PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers in January 2026 will have a variety of games to choose from. Interestingly, this month’s selection doesn’t quite follow PlayStation’s recent announcement that they’d be focusing less on PS4 games for Essential. Two of the three games – Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and Core Keeper – are available on both PS4 and PS5, with Need for Speed Unbound being the only game exclusive to PS5. It seems it might take a little while for the new strategy to fully take effect.
Here’s a quick look at the PlayStation Plus Essential games coming in January 2026, no matter what system you play on.
3) Need for Speed Unbound
As a big fan of the Need for Speed games, I was really excited about Need for Speed Unbound. It seems like most people enjoyed it too – it got a pretty solid 75 out of 100 on average, which is good news!
Unbound follows the standard racing game formula. You advance by finishing races well or making smart bets, then use your winnings to upgrade your car or buy a new one. There’s a time limit to earn enough money for each week’s important race, adding some challenge. Be warned, though – the game is quite difficult, and consistently finishing in the top three won’t be easy.
The game is quite challenging, perhaps too much so. It’s frustrating to constantly lose races and not feel rewarded for your efforts, even if you still earn some money for lower placements. While the story is surprisingly well-written and the game looks stylish with its unique characters and city environments, the racing itself feels unfair and doesn’t consistently deliver exciting moments.
Criterion Games consistently updated Unbound after its 2022 release. These updates added features like police chases to multiplayer, daily challenges, more playlists, improved chat, new cars, a wide variety of cosmetic items, better ways to organize cars, and many new races. They also revamped the drifting system and added the ability to manually reset your car. Beyond these free updates, players could also purchase premium downloadable content and battle passes that included even more cars and cosmetic options.
2) Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a remake of the unusual Disney platformer first released in 2010. This updated version was generally better received than the original, earning an average score of 77 compared to the Wii version’s 73.
Epic Mickey is a 3D platforming adventure where you play as Mickey Mouse and explore a strange, forgotten world filled with discarded Disney characters. You use paint and paint thinner to battle enemies, and your choices can lead to two different endings. Unlike many modern Disney games that aim for broad appeal, Epic Mickey retains a unique, somewhat darker tone, with gloomy settings and allows players to play as a mischievous Mickey.
Epic Mickey offers dependable, though not groundbreaking, platforming gameplay. It cleverly uses paint and thinner to change the environment, making things appear and vanish. While the updated version, Rebrushed, doesn’t have the unique motion controls of the original, it improves the camera and adds new moves like a ground pound, sprint, and dash. Rebrushed also includes more extensive 2D levels. Though it still feels like a game from 2010 and lacks voice acting, it remains a peculiar and interesting piece of gaming history.
Rebrushed did not see any noteworthy post-launch support.
1) Core Keeper
Core Keeper is a 2D survival game where you explore and build in a world from a top-down perspective. It was first released as an early access title in 2022 and officially launched in 2024, quickly gaining positive feedback and an average rating of 87.
Core Keeper blends the best parts of games like Terraria, Minecraft, and Stardew Valley. You’ll find yourself in a randomly generated underground world, gathering resources and crafting tools, weapons, and armor – either by yourself or with up to seven friends. A big part of the game involves building a well-organized base with automated systems. Improving your gear and base is a constant cycle that drives progress. While there’s a focus on building and crafting, Core Keeper also features action-packed combat and a progression system similar to Skyrim, letting you customize your character with a variety of weapons and armor. Though not the main goal, combat is flexible enough to allow players to explore different strategies and playstyles.
Core Keeper spent several years in early access, receiving most of its development support during that time. Even after its official 1.0 release, the developers at Pugstorm have continued to expand the game. Recent additions include items for the Lunar New Year, new areas to explore (biomes), challenging bosses, bombs, a wider variety of equipment and armor, a redesigned inventory system, a crossover with the indie game Abiotic Factor, decorative items for pets, and adjustments to boss battles. The team plans to release even more content in 2026, starting with a major update on January 28th.
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2026-01-03 16:11