PS Plus May 2025 Games: Balatro, Boltgun, and Ark: Survival Ascended Revealed!

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The lineup of free games for PlayStation Plus Essential in May 2025 is another exciting mix. It includes a well-liked roguelike game, a shooter in a classic series, and an enhanced version of a dinosaur-filled survival game. These games are named Balatro, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, and Ark: Survival Ascended. Here’s a brief overview of these three games that will be available to PS Plus Essential members on May 6th.

Balatro

As a dedicated gaming enthusiast, I found myself captivated by the extraordinary rise of Balatro, an ingenious creation born from the mind of an unidentified Canadian developer. This game, unlike others, has managed to seize the attention of the entire industry, irrespective of team size. In the year 2024, it became a phenomenon, selling over 5 million copies and amassing numerous awards. The anticipation for this game remained at a fever pitch for almost the entire year as its popularity continued to grow.

Balatro is a card game with roguelike elements, styled after poker, but offering numerous power-ups to provide players an immense degree of flexibility when accumulating points. The diverse Joker cards each have unique abilities, and when paired with Tarot and Spectral cards that modify decks, as well as Planet cards that amplify the score of certain hands, it results in a staggering number of potential builds. This versatility keeps Balatro feeling fresh, which is likely why it has maintained its popularity since its debut in February 2024.

LocalThunk, the sole developer behind the game, has made several updates since its launch. These updates have tweaked the balance of various difficulties and cards in some instances, while others have introduced new cosmetic items. The “Friends of Jimbo” series of updates have particularly added themed cards based on popular franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Fallout, The Witcher, Bugsnax, Don’t Starve, Dave the Diver, and The Binding of Isaac. Contrary to some misleading ratings board opinions, this game does not contain any microtransactions or downloadable content that can be purchased.

In 2025, LocalThunk intends to unveil a substantial gameplay update for their game. While details are scarce, we know that it will incorporate modifications to one level of difficulty, adjustments to certain Jokers, and enhancements to Wild Cards at the very least.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

In May 2023, the action-packed first-person shooter game “Boltgun,” developed by Auroch Digital, was released to generally positive feedback, scoring an average of 76 on OpenCritic. This game is not shy about acknowledging its influences and aims squarely at classics like DOOM, Duke Nukem, Shadow Warrior, and other popular shooters from the 1990s, which were frequently referred to as “DOOM clones.” Similar to those games, Boltgun features key card hunts, retro pixelated graphics, and a strong emphasis on first-person shooting that prioritizes gameplay over narrative and role-playing enhancements.

This game harks back to traditional shooter styles and doesn’t necessitate knowledge of Warhammer for enjoyment. What stands out is the gunplay, which is emphasized by the sheer amount of shooting players will do, as well as the powerful sound effects and splattering red explosions that accompany every defeated enemy.

Since its initial release, the game known as Boltgun has undergone several improvements. These enhancements include a free wave-based survival mode, as well as certain quality-of-life adjustments that make quick-time events smoother and provide clearer pointers to the upcoming objective, which is particularly beneficial for those who dislike searching for key cards. Additionally, it offers the Forges of Corruption DLC, although this add-on is not available for PlayStation Plus subscribers and requires an extra $5.99 purchase. Forges of Corruption essentially expands the game with five new levels, two additional weapons, and three new enemy types, making it a suitable choice for players who are eager to delve deeper into the world of Boltgun.

Ark: Survival Ascended

Ark: Survival Evolved, not the next numbered sequel featuring Vin Diesel, is actually a reimagined or significantly updated version of the original 2015 game. Interestingly, this game was also added to PlayStation Plus Essential in March 2022 and reportedly cost Sony $3.5 million. With its upgrade to Unreal Engine 5, it boasts enhanced lighting effects, more realistic character designs, and richer, denser environments.

This “reimagined” version is essentially an updated take on a game that’s been around for 10 years and still receives updates. It offers plenty of activities, maintaining the core gameplay mechanics similar to the original. Essentially, it’s a survival game where you cultivate land, battle hostile creatures, and gather better equipment to improve your efficiency. And let’s not forget, there are dinosaurs and various other beasts roaming around too!

Feedback towards the game “Survival Ascended” has varied, showcasing both positive aspects and areas for improvement. On one hand, improvements like an advanced character creator and robust building tools have been praised compared to the original version. However, performance issues have been widely criticized across all platforms. Despite not receiving a specific patch for the PS5 Pro, it still doesn’t run as smoothly as expected, even on powerful hardware. For those using the base PS5, the technical reliability is even lower. Performance troubles are nothing new for this series, but they are worth noting nonetheless.

In this enhanced version, Survival Ascended, you’ll find a multitude of downloadable content from the original game. This includes expansions like Survival of the Fittest, Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Genesis Part 1, and Genesis Part 2. Additionally, there’s a season pass offering three expansions with themes inspired by the Wild West, steampunk, and Mad Max-style wastelands. However, you won’t find the Astraeos map based on Greek mythology, demonic horse and lion mounts, or the massive costume pack of 109 skins from the Ark animated series within this season pass. These extra DLC contents will not be accessible for PlayStation Plus subscribers either. Studio Wildcard frequently updates players with information about new content releases, events, and their development roadmap.

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2025-05-02 18:40