Key Highlights:
- September’s PS Plus Essential lineup includes Psychonauts 2, Stardew Valley, and Viewfinder.
- All three titles are playable from 2 September, with only Viewfinder being native on PS5.
- August’s games (Lies of P, DayZ, and My Hero One’s Justice 2) can be claimed until 1 September.
Sony has confirmed the PlayStation Plus Essential games for September, and members will be able to download Psychonauts 2, Stardew Valley, and Viewfinder starting 2 September.
While two of the titles are PS4 games running through backwards compatibility, there’s still plenty of quality on offer.
Psychonauts 2 puts players in the shoes of Razputin “Raz” Aquato, a young psychic whose dream of joining the Psychonauts turns into a conspiracy-ridden adventure. It blends sharp writing, surreal level design, and humour with more serious undertones about trauma and mental health.
I remember playing it at launch and being impressed with how Double Fine managed to balance a whimsical platformer with themes that could easily have felt heavy-handed in lesser hands. It’s one of those rare sequels that doesn’t just live up to its predecessor but actually surpasses it.
Stardew Valley needs little introduction. Since its release, it has gone from a small indie farming sim to a cultural touchstone that many consider the definitive example of the genre. What still stands out to me is how it continues to evolve years after release thanks to updates that add depth, community events, and even more ways to escape into its rural charm.
The choice to include it here feels like Sony acknowledging that sometimes the most valuable additions to PS Plus aren’t flashy blockbusters, but games people can sink hundreds of hours into at their own pace.
Viewfinder, the only native PS5 game in the lineup, is arguably the most experimental of the bunch. Its instant-camera mechanic lets players literally reshape the environment by turning photographs into explorable 3D spaces. It’s one of those puzzle games that rewards creativity and perception rather than reflexes.
Having tried it on PS5, I’d say it makes clever use of DualSense features and feels like a showcase for the type of smaller, inventive experiences that thrive on the platform.
The September lineup may raise eyebrows because only one of the three is a true PlayStation 5 title, but the variety here makes it somewhat adequate. Lets not sugar coat it though, I would say this collection is arguably the worst this year, certainly in recent months.
Members who haven’t yet grabbed August’s games Lies of P, DayZ, and My Hero One’s Justice 2, have until 1 September to add them to their libraries before the new trio rotates in.