PlayStation Plus Reveals 3 Free Games for July 2026
▼ Summary
– PlayStation Plus July essential tier games include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, For The King II, and CrossCode, available from July 7.
– Essential tier games are yours to keep as long as you have an active subscription, unlike extra and premium tier offerings.
– Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is the headlining game but is widely considered one of the worst entries, scoring a 5/10 from GAMINGbible.
– For The King II is a tactical RPG with a score of 76 on Metacritic, while CrossCode is a 2D action RPG with a score of 86.
– The essential tier remains unaffected by phased game rollouts being trialed for extra and premium tiers in the US, UK, and Japan.
July has arrived, and with it comes the latest batch of free PlayStation Plus games for subscribers. Sony has officially unveiled the Essential tier lineup for July 2026, with three titles set to drop on Tuesday, July 7.
As always, these games are yours to keep for as long as your PlayStation Plus subscription remains active. Unlike the rotating catalogs of the Extra and Premium tiers, Essential games don’t vanish once claimed. That alone is reason enough to grab everything on offer. You never know when a game you overlooked might click with you down the road.
Headlining this month is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, joined by For The King II and CrossCode. It’s a notably mixed bag. Modern Warfare III has been widely panned as one of the weakest entries in the long-running franchise, and it’s the only AAA title in the bunch. That’s a tough sell on a day when PlayStation already disappointed its fanbase by confirming the end of physical first-party games.
Our colleagues at GAMINGbible gave the Modern Warfare III campaign a score of just 5 out of 10 at launch. “Call of Duty deserved much better than this churned-out disappointment,” wrote Richard Less Breslin. “If you’re desperate for a bit of CoD this year, then you’ve probably already picked this game up. Otherwise, give this game a miss or at least hold out for patches to fix some issues.”
The real highlights this month are the indie and AA offerings. For The King II is a tactical RPG that supports up to four-player co-op. Its synopsis sets the stage: a beloved queen has turned tyrant, enslaving her people and forging pacts with dark forces. Players must gather their party and fight to end her oppressive rule. It holds a respectable 76 on Metacritic.
Then there’s CrossCode, a 2D action RPG that blends 16-bit visuals with smooth physics, fast combat, and clever puzzles, all wrapped in a gripping sci-fi story. With a Metacritic score of 86, it’s easily the strongest game in this month’s lineup. It may not have been on many wishlists, but it’s well worth a try.
All three titles become available on Tuesday, July 7. While PlayStation Plus is testing phased rollouts for Extra and Premium tiers in the US, UK, and Japan, the Essential tier remains unaffected. So mark your calendars and add these to your library.
(Source: Gamingbible.com)
