Sony's multi-tiered approach to its revamped PlayStation Plus includes a top-shelf option called PlayStation Premium. The biggest perk added to Premium subscribers is the inclusion of PlayStation Classics, an ever-growing library of downloadable titles from the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2, as well as PS3 games playable via cloud gaming tech.
With so much to choose from, you may have a hard time figuring out where to start. We've picked a variety of our personal favorites for your recommended PlayStation Plus Premium perusal.
10 Tekken 2
Long before Namco merged with Bandai to become (wait for it) Bandai Namco, the publisher began its first big series of fighting games with the original Tekken for the Sony PlayStation. It was a hit, with two more sequels on the way for console and several more entries for the generations to come. An eighth mainline entry is presently en route.
Most Tekken games are fun in their own right, but Tekken 2 is among the most fantastic of the bunch. The sequel added a slew of new mechanics, as well as introducing big-name characters like Lei Wulong and Jun Kazama. Plus, there's Roger, a kangaroo. That's a tragic Tekken 2 exclusive if ever there were one.
9 Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends
In 2018, Koei Tecmo sought to shake up the Dynasty Warriors series in a big way with its ninth mainline entry. It was a noble endeavor; the beat-em-ups set in Three Kingdoms era China typically change just enough between games to satisfy the hardcore fans, but from a more casual perspective, they all kind of blend together. Unfortunately, Dynasty Warriors 9's 'what if we went open world?' question got a middling answer, and it just didn't live up to its potential.
That leaves Dynasty Warriors 8 as the reigning champion until further notice. It's perfected the stage-based formula of slaying hundreds of soldiers and a handful of important folks that's made the Warriors franchise so prolific. Xtreme Legends adds a big chunk of content to the base game.
8 Batman: Return To Arkham
You might accuse of cheating here, as we're including two games - but hey, they were bundled together. Batman: Return to Arkham is simply the first two of Rocksteady's Caped Crusader classics in one package, though you do need to stream them separately on PlayStation Plus.
Arkham Asylum, the first game, is not the open world adventure that its sequel Arkham City becomes. But it's more focused as a result, and as such, it's not too surprising that the age old debate of whether open world's a good approach has often centered in part on whether a person prefers Asylum or City. Our take? They're both great games, so go play them.
7 Skullgirls Encore
Fighting game fans have several prime picks on PlayStation Plus Premium, and we swear we aren't intentionally being alliterative here, it just keeps happening. Anyway, Skullgirls Encore is one of the best, a beast of a title with diverse modes, deep mechanics, and an art style all its own.
If you haven't yet visited the Canopy Kingdom, give the PS3 version of this game a shot. If you like what you see, check out Skullgirls 2nd Encore, which is a PS4/Xbox One/PC port with continued support to this day.
6 Saints Row 2
The 2022 Saints Row reboot might not have fared too hot, but there's still a lot of love for the original series. Saints Row 2 is praised as the start of developer Volition's change from the more serious vibes of the first game into the comedic good time the franchise steadily became. It's an important transitional step, in fact, as the open world series fully embraced the silliness from Saints Row: The 3rd onward.
To that end, there are a not-insignificant number of Saints Row fans who find the second one passes the old Goldilocks test - not too serious, not too silly, but just right. See what you think on PlayStation Plus.
5 Wild Arms 3
Enough time has passed since the last Wild Arms for the series to fade almost completely into obscurity, only for a recent Kickstarter success project to take the reins as its spiritual successor, Armed Fantasia. That... still might not mean a thing to some readers, granted, but it's cool that it's happening for Media Vision's old JRPG series.
Wild Arms is a special thing, you see - it's a distinctly Western JRPG. No, we don't mean it's influenced by The Witcher. We mean it's set in a fictional planet's rendition of the American Wild West. Take that, add loads of JRPG tropes, and you've got yourself a recipe for (modest) success. Wild Arms 3 is one of the best, and it's available on PlayStation Plus Premium alongside its predecessors.
4 The Last Of Us Remastered
Sure, The Last of Us has a full-fledged remake now on PS5 and PC. And yes, it's totally worth checking out. But if you'd rather not splurge on it right off the bat - maybe you're curious after watching the first season of HBO's new show? - the PS4 remaster of the original PlayStation 3 masterpiece is available for streaming at no added cost.
Joel and Ellie's cross-country tour of post-apocalyptic America is also a tour of the multifaceted and many-splendored beast that is humanity itself. It will thrill you, it will chill you, and it will make you cry; The Last of Us is excellence.
3 Mega Man 9
12 years. That's how much time passed between the PlayStation's colorful 32-bit Mega Man 8 and its surprising emergence from industry hibernation, the purposefully 'old-looking' 8-bit Mega Man 9. Capcom's gamble on a peak NES-style aesthetic paid off in spades, with many complimenting the maneuver. (This was 2008, by the way, so the 8-bit indie scene was rather nascent!)
Everything about Mega Man 9 is one big retro throwback, but that alone wouldn't make it a good game. The level design, boss variety, soundtrack, all those key Mega Man aspects, are all at their sharpest here. You can also play Mega Man 10 on PlayStation Plus, and it's a pretty good game in its own right, but MM9 is in a league of its own.
2 Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is the long-running 3D platformer adventure series at perhaps its highest point. The newest title, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, is up there as well, with breathtaking audiovisual elements that take full advantage of the PS5. But Ratchet & Clank's heyday was on PS2 and PS3, and A Crack in Time is our favorite.
The tools are terrific, from the item-fixing Chronosceptor to the planet-drifting hoverboots, and the story's both funny and genuinely engrossing. A Crack in Time's a good one.
1 Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge
LucasArts' perennially popular point-and-click adventure series Monkey Island managed to endure the apparent death knell of the genre, going dark for the bulk of the 2000s and 2010s before emerging with the sublime Return to Monkey Island just last year. The second game, LeChuck's Revenge, got a fresh coat of paint as a Special Edition in 2010, which brought it to contemporary consoles including the PS3.
Guybrush Threepwood's swashbuckling is the core of Monkey Island's storytelling, and the cast of the second game will delight you to no end. You should play The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition first, mind you, but its follow-up is even better.