forward to finding out what new games we’re getting next month!
GMFCO311
June 28, 2013 at 10:46 am PDT

Not only is the Instant Game Collection awesome, but so is the deep discounts on actually OWNING the games outright thanks to your PS+ Membership!

Thanks Sony/PS crew! This def is the BEST value out there for your/my money! :)
PainOfSarrow
June 28, 2013 at 10:47 am PDT

hmmm, well its not a bad list. i already got 50% of those games i paid for dirt cheap. ether way not to bad for 50 a year. not the greatest ether. just dont like the fact you cant buy a discounted game if its already listed on the IGC.
MKPACK
June 28, 2013 at 10:48 am PDT

Is there a complete list of the games in text somewhere? Some of the titles are hard to read in the pic.
majesticbeastt
June 28, 2013 at 10:56 am PDT

Awesome job i was even a plus member before the instant game collection and i still thought that was worth every penny. You guys just kept making it better. Its the best videogame service out there by far, million miles ahead of xbl.
lisatsunami
June 28, 2013 at 10:58 am PDT

@46 FriedConsole, LOL, really funny satire. Unfortunately, right after you somebody made that same case for real. Unrealistic expectations these days.
BlindMango
June 28, 2013 at 10:59 am PDT

Hey Morgan, so to clarify, you say that DriveClub (PS+ Edition) will be free day one and “one digital title will rotate each month” is this one digital title IN ADDITION to DriveClub (two titles in total), or will a game replace DriveClub after a month (one title)? Also, will you guys eventually expand the library of free games to 8, 10, or 12 etc at one single time like on Vita & PS3, or will it be done differently on PS4 due to how PS+ kinda works differently on the PS4 (by paying to play online games)

Thanks, hope this can be answered!
- Morgan Haro
  June 28, 2013 at 11:05 am PDT
  
  We’ll have more details on this stuff in the coming months, but for now, that’s all I can share. Stay tuned, thanks!
Rirse
June 28, 2013 at 11:01 am PDT

Any chance on a special one week “best of” or a chance to get the games from last year. There is a few I missed that I would love to get back.

Also is there a summer sale happening next week?
- Morgan Haro
  June 28, 2013 at 11:05 am PDT
  
  hooo boy, highly unlikely, but it’s a fun idea.
  
  We’ll have some great sales lined up next week as well, so check out the Plus update on Monday for all the details.
TomHoang
June 28, 2013 at 11:03 am PDT

I’ve been a PS+ subscriber since September 2010, and I have constantly been blown away by its offerings. For three $49.99 purchases with the addition of the free months, I am currently a subscriber until September 2014. I think my favorite free PS+ games of all time are Ratchet and Clank All 4 One or Sleeping Dogs, mainly because I held off on buying them and was relieved when I received them for free.

A word of advice for Morgan and the PS+ team: You guys should do a better job of communicating the nature of the free games. A lot of people in the press and gamers who don’t have PS+ think that the free games are unplayable after their initial “free” period (usually a month) has ended. They are playable until you are no longer a subscriber.

Congrats on the amazing service, and you can be assured that I will continue to be subscriber for many years to come, as well as promoting it to others.
- Morgan Haro
  June 28, 2013 at 11:06 am PDT
  
  Thanks for the tip. Yeah we’re constantly working at raising the awareness and understanding of how Plus works every day.
  
  Thanks for being such a loyal supporter since 2010!
Shoryyuken
June 28, 2013 at 11:11 am PDT

Hey Sony, I’ve only been on for about a month with PSN+ & I already love it. I see that Europe’s PSN+ are getting BATTLEFIELD 3 on July 3rd, what are we getting? Also any chance you guys will bring back some of the popular titles that were displayed in the past for Plus?

I always wanted to play Spec Ops The Line but never did. Be great if those games came back. Thanks guys, it’s an awesome service. <3
MKPACK
June 28, 2013 at 11:18 am PDT

Not Enough “E” and “T” Rated AAA Games

Great value by any measure. It feels wrong to gripe, but I do wish the AAA games in the collection weren’t so strongly biased towards “M” rated games. It’d be a more balanced collection if a greater portion of the AAA games were family friendly. It seems like only a portion of the long-term AAA titles were E or T rated while virtually all the AAA titles the rest of the year were M rated.
WarharkPRO
June 28, 2013 at 11:20 am PDT

@ Spiral-INfinity

While your Ps3 was MIA you could have “purchased” those titles though the online store: https://store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/#!/en-us/free-games/cid=STORE-MSF77008-PSPLUSFREEGAMES
hardknock55
June 28, 2013 at 11:20 am PDT

What sucks for miss is my ps3 broke last dec right after i renewed my ps+ subscription and i’ve missed this whole year of ps+ and i been a member since day one. But i got a ps4 preordered so ill just wait for that instead of buying another ps3 although i do think of buying one everyday.
guipessoan
June 28, 2013 at 11:24 am PDT

The Ps4 will have only 1 title per month? That’s so few…
deadendblues
June 28, 2013 at 11:28 am PDT

Discounts discounts discounts…. Were my favorite things nothing like 75 percent off to motivate me to play and buy. I wonder if there will be any pS 4 discounts for games when they release it, that be Brilliant!

As for games Sleeping dogs and virtues last reward

So Sony thanks for making it my birthday every Tuesday!
amartinez15
June 28, 2013 at 11:31 am PDT

Playstation Plus has been amazing so far. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the PS4.
purse317
June 28, 2013 at 11:32 am PDT

Why make us grab the games from the store why not just add them to our dl list automatically since were plus members and you know were here for the games.

Also what steps are planned to make plus even better to reach a wider audience we as consumers really don’t hear much if any of that information.
Taz6969
June 28, 2013 at 11:34 am PDT

For those who started late do you think we will see some of the older games coming back. :)
purse317
June 28, 2013 at 11:34 am PDT

Oh and yes communication is a big issue for plus 10 of my friend/relativess had no idea how plus works until they saw my trophy list and wondered when did you get those games.
stefer09
June 28, 2013 at 11:37 am PDT

There’s one thing that WORRIES me about the PS+ announcement for the PS4…

#Driveclub PS+ edition will be free. And then we hear that all the game mechanics will be there but not all the content. So i’m speculating here, but i’m guessing we’ll be able to upgrade it to a “full edition” in some way? Maybe DLC or something…

What stops the PSN/game publishers to give “PS+ editions” of all the free games from then on? Complete game mechanics with missing content? Are we going to get only half games as free content?
I’m just hoping that it’s not a way to set a new trend of new “free content”.

I’ve been subscribing to PS+ almost since i purchased my PS3. I have not regretted it so far.
I do find that the variety of free titles are not interesting to me sometimes. A lot of titles that have gone free, i find i have already purchased…
But the rebates and some of the free games along the way really made up for it.
Also i’m building a PS Vita library until i actually buy one.

I did preorder a PS4 and i can’t wait to go get it, but i’m worried about the direction of PS+ …
purse317
June 28, 2013 at 11:38 am PDT

Lastly is anything going to be done about those expensive Vita memory cards. I’d buy more games for my Vita digitally but then I’d have to drop $50 or more for a bigger memory card to hold all the games I’m currently playing.
UnclePhil2K
June 28, 2013 at 11:43 am PDT

My favorites from the collection are the LBP games, NFL Blitz, NBA Jam, & King of Fighters. And I LOVE the inclusion of Vita games…I finally bought my Vita in January because of it! For year 2, maybe we can see some older THQ WWE (or some other wrasslin’ game) titles? Pleeeeeeeeease? :) I love my PS Plus…Keep it up!!!
BZABROS
June 28, 2013 at 11:53 am PDT

PS+ has been the best investment of money i have done ever, Thank You Sony and keep on the same way :)
DeathGazer
June 28, 2013 at 11:54 am PDT

Congrats guys and THANK YOU. PS+ is the best subscription service OF ALL TIME.
Miketheking75
June 28, 2013 at 11:56 am PDT

I hope we get this game one day Atelier Ayesha on ps+, also I miss the day’s of free avatars, and still would like to get some free ps2 games mainly the jrpgs of ps2.
mricantloose1
June 28, 2013 at 12:04 pm PDT

PS+ is the reason I got rid of my 360. I don’t want to bash one system but this service makes me feel like Sony has my best interest as a gamer in mind.
Erlaxis
June 28, 2013 at 12:05 pm PDT

Meanwhile on Xbox Live Gold…

LOL! Sorry. I had to do it.
Pabloo1010
June 28, 2013 at 12:19 pm PDT

My Sub just ended :( and I miss my golden face buttons. Will be resubbing in July!
Istyle318
June 28, 2013 at 12:25 pm PDT

First off thank you guys for the great library of games this year all for 50. I have a request, for being a plus member on next gen, can we get a hour or maybe 90 minutes of every game kind of like we can demo it out before we buy it. Just being honest this will help sales because we can get the full version of every game. and it will also stop people from wasting $2 at red box. Or you can just come out with some type of digital rental where you can rent the game digitally for 24 hours I think that would be great I’m a fan of first day buying. I love to support the developers because I know this is a business. Just thought i toss a few ideas out there. (sorry for the grammar errors I’m swyping from my phone)