Sony is kicking off 2026 with a PlayStation Plus lineup that blends velocity, nostalgia, and artistic freedom. The PlayStation Plus January 2026 video games have formally been confirmed, and the choice provides one thing for almost each kind of participant, from adrenaline-fueled racers to platforming purists and sandbox explorers.
Main the month’s lineup is Want for Pace Unbound, joined by Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and the indie favourite Core Keeper. All three titles shall be obtainable to PlayStation Plus subscribers from January 6 by way of February 2, based on Sony’s official announcement on the PlayStation blog.
Whereas it might not be the flashiest lineup PlayStation Plus has ever delivered, it’s a considerate one, and a powerful, measured approach to ease gamers into the brand new yr.
Want for Pace Unbound Brings Excessive-Pace Power to PS Plus
Headlining January’s drop is Want for Pace Unbound, the 2022 entry in EA’s long-running racing franchise. Accessible solely on PS5, the sport represents one of many sequence’ boldest stylistic pivots in years.
Relatively than sticking to pure realism, Unbound blends genuine vehicles and environments with animated, graffiti-inspired visible results. The result’s a glance that feels loud, expressive, and unapologetically fashionable. The result’s an aesthetic danger that instantly units it aside.
Past its visuals, nevertheless, the sport stays firmly rooted in basic Want for Pace DNA. Gamers race in opposition to the clock, evade more and more aggressive police items, and compete in weekly qualifiers for an opportunity at The Grand—Lakeshore Metropolis’s final street-racing showdown.
Importantly, Want for Pace Unbound separates its single-player and multiplayer development methods. This enables solo gamers to advance at their very own tempo, whereas aggressive racers can bounce straight into on-line occasions with out feeling left behind.
Though the sport didn’t reinvent the style mechanically, critics largely agreed that its artistic gamble paid off. Many famous that whereas it builds on the inspiration laid by Want for Pace Warmth, its animated aptitude offers the franchise a contemporary edge that feels particularly at dwelling on next-gen {hardware}. For PS Plus members who skipped the sport at launch, January provides the proper excuse to lastly hit the streets.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed Revives a Forgotten Traditional
Shifting gears completely, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed delivers one thing PlayStation Plus not often provides: a fastidiously thought of revival of a cult basic.
Initially launched in 2010 on the Nintendo Wii, Epic Mickey launched gamers to a darker, extra introspective nook of Disney lore. Set within the Wasteland, a world populated by forgotten characters, the sport reimagined Mickey Mouse as an unlikely hero wielding paint and thinner as an alternative of brute pressure.
The Rebrushed version, obtainable on each PS4 and PS5, modernizes the expertise with out stripping away its soul. Visuals are sharper, controls are smoother, and the atmosphere feels way more alive than it did greater than a decade in the past.
One of many sport’s strongest emotional threads stays Mickey’s relationship with Oswald the Fortunate Rabbit, Disney’s unique star earlier than Mickey took middle stage. Their uneasy alliance provides stunning depth to what may in any other case really feel like an easy platformer.
At its core, Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is about ambiance, alternative, and consequence. Whether or not you restore the world with paint or erase obstacles with thinner subtly shapes how the story unfolds, inviting gamers to interact thoughtfully reasonably than rush ahead.
Core Keeper Provides Indie Depth to the January Lineup
Rounding out the month is Core Keeper, a sandbox journey that has quietly constructed a loyal following since its early entry debut.
Playable on PS4 and PS5, Core Keeper helps one to eight gamers, making it equally suited to solo explorers and cooperative teams. The sport blends mining, crafting, base-building, and fight inside a procedurally evolving underground world that rewards curiosity and persistence.
Its inclusion in January feels notably well-timed due to the upcoming Void & Voltage Replace, scheduled for January 28, 2026. The replace introduces a brand new biome, Breaker’s Attain, alongside a formidable new boss—S.A.H.A.B.A.R.—and expanded automation methods designed to deepen long-term play.
By providing Core Keeper forward of this replace, PlayStation Plus offers gamers a worthwhile head begin: time to discover, construct, and put together earlier than the sport grows even additional.
It’s a wise addition, and one which underscores Sony’s continued effort to highlight indie titles alongside main releases.
Closing Out 2025 Whereas Setting the Tone for 2026
Earlier than totally turning the web page to January’s lineup, PlayStation Plus members nonetheless have a quick window to assert December 2025’s video games. Titles like LEGO Horizon Adventures, Killing Ground 3, The Outlast Trials, Synduality: Echo of Ada, and Neon White stay obtainable so as to add to libraries till January 5, after which they’ll rotate out of the service.
That overlap feels intentional. It creates a mild transition from December’s high-energy chaos to a extra deliberate begin to the brand new yr. And that’s exactly the place January 2026 distinguishes itself.
The PlayStation Plus January 2026 video games are about stability. Pace and elegance arrive by way of Want for Pace Unbound. Narrative-driven nostalgia comes by way of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed. In the meantime, Core Keeper provides depth, freedom, and longevity for gamers trying to settle in reasonably than dash by way of content material.
Because the gaming calendar inevitably heats up later within the yr, January doesn’t really feel like a grand assertion. As a substitute, it looks like an invite: decelerate, attempt one thing totally different, and step into 2026 with intention.
Featured picture: EA
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