UPDATE 2: Sony has officially announced the PS Plus games for January 2026.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and Core Keeper will join Need for Speed Unbound when the PS Plus games refresh on January 6, 2026.
As a reminder, the games replace the likes of LEGO Horizon Adventures, Killing Floor 3 and The Outlast Trials.
UPDATE: The first PlayStation Plus Essential for January 2026 appears to have leaked ahead of schedule.
While fans are predicting the likes of Hogwarts Legacy, Hades and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, it looks like an Electronic Arts racer will headline the line-up.
According to a report on Dealabs, Need for Speed Unbound will headline the PS Plus Essentials line-up on January 6.
The PS5 titles will be officially unveiled by Sony at 4.30pm GMT UK time on December 31, so check back later for the full list of games.
ORIGINAL: PlayStation Plus subscribers are just hours away from discovering the first wave of games joining the Essentials tier in 2026.
The next batch of PS Plus Essentials will be officially unveiled by Sony at 4.30pm GMT UK time on December 31. The PS5 games will be available to download and play on the morning of January 6.
After treating fans to a bonus game or two in December, subscribers will be hoping for a great start to the new year when Sony makes the announcement for January.
Indeed, judging by the PS Plus predictions thread over on Reddit, subscribers are expecting a spellbinding surprise in January.
Harry Potter spinoff Hogwarts Legacy is predicted to join the PS Plus line-up on January 6.
One fan justifies the selection by pointing out that Hogwarts Legacy has received some rather big discounts in recent months, and was given away for free over on the Epic Games Store ahead of Christmas.
Elsewhere, Avatar Frontiers of Pandora receives even more votes, following the recent release of the From the Ashes expansion.
The usual suspects of Hades, Atomic Heart and Resident Evil Village continue to make multiple appearances in the predictions thread, alongside first-party games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Rise of the Ronin, Horizon Forbidden West and Returnal. There are a surprising number of picks for Astro Bot.
Likewise, there are lots of picks for games from the Persona series, as well as a Final Fantasy or two.
One thing we do know is that PS4-only games will no longer appear in the PS Plus line-up from January.
Sony previously confirmed that all future PS Plus Essentials and Extra games will be either cross-platform or PS5-only.
The next batch of games will replace the existing line-up, which is headlined by LEGO Horizon Adventures.
The popular Horizon spinoff is joined by Killing Floor 3 and The Outlast Trials, as well as bonus freebies Neon White and Synduality Echo of Ada.
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