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Here are your PS Plus Essentials games

PlayStation Plus subscribers get a Need for Speed and Epic Mickey remake in January 2026

Image: Criterion Games/Electronic Arts

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PlayStation Plus subscribers’ free Essential games for January 2026 are Need for Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, and Core Keeper, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Wednesday. Players can download the trio of games beginning Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Need for Speed Unbound is Criterion Games and Electronic Arts' 2022 entry in the Need for Speed racing series, and a "breath of fresh air for racing fans," according to Polygon's review of the game. What's so different? Need for Speed Unbound lets players "spend real time with one car, building it up and blinging it out, without the fear of missing out on the flashier cars that are constantly unlocking." NFS Unbound will be available on PlayStation 5.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is an updated version of the Mickey Mouse 3D platformer first released on Wii in 2010. Released in 2024, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed sends Mickey to Wasteland to restore it using a magical paint brush and thinner. The game will be available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Core Keeper is a sandbox game in which you play as an explorer in a long-forgotten cavern teeming with untold secrets. We likened it to a top-down Terraria when Core Keeper launched in 2022, but fans of survival games like Valheim, Don’t Starve, and Forager — or even Stardew Valley — might find some enjoyment in developer Pugstorm's game. Core Keeper will be available on PS4 and PS5.

January 2026’s PS Plus Essential games will be available for download through Feb. 2.

PS Plus subscribers can still pick up December 2025’s PlayStation Plus Essential games — Lego Horizon Adventures, Neon White, The Outlast Trials, Killing Floor 3, and Synduality Echo of Ada — through Jan. 5, 2026.

PlayStation Plus Essential is the lowest tier of Sony’s subscription game service. It offers online multiplayer access, a monthly assortment of free PS4 and PS5 games, cloud storage, and discounts on PlayStation Store purchases. PlayStation Plus Essential costs $79.99 annually, $24.99 for a three-month subscription, or $9.99 monthly.