The first PS Plus Essential January 2026 monthly free game has leaked, and members are already debating its inclusion in the lineup. Sony’s apparently starting the year with Criterion Games’ Need for Speed Unbound, which released in 2022 for current-gen platforms.
First PS Plus Essential January 2026 free game is currently super cheap on PS Store
The leak comes from none other than reliable Dealabs insider billbil-kun, who has a pretty stellar track record. So rest assured, NFS Unbound will be announced as part of the full lineup by Sony later today.
As for why players are divided over it, well, for starters, you can’t please everyone. NFS Unbound is a pretty decent game with a Metacritic average of 77/100. But what’s irked some players is the game’s prior inclusion in the Extra/Premium catalog as well as its current price on the PS Store.
NFS Unbound was in the catalog for quite some time. However, we’d like to remind fans that Essential games aren’t targeted towards Extra or Premium members. These are just bonus freebies for members of the lowest PS Plus tier that are made available to everyone.
NFS Unbound’s Ultimate Edition, which includes add-ons and DLC, is currently 85% off on the PS Store. The complete collection is just $12.74, but only until January 8. Two days after its inclusion in PS Plus Essential, NFS Unbound will be pulled from sale.
CES 2026 is right around the corner, and the pre-show hype cycle/ early reveals suggest, yes, there’s going to be an awful lot of AI-powered insert-product-category-here alongside, thankfully, some major announcements from the likes of Intel, Sony and NVIDIA.
Intel is finally unveiling its Panther Lake (Core Ultra Series 3) chips. The first chips built on Intel’s 2nm process could offer a 50 percent performance boost, which is sorely needed amid intense competition. NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang is taking the stage for a keynote expected to feature a lot of AI hype, while AMD’s Lisa Su will likely counter with new Ryzen 9000-series chips and the latest on AI upscaling tech.
Over the years, CES has consistently been the show for TV innovation and heady next-gen displays. This year, we’ll be talking a lot about Micro RGB. LG is introducing a new Micro RGB Evo panel with over 1,000 dimming zones, while Samsung plans to launch a full range of Micro RGB TVs from 55 inches to 115 inches. In 2025, Sony introduced a new RGB LED panel that uses individual Mini LED backlights in red, green and blue to produce even brighter, more accurate colors. The company has trademarked “True RGB,” which could become what Sony calls its spin on RGB displays.
We’ll be covering all the keynotes, press conferences and big reveals in person. And figuring which of the 100s of AI-branded devices and gadgets are worth reporting on.
I’m also taking bets on the most niche celebrity appearance/endorsement at CES 2026. We’ve seen 50 Cent, Big Bird, Martha Stewart, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Guillermo del Toro, Justin Bieber and will.i.am (multiple times), so who will join this pantheon of stars?
It isn’t just TVs with Samsung. The company has already teased a pair of new understated speakers. Likely inspired by the Samsung Frame, the new Wi-Fi speakers, called the Music Studio 5 and 7, blend into your living room. The Music Studio 5 has a four-inch woofer and dual tweeters, with a built-in waveguide to deliver better sound. The Music Studio 7 comes with a 3.1.1-channel spatial audio with top-, front-, left- and right-firing speakers. No prices yet. Expect to hear more at CES itself or once the speakers arrive in stores. And as the press image above suggests, we can't wait to sit stoically in front of one, with a glass of water (?).
Xiaomi’s latest smartphone is once again a spec beast. It features a 1-inch sensor 50MP f/1.67 main camera and 1/1.4-inch 200MP periscope telephoto camera. And it also has an interesting new mechanical feature: a manual zoom ring. This surrounds the rear camera unit.
Both the regular Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Leica edition come with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.1 storage, along with a 6.9-inch 120Hz AMOLED display that can hit up to 3,500 nits of peak brightness.
But the camera features are the standout elements. The 17 Ultra by Leica adds some very, well, Leica touches: a two-tone finish, red dot status symbol on the front, textured edges and film simulations, like Leica’s Monopan 50 black and white. Xiaomi says the zoom ring “[eliminates] the need for tedious screen taps... and can detect displacements as small as 0.03mm.” It can also be reprogrammed for manual focus.
Xiaomi’s 17 Ultra by Leica and the regular 17 Ultra start at CNY 7,999 ($1,140) and CNY 6,999 ($995), on par with the latest high-end Pixel 10s and Galaxy S25s.
A Google support page in Hindi says the feature is ‘gradually rolling out to all users.’
A Google support page in Hindi indicates the ability to change your Gmail address might be coming. The feature would allow you to replace your current @gmail.com address with another. Your old address would remain active as an alias on the account, and all your data would stick around, unaffected. The support page (translated) says “the ability to change your Google Account email address is gradually rolling out to all users.”
If you want to take a break from AAA games, then PS Store has a new free game that PS5 and PS4 players can check out. Puzzle Galaxy is yet another relaxing game for those who like jigsaws. Its developer is QubicGames, who has been dropping free games with easy trophies. Puzzle Galaxy also comes with a Platinum trophy.
PS4 game Puzzle Galaxy is free on PS Store right now, and playable on PS5
There isn’t much to Puzzle Galaxy other than putting together some puzzles based on gorgeous images. Once again, these aren’t meant to be high quality games, but they do offer a nice break. The trophies are just an added bonus.
As usual, the catch in these types of games is that they have a bunch of premium add-ons that need to be purchased separately. While players don’t need to make any type of purchase to unlock the base game’s trophies and Platinum, some folks might not be happy about the paid DLCs impacting Puzzle Galaxy’s completion percentage.
Puzzle Galaxy only has a PS4 version on the PS Store, but it’s playable on PS5. If you want to buy the “complete bundle” with DLC included, then it currently costs $8.49 for PS Plus members.
Ubisoft has shut down Rainbow Six Siege's servers and is in the process of rolling back the fallout of a widespread breach that left various players with billions of in-game credits, ultra-rare skins of weapons, and banned accounts. As of Sunday afternoon, the status page on Rainbow Six Siege's website still shows "unplanned outage" on all servers across PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
Update: Siege and the Marketplace have been intentionally shut down while the team focuses on resolving the issue. https://t.co/7k6Jsa5CiM
The fiasco began Saturday morning when Ubisoft said on X that they were "aware of an incident currently affecting Rainbow Six Siege" and "working on a resolution." A couple of hours later, the Rainbow Six Siege servers were shut down, following plenty of user reports showing either zero or billions in R6 credits, rare skins in their lockers and either account bans or unbans. Ubisoft later clarified Saturday afternoon on X that nobody would be banned if they spent their ill-gotten credits, but that a rollback of all transactions starting from Saturday, 6AM ET would soon be underway.
On Sunday afternoon, Ubisoft informed the playerbase that they're currently performing a rollback, but that "extensive quality control tests will be executed to ensure the integrity of accounts and effectiveness of changes." The company added that "this matter is being handled with extreme care and therefore, timing cannot be guaranteed" and didn't provide an estimate for when servers would be back online.
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After the high price tag of the Ayaneo Pocket DMG turned some retro handheld fans away, Ayaneo is working on another remake of the classic Game Boy with a slightly more affordable cost. Ayaneo revealed the pricing for the Pocket Vert, which starts at $269 for early bird orders.
Compared to the Pocket DMG that retails for $449, Ayaneo skipped the OLED and configurations that go up to 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage for the Pocket Vert. Instead, the handheld maker went with a fully metal CNC body and an ultra-minimalist design with engraving-free buttons that resemble the Analogue Pocket's look. Ayaneo built the Pocket Vert with a smaller 3.5-inch LCD screen that has a 1,600 x 1,440 resolution and a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip that should allow the handheld to handle anything up to PS2 and some Nintendo Switch games.
Ayaneo
To play more modern games, the Pocket Vert has a hidden touch pad below the buttons that acts as a makeshift joystick. Ayaneo also hid a fingerprint sensor in the power button and included a USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD slot for more storage capacity. The Indiegogo campaign for the Pocket Vert isn't open yet, but it will be the only place to snag the latest vertical handheld from Ayaneo at its lowest price before it reverts to the retail price of $339. You can even opt for the fully specced-out version that's only available in Lava Red and has 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage for an early bird price of $369 and a later standard price of $439.
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Samsung is adding two brand new speakers to its audio lineup, along with updated soundbars boosted with AI features. While not as inconspicuous as the Samsung Frame, the new WiFi speakers, called the Music Studio 5 and 7, were designed to blend into your living room's atmosphere with their minimalist design. However, if you're looking for a more convenient option, Samsung also updated its flagship HW-Q990H soundbar, while also introducing the more affordable choice of the HW-QS90H.
Samsung built the Music Studio 5 with a four-inch woofer and dual tweeters, pairing them with a built-in waveguide to deliver better sound. To customize the sound, Samsung added its new AI Dynamic Bass Control that can make bass sound better without any distortion. You can even control the "gallery-inspired" speaker via voice or Bluetooth and it's compatible with WiFi casting and streaming services.
Samsung
For an upgraded option, the Music Studio 7 comes with a 3.1.1-channel spatial audio that has top-, front-, left- and right-firing speakers to give a more immersive 3D audio experience. You can calibrate the sound even further with the Samsung Audio Lab Pattern Control Technology and the same AI Dynamic Bass Control feature seen with the Music Studio 5. Samsung says the Music Studio 7 can play Hi-Resolution Audio with up to 24-bit/96kHz audio processing and can either be used as a standalone speaker or paired with other Samsung audio devices.
Samsung
To round out its new audio offerings, Samsung debuted the HW-QS90H, or its All-in-One Soundbar, with a 7.1.2.-channel system that features 13 drivers, nine of which are wide-range speakers. The new soundbar's built-in Quad Bass Woofer system means you can achieve deeper bass without a separate subwoofer. The All-in-One Soundbar even features Samsung's Convertible Fit design that can handle being mounted on a wall or placed on a table, and a gyro sensor that can automatically adapt channel distribution depending on its orientation, like we saw with the QS700F.
Samsung even refreshed its flagship HW-Q990H soundbar this year and introduced to it the Sound Elevation feature that makes dialogue sound more natural and Auto Volume, which regulates a consistent volume across its channels for a more balanced sound. All of Samsung's latest soundbars and speakers will be on display at CES 2026.
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OpenAI is looking for a new Head of Preparedness who can help it anticipate the potential harms of its models and how they can be abused, in order to guide the company's safety strategy. It comes at the end of a year that's seen OpenAI hit with numerous accusations about ChatGPT's impacts on users' mental health, including a few wrongful deathlawsuits. In a post on X about the position, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that the "potential impact of models on mental health was something we saw a preview of in 2025," along with other "real challenges" that have arisen alongside models' capabilities. The Head of Preparedness "is a critical role at an important time," he said.
Per the job listing, the Head of Preparedness (who will make $555K, plus equity), "will lead the technical strategy and execution of OpenAI’s Preparedness framework, our framework explaining OpenAI’s approach to tracking and preparing for frontier capabilities that create new risks of severe harm." It is, according to Altman, "a stressful job and you'll jump into the deep end pretty much immediately."
Over the last couple of years, OpenAI's safety teams have undergone a lot of changes. The company's former Head of Preparedness, Aleksander Madry, was reassigned back in July 2024, and Altman said at the time that the role would be taken over by execs Joaquin Quinonero Candela and Lilian Weng. Weng left the company a few months later, and in July 2025, Quinonero Candela announced his move away from the preparedness team to lead recruiting at OpenAI.
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The Retroid Pocket 6 may have gotten off to a rocky start, but the gaming handheld is officially completed and going to see its first shipments soon. The handheld maker revealed the final product shots of the Retroid Pocket 6 in black and orange on X. Along with in-person product pics, Retroid revealed gameplay videos of its handheld, running emulation of PlayStation 2 games.
For those looking to relive some classic Nintendo or PlayStation titles, the Retroid Pocket 6 offers a great entry point into the retro handheld world since it can emulate games up to Nintendo Switch and PS2. However, Retroid did have some initial blowback about its design and decided to go back to the drawing board. Following the early criticisms, Retroid decided to add an option for customers to choose between having the D-pad or a thumbstick at the top of the handheld's left side.
Retroid
The problems persisted for Retroid, as the handheld maker had to then cut short the early bird pricing thanks to the widespread memory shortage. Instead of offering the handheld for $209 until January, Retroid removed the discount in late December, leaving new buyers paying the full retail price of $229. However, the internal specs remained the same, with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, up to 12GB of memory and up to 256GB of storage that's expandable with a TF card slot.
Despite the hiccups, Retroid looks ready to start shipments of its latest retro gaming handheld as evidenced by the new photos and videos. According to the website, the first batch of Retroid Pocket 6 preorders are due to start shipping in January. Second bath preoders are still available on Retroid's website, which are expected to get to customers in March.
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Stardew Valley is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Fans of the farm life simulator, specifically those who already own it for the Nintendo Switch 2, can download a free upgrade that introduces new features and multiplayer modes. However, fans have reported some bugs following the free release, and Eric Barone, the game's developer that's better known as ConcernedApe, is working on fixes.
If you have StardewValley on the Switch 2, you can download the Upgrade Pack that introduces mouse controls to make it easier to place furniture and organize your inventory. The upgrade also adds local split-screen co-op for up to four players and online multiplayer that maxes out at eight players. On top of the co-op modes, the free content pack includes Game Share compatibility, meaning only one player needs a copy of Stardew Valley to share it with three others.
This Upgrade Pack may not have as much content as a numbered update, but some players are already reporting bugs. According to user accounts, the online multiplayer mode isn't working, while other reports noted that some crafting recipes had inaccurate material requirements or quantities. In a post on X, Barone said that he's taking "full responsibility for this mistake" and that the development team "will fix this as soon as possible." On top of addressing the bugs from the latest Upgrade Pack, Barone and the rest of the development team are also working on the upcoming 1.7 update for Stardew Valley, while Haunted Chocolatier is still under development.
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Players who have been on Santa’s naughty list in 2025 have had their PS Store licenses for a free game revoked just in time for Christmas. Back in October, a known glitch made Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun‘s brand-new PS5 port free for everyone, and Sony‘s finally managed to fix the error.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun PS5 was accidentally made free on PS Store in October 2025
A day ago, all players (myself included) who claimed the accidental free copy of Shadow Tactics received an email, thanking them for contacting PS Support and letting them know that their refund request had been processed.
I knew exactly what had happened, but going by the numerous threads I’ve seen on gaming forums, quite a few players ended up being spooked by the email because they thought they had been hacked.
Those who log into their PS5 consoles are greeted with a more appropriate notification regarding said “refund.” In its message, Sony admits that Shadow Tactics’ PS5 version wasn’t supposed to be free, and that it identified the issue and fixed it. The company added that players who still want the game should go and buy a copy. Santa isn’t giving you one.
This is the same glitch that made Shadow of the Tomb Raider free ahead of Christmas. I have yet to see reports of the game’s license being revoked, but rest assured, Sony will get around to it if it hasn’t already.
A known PS Store glitch has struck again, making Eidos Montreal’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider completely free for players. The glitch was first noticed by players based in Hong Kong, but has since been confirmed by folks with PSN accounts in other regions as well.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is currently free in several regions’ PS Store
To claim a free copy, players need to have a PSN account in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, or Australia. Go to Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s PS Store page and select its demo. Once the demo is added to your library, go back to the game’s PS Store page, and you should be able to add the full game to your library.
Players on Reddit have confirmed that the glitch still works at the time of this writing. However, do note that Sony has in the past revoked licenses for games that were accidentally made free. That said, the last two games I claimed for free due to PS Store glitches are still in my library and still playable, so you never know.
Sony has once again made an effort to improve PS Plus Premium‘s free game trials perk, securing trials for 2025’s biggest new games for the section. December’s new additions are headlined by none other than hit new IP Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has received a full two-hour game trial.
All new PS Plus Premium free game trials worth checking out (December 2025)
As a reminder, all progress (including trophies) from PS Plus Premium game trials carries over to the full game. Players can also cloud stream the trials rather than downloading them.
Alongside Clair Obscur’s two-hour trial, PS Plus Premium has added the following:
Borderlands 4 two-hour trial
Astroneer two-hour trial (PS5 port released in 2025)
Varlet two-hour trial
Kill It With Fire 2 one-hour trial
It’s nice to see some improvements in PS Plus Premium offerings, especially since some of the pricey tier’s perks have either disappeared or sat neglected for a while. PSVR2 games have all been pulled without explanation, and for the longest time, game trials paled in comparison to the PS Store’s free Demos section available to all players.
December’s new game trials follow November’s addition of 2025 releases, including Mafia: The Old Country, Ready or Not, Lost Soul Aside, and more.
The PS Store has dropped not one but two free demos for a highly anticipated Nihon Falcom PS5 and PS4 RPG. The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon will release worldwide soon, but players can get a glimpse of the story and combat in two separate demos right now.
PS5, PS4 RPG The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon will release in January 2026
The story and battle demos are now live on the PS Store around the globe and available on both the PS5 and PS4. The former allows players to experience the beginning of the game, whereas the latter tasks players with fighting through three levels of the Grim Garten dungeon as Van’s team, Rean’s team, and Kevin’s team.
Progress from the story demo carries over to the full game. The battle demo is only designed to introduce combat mechanics.
Although PS Plus is not required to play the demos, Premium subscribers can cloud stream both of them.
Trails Beyond the Horizon is already available in Japan/Asia. Its worldwide release is scheduled for January 15, 2026. Alongside PS5 and PS4, the game will be available on Nintendo Switch / Switch 2, and PC. An Xbox release has not been announced.
“In the year 120X, everything comes to an end. C. Epstein, the father of the orbal revolution, prophesized the end of the Zemurian continent,” a synopsis reads. “As ‘X Day’ approaches, a massive orbal rocket is about to be launched from a large military base built in the Kunlun Range. Can man make it past the planet’s atmosphere? What lies at the end of the continent? Will mankind be able to uncover the true nature of the ‘world?’
PS5 is getting a full remake of a fan-favorite 2006 RPG that first launched on PC and PlayStation Portable. Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter follows the successful release of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter — a recently released remake of Nihon Falcom’s 2004 RPG.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is a full PS5 remake of 2006 RPG The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter will launch in Fall 2026 for the PS5, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, and PC. An Xbox release was not announced. Check out the announcement trailer below:
The remake will support both English and Japanese voiceovers, with text support for numerous other languages.
“Estelle Bright sets out on a new journey across Liberl to uncover the truth behind Joshua’s disappearance and defeat the sinister Ouroboros organization,” a synopsis reads. “During her journey, she must take on the sinister society of Ouroboros as it emerges from the shadows to plunge Liberl into utter chaos. The capital in flames. A colossal airship darkens the skies. The looming threat of the Shining Ring…”
New features include additional combat options and “expansive” side content.
Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is available to wishlist now on the PS Store.
Capcom is bringing seven classic RPG titles to PS5 and PS4 in early 2026, the company has confirmed. First announced in September, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection brings a series of former Nintendo-exclusive Mega Man Star Force games to PlayStation for the first time.
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection RPG series gets PS5, PS4 release date
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection will release on March 27, 2026. Check out a new trailer below:
The collection will cost $39.99, and can be preordered now via the PS Store.
The following games are included:
Mega Man Star Force Leo
Mega Man Star Force Dragon
Mega Man Star Force Pegasus
Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker x Ninja
Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker x Saurian
Mega Man Star Force 3 Black Ace
Mega Man Star Force 3 Red Joker
Modern features include:
Autosaving
Camera Panning
Speed Boost
Screen Layout
Encounter Rate
Mega Buster Power
Damage Reduction
HP Recovery After Battle and more
“It is the year 220X, and the world has seen rapid advancements in Wave technology. Our protagonist, 11-year-old Geo Stelar, refuses to go to school as he mourns the disappearance of his astronaut father,” a synopsis reads. “One night, Geo is at the observatory gazing at stars as he usually does. Suddenly, his Transer picks up a signal from space and he is hit with a powerful electric shock! When he finally comes to, an alien with an electromagnetic wave body called Omega-Xis is standing over him…”
A fan-favorite 2025 PS5 RPG is just half price on the PS Store in a limited-time deal that ends very soon. To celebrate last week’s The Game Awards 2025, Sony offered discounts on hundreds of acclaimed games, one of which is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
PS5 Pro enhanced Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is just $34.99 in very limited-time PS Store deal
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II can be yours for just $34.99 if you act fast enough and snag it by midnight tonight (PST), as the offer ends on Tuesday, December 16. The game is part of a very limited-time PS Store promotion, so you might not get it for 50% off for a while after the sale is over.
“You are Henry of Skalitz – an ordinary man doing extraordinary things – caught in a gripping tale of revenge, betrayal and discovery as he embarks on an epic journey, ‘from a humble blacksmith’s forge to the court of Kings’, as he searches for purpose in this beautiful but brutal medieval world,” reads an official overview. The game is set in 15th-century Bohemia.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is PS5 Pro-enhanced. It’s a single-player title that doesn’t require PS Plus to play, but Premium members can stream from the cloud.
PS5 players can claim free DLC for 2026’s Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis — a remake of the 1996 game announced last night at The Game Awards 2025. The game is being developed by Crystal Dynamics in collaboration with Shadow Warrior studio, Flying Wild Hog.
How to claim free Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis outfit DLC on PS5
Publisher Amazon Games has announced that anyone who signs up for Amazon Games iD account and link it to their PlayStation Network, Xbox account, or Steam ID, will get the exclusive Mediterranean Wetsuit Outfit pictured above.
If you go through the steps above, the outfit will automatically become available in-game when Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis launches. At this time, the game doesn’t have a narrower release window than “2026.”
“Whether you’re a veteran raider or new to Lara’s world, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis delivers jaw-dropping visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5, modern game design, and new surprises, while honoring the spirit and atmosphere of Lara Croft’s debut adventure,” Amazon Games wrote.
Both Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and the brand-new Tomb Raider: Catalyst will star actress Alix Wilton Regan as Lara.
In case you missed it, check out a trailer below:
Are our readers looking forward to this one? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
Sony is surprising select PS5, PS4 players with free PS Store credit. Emails are being sent out to some users, directing them to the PS Store, where they can claim wallet funds worth $5. It’s not a lot, but a pleasant surprise that can buy or be put towards plenty of games and add-ons in the ongoing PS Store promotions.
Free PS Store credit emails feel like a blast from the past
Threads have been popping up all morning, with players sharing screenshots of the emails and successful redemption of free PS Store credit. All the users who’ve shared said screenshots appear to have U.S. accounts, so it’s possible that this offer is region-limited.
Those who aren’t new to the PlayStation ecosystem will remember these emails from days of yore. Back in the day, Sony used to feel generous every now and then and send out free vouchers to players at random. Unfortunately, that practice stopped during the PS5 era, and it’s been a long time since we’ve seen one of these emails.
If we see any reports from players outside the U.S. receiving free PS Store vouchers, we’ll make sure to update our readers. For now, check your emails and see if you got lucky!
Sony quietly rolled out a PS5 feature update, which adds a brand-new animated theme that might just be the best one we’ve received thus far. We’ve had season-themed PS5 Welcome Hub backgrounds before, but none that included ASMR audio that’s good enough to put us to sleep!
New Welcome Hub update adds the first-ever PS5 animated background with audio
The theme, which is available now in most regions, can be accessed by going over to the Welcome Hub > Backgrounds. Since it’s newly-added, it should be the first theme that you see unless it isn’t available in your region yet.
The background depicts a fireplace with trademark PlayStation icons, and you can “hear” the fire burning. It’s a little distracting, but in a good way!
If you can’t see the new theme yet, it’s worth trying to manually update PS5 system features via the settings menu. However, this is a backend update that’ll automatically be applied, so if you don’t mind waiting, it’ll appear for you without you having to manually update anything.
It was recently reported that Sony is toying with an update that makes the Welcome Hub widgets disappear when idle, so players can get a full view of the background. I can’t wait to apply it with this new theme!
Sony will confirm the full list of PS Plus Extra and Premium December 2025 games later today, but two of the catalog additions have been leaked early. This makes a total of five games that have been revealed for the month thus far.
All PS Plus Extra, Premium December 2025 games confirmed thus far
The leaker is none other than billbil-kun, who has an impeccable track record. According to them, Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty will join the catalog.
The list of PS Plus Extra and Premium December 2025 games thus far includes:
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Soulcalibur III (PS Plus Premium classic, previously confirmed)
Red Dead Redemption 1 PS5 (already out)
Skate Story (already out)
Sony will confirm the full list today. The company usually reveals catalog additions at around 8:30 P.T.
As for when the next set of games will go live, the catalog will refresh on Tuesday, December 16, which is also when the next group of confirmed departures will leave the service and we’ll find out which games will be leaving in January 2026.
If you don’t want to wait until next week to find out, check out our predictions for next month’s departures.
One does not simply spend more than 11 hours watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy in a single weekend at home when the opportunity to do so in theaters arises. As The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring turns 25, Fathom Entertainment and Warner Bros. announced theatrical screenings of the Peter Jackson trilogy in their extended editions, according to an exclusive report from Variety.
The re-releases will be available in DBOX presentations from January 16 to 19, complete with movements and vibrations to make you feel like you're making the journey to Mordor with Frodo and his entourage. If you prefer a traditional experience, the trilogy will be available in standard format from January 23 to 25.
Fathom Entertainment
Fathom Entertainment
For the collectors out there, the screenings will also feature limited-edition themed concession items. Fans can purchase popcorn buckets that showcase maps of Middle-earth at AMC locations, while Regal venues and other local cinemas will have buckets with designs of the One Ring. Tickets are already on sale at Fathom's website.
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Sony recently released a revised PS5 DualSense controller model, and it appears that battery life is one of the issues it addressed. As we reported back in October, the new DualSense controllers don’t feature a second mic or the rumored removable battery. Now, a console modder and repairman claims that the revised DualSense’s battery life is nothing to scoff at.
New PS5 DualSense controller model improves battery life, but stick drift remains an issue
The modder/technician, who goes by the username Modyfikator89 on X, tested the CFI-ZCT2W series of DualSense for over 15 hours. Features like haptics, adaptive triggers, speaker, and mic were used in-game across titles like Astro’s Playroom and Fortnite.
The result? A marked improvement in battery life that “crushes” previous models, including the DualSense Edge. As for how Sony achieved this, Modyfikator89 stripped down the controller to show numerous internal changes from BDM-010 to BDM-060, which apparently also lead to cooler temperatures in the revised model.
Thermal images also confirmed ultra-low charging temps (~26°C), proving efficient engineering. This is the controller we've been waiting for. pic.twitter.com/SkqwtZizR5
Although this is great news, stick drift remains a sore point for PS5 players, and I’ve personally been a victim of the issue at least twice in this generation. My limited-edition Spider-Man controller was used extremely sparingly, but much to my dismay, it developed a recurring stick drift problem.
Here’s hoping that’s the issue Sony addresses next.
A fantastic 2015 PS4 game (playable on PS5) is 95% off in a limited-time PS Store deal — its lowest price yet since launch. Frictional Games‘ horror action adventure title Soma costs just a few dollars and is worth checking out at its current sale price if you haven’t played it yet.
Soma PS Store deal brings its price down to $1.49 for a limited time
Soma can be yours for just $1.49 if you purchase it before December 23. The game received positive critic reviews upon launch, and fared even better with players.
Soma is set in an underwater facility called Pathos-II, which has been isolated. Twisted creatures lurk in the facility, whose fate rests in your hands.
“The radio is dead, food is running out, and the machines have started to think they are people,” a synopsis reads. “Underwater facility Pathos-II has suffered an intolerable isolation and we’re going to have to make some tough decisions. What can be done? What makes sense? What is left to fight for?”
Soma isn’t a lengthy game, and its 100% completion (including all trophies) takes just 10 hours. Unfortunately, however, there’s no Platinum trophy to reward players for their time. But that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.
Sony is under fire after releasing a set of new free PSN avatars as part of the digital PlayStation Advent Calendar 2025. The PlayStation Advent Calendar is an annual online activity that, for reasons unbeknownst to us, is limited to a few countries.
New free PSN avatars are all AI-generated, it seems
Available in parts of Europe and Canada, the Advent Calendar has players engage in various activities over 24 days, with daily prizes awarded. Prizes range from physical goods, like the limited edition Astro Bot DualSense controller, to digital rewards, like PS Plus or PS Store gift cards and PSN avatars.
The PSN avatars are pretty much awarded to everyone daily for partaking in the activity, and it’s these freebies that have come under fire. As highlighted by players, all the free avatars are low-effort, generic images that seem to have been crafted with Generative AI.
Frankly, some of these avatars look very similar to PS3 avatars that I claimed back in the day. That said, it would have been nice to see a little bit of effort put into this activity.
It’s unclear why the Advent Calendar isn’t available outside of a few countries. But to be fair, main markets like the United States get preferential treatment from Sony year-round. Being left out of one activity isn’t all that bad!
