Sony unveiled the lineup for PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers for May 2025, introducing three games for the service. Available for download on May 6th, the assortment of games promises excitement to cater to varied gaming preferences, including a DOOM-like shooter (Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun), a fun survival game (Ark: Survival Ascended), and an indie-darling rogue like poker game, Balatro.
All three games will be available May 6 for PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers.
Balatro
Originally released on Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in February 2024, Balatro mashes up poker with a deck-building game. It was created by indie developer LocakThunk and published by Playstack, and it challenges you to make the best poker hands you can while using special Joker cards that can level up your game play.
It's a blast to play, even if you're not a poker guru, and is also available on MacOS, iOS, and Android.
Ark: Survival Ascended
Then there's Ark: Survival Ascended, an enhanced remake of the popular Ark: Survival Evolved. THe game places you as a recently-awoken survivor on a pre-historic planet, filled with other players, dinosaurs, and a hostile world. You need to manage your hunger and water levels, while gathering resources and crafting better and better shelter, clothing, and weapons. This new version offers enhanced visuals, improved physics, and quality-of-life updates, providing a modernized experience for both new and returning players.
If you like games like Rust, Don't Starve, or The Forest, you'll likely dig Ark: Survival Ascended.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
The final game available in the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games May lineup is Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. It's a boomer shooter that feels a lot like DOOM, which means it's gonna be fast, furious, and probably hilarious. Adam Michel, Director, Game Services – Content, Sony Interactive Entertainment, wrote:
Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst! Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish visuals of your favourite 90's retro shooters. Play a battle-hardened Space Marine on a perilous mission across the galaxy, as they battle against the Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos. In glorious boomer shooter style, unleash your devastating Space Marine arsenal as you blast through an explosion of sprites, pixels and blood. Run, jump and charge across huge levels to shoot, shred and slice the worst heretics across the galaxy!
Each month, Sony shuffles the PlayStation Plus library, replacing older titles and refreshing the selection to maintain player interest. if you haven't claimed April's PS Plus Essential games, you'll want to grab them before May 6th.
