PS Plus October 2026: What to Claim Before 2 November, and What to Skip

October's PlayStation Plus Monthly Games are F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. They went live on Tuesday 6 Oct 2026, and you have until Monday 2 Nov to add them to your library. Every PS Plus tier gets them, from Essential up.

One rule to know before anything else. Sony says Monthly Games are yours "for as long as you remain an active member." So claiming them now doesn't mean owning them outright. You keep access while your membership stays active, and that's the deal.

Short version. Claim all three if you're already a member, even if you won't play them this month. Skip subscribing just for these if none of them appeals and you only play free-to-play games online. And hold off on upgrading to a bigger tier until this month's catalogue additions are announced.

Affiliate disclosure: some product or store links may later be affiliate or referral links. Facts in this post come from the PlayStation Blog and the official US, UK and South African PlayStation Plus pages, checked on 8 Oct 2026 (SAST). Prices and line-ups can change and may differ by region, so check the store before you pay.

October at a glance

• Games: F1 25 (PS5), Hunt: Showdown 1896 (PS5) and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 (PS5 and PS4).
• Claim window: Tuesday 6 Oct to Monday 2 Nov 2026. Sony gives the date but not a cut-off time, so don't leave it to the last evening.
• Who gets them: all PS Plus members, on any tier.
• Region note: Sony's blog says the line-up "may differ by region." We checked the South African "What's new" page on 8 Oct, and it lists the same three games.

The three games, and who each one is for

F1 25 is the official game of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship. Sony's blog highlights the single-player Career and My Team 2.0 modes, where you run your own team as the owner. There's also a new multiplayer mode in F1 World where you and friends race as a squad against AI drivers. Claim it if you like racing, or if you want something low-pressure to play with mates.

Hunt: Showdown 1896 is an extraction shooter where you face both monsters and other players. You track down bosses, claim a bounty and try to get out alive while other players hunt you. You can go solo or take up to two teammates. If you're curious about extraction shooters before Modern Warfare 4's DMZ mode arrives on 23 Oct, this is a decent warm-up.

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is a voxel-style shooter where you build a team of four characters and fight giant enemies. It supports four-player online co-op and two-player local split screen on both PS5 and PS4. It's the pick of the three for couch co-op, and the only one on PS4.

Bonus stuff this month

A few smaller extras come with membership in October:

• HorrorFest packs. PS Plus members can grab themed in-game bundles: a Call of Duty: Warzone Horror Bundle (from 1 Oct), a Hunt: Showdown 1896 Starter Pack (from 6 Oct) and an Overwatch 2 Dragur Reinhardt + 5 Tier Skips Pack (from 7 Oct). You need to own the base game for each.
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day avatars. Members can claim these in the Sony Pictures Core app from 6 Oct, until the promotion ends on 20 Oct. Sony says they're "available in regions with Sony Pictures Core," and we couldn't confirm whether that includes South Africa.
• A pre-order discount. Sony says PS Plus members get 10% off when pre-ordering Warhammer Survivors, which launches on PS5 on 10 Nov.

What PS Plus costs right now

The top tier's name depends on where you shop. Sony's South African page calls it Deluxe, so that's the name we use here. The US and UK pages call the same tier Premium, so if an overseas video talks about PS Plus Premium, it means Deluxe here.

These are the list prices on the official PlayStation Plus pages when we checked on 8 Oct 2026 at about 11:45 SAST:

Treat these as a snapshot. Store prices change, and we're not making any claim about past or future price moves.

What each tier adds, in short: Essential covers the Monthly Games, online multiplayer and member discounts. Extra adds the Game Catalogue, a rotating library of hundreds of games. Deluxe adds more on top, including the Classics Catalogue and game trials. Catalogue games can leave the service, and Sony publishes their end dates.

Claim, skip, upgrade, or wait?

Claim all three if you're on any tier. It costs nothing extra, and they join your library for as long as you stay subscribed. Do it before 2 Nov even if your backlog is already long.

Claim selectively, if you must choose what to download. F1 25 for racing fans and friend groups. Hunt: Showdown 1896 if you like tense, high-stakes PvP. EDF World Brothers 2 if you want split-screen co-op on the couch.

Skip subscribing just for these if you only play free-to-play games online. Sony's FAQ says "most free to play games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends and Call of Duty Warzone do not require a membership."

Wait before upgrading to Extra or Deluxe. This month's catalogue additions haven't been announced by Sony yet. NME reports they will be announced on 14 Oct. Sony hasn't confirmed that date, so check back after it rather than paying more today. The three Monthly Games come with Essential anyway.

Need it for Modern Warfare 4? The game's PlayStation Store listing says "Online Multiplayer requires a PlayStation Plus subscription." Sony's PS Plus page says online multiplayer is included with every membership, so Essential is the minimum. Monthly is the cheapest way to try it. Yearly works out cheaper per month if you'll keep it all year.

If you're weighing a subscription against a PC handheld instead, our Steam Deck OLED vs ROG Ally comparison covers that side of the decision.

What's still coming

• This month's catalogue additions. Expected on 14 Oct, per NME. We'll only list titles once Sony confirms them.
• November's Monthly Games. Not announced yet.
• Exact claim cut-off time on 2 Nov. Sony gives only the date.

The Joburg reality check

On the official South African page, PS Plus was listed at R149 a month for Essential, R229 for Extra and R279 for Deluxe when we checked on 8 Oct. Yearly plans were R1,109, R1,869 and R2,199. If you know you'll stay subscribed, the yearly plan saves you from twelve separate payments and works out cheaper per month. We won't guess where prices or the rand go next.

Buying a PS Plus voucher from a marketplace seller? Check that the voucher's region matches your account before you pay. Our grey import marketplace checklist covers what to look for.

And once you've claimed the games, don't download them all on capped mobile data. Queue them for fibre. Our fibre vs mobile data guide breaks down why.

FAQ

What are the PS Plus games for October 2026?
F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. The South African page lists the same three.

When do I have to claim them?
By Monday 2 Nov 2026. Sony hasn't given a cut-off time, so claim them early.

Do I keep them if I cancel?
Only while you're a member. Sony's FAQ answers "Are PlayStation Plus games mine to keep?" with "Yes, for as long as you remain an active member."

How much is PS Plus in South Africa?
The official SA page listed R149, R229 and R279 a month for Essential, Extra and Deluxe on 8 Oct 2026.

Featured photo: Compagnons / Unsplash

Sources: PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October (PlayStation Blog, 30 Sep 2026), PlayStation Plus (PlayStation, US), PlayStation Plus (PlayStation, UK), PlayStation Plus (PlayStation, South Africa), What's new on PlayStation Plus (PlayStation, South Africa), Warhammer Survivors launches November 10 (PlayStation Blog, 6 Oct 2026), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (PlayStation Store, South Africa), PS Plus games for October 2026 have been confirmed (NME, 5 Oct 2026). Prices checked 8 Oct 2026, about 11:45 SAST.