Sony is kicking off 2026 with a PlayStation Plus lineup that blends speed, nostalgia, and inventive freedom. The PlayStation Plus January 2026 video games have formally been confirmed, and the choice gives one thing for almost each sort of participant, from adrenaline-fueled racers to platforming purists and sandbox explorers.
Main the month’s lineup is Want for Velocity Unbound, joined by Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and the indie favourite Core Keeper. All three titles might be accessible to PlayStation Plus subscribers from January 6 by way of February 2, in line with 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 robust, measured approach to ease gamers into the brand new yr.
Want for Velocity Unbound Brings Excessive-Velocity Vitality to PS Plus
Headlining January’s drop is Want for Velocity Unbound, the 2022 entry in EA’s long-running racing franchise. Obtainable solely on PS5, the sport represents one of many sequence’ boldest stylistic pivots in years.
Slightly 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 traditional Want for Velocity DNA. Gamers race in opposition to the clock, evade more and more aggressive police models, and compete in weekly qualifiers for an opportunity at The Grand—Lakeshore Metropolis’s final street-racing showdown.
Importantly, Want for Velocity Unbound separates its single-player and multiplayer development programs. This permits 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 muse laid by Want for Velocity Warmth, its animated aptitude offers the franchise a recent edge that feels particularly at house on next-gen {hardware}. For PS Plus members who skipped the sport at launch, January gives the proper excuse to lastly hit the streets.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed Revives a Forgotten Traditional
Shifting gears totally, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed delivers one thing PlayStation Plus hardly ever gives: a rigorously thought-about revival of a cult traditional.
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 drive.
The Rebrushed version, accessible on each PS4 and PS5, modernizes the expertise with out stripping away its soul. Visuals are sharper, controls are smoother, and the atmosphere feels much 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 authentic star earlier than Mickey took middle stage. Their uneasy alliance provides shocking depth to what would possibly 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 quite 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 endurance.
Its inclusion in January feels significantly well-timed because of 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 programs designed to deepen long-term play.
By providing Core Keeper forward of this replace, PlayStation Plus offers gamers a precious 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 Flooring 3, The Outlast Trials, Synduality: Echo of Ada, and Neon White stay accessible so as to add to libraries till January 5, after which they are going to 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 steadiness. Velocity and magnificence arrive by way of Want for Velocity Unbound. Narrative-driven nostalgia comes through Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed. In the meantime, Core Keeper gives depth, freedom, and longevity for gamers trying to settle in quite 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 appears like an invite: decelerate, attempt one thing totally different, and step into 2026 with intention.
Featured picture: EA
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