Why this matters: October is the busiest release month of the year, and Sony just handed subscribers three very different multiplayer-friendly games to fill the gaps between the big launches — all claimable from October 6.
October 3, 2026 — Sony has revealed the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October 2026: F1 25 (PS5), Hunt: Showdown 1896 (PS5), and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 (PS5 and PS4). All three become claimable on Tuesday, October 6 and stay available until Monday, November 2, 2026. The lineup was announced on September 30 on the official PlayStation Blog by Adam Michel, Sony's Senior Director of Content Acquisition and Operations.
Image: Illustration of three PlayStation games on a blue stage — a Formula 1 race car speeding, a gothic hunter with a lantern, and colorful voxel robot soldiers. Credit: Red Eye Eagle News / original AI illustration.
Editor's Highlight: This is a deliberately social lineup: every one of the three games is built around playing with friends — squad racing, three-player extraction shooting, and four-player co-op — which makes it the rare monthly drop that works as a ready-made multiplayer starter kit.
Table of Contents
- Key Facts
- How the Monthly Games work
- F1 25: the headline racer
- Hunt: Showdown 1896: high-tension extraction shooting
- Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2: the couch co-op pick
- October's packed release calendar
- What to watch next
- Bottom Line
- FAQ
- Sources
Key Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Games | F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 |
| Platforms | F1 25 and Hunt: Showdown 1896 on PS5; EDF: World Brothers 2 on PS5 and PS4 |
| Claim window | October 6 – November 2, 2026 |
| Announced | September 30, 2026, on the PlayStation Blog |
| Tiers covered | Essential, Extra and Premium |
| Extra/Premium reveal | October 14, 2026; games arrive October 20 |
| September games leave | October 5: Sniper Elite: Resistance, MLB The Show 26, Wobbly Life, Chained Echoes |
| Keep rule | Once claimed, playable as long as the subscription stays active |
How the Monthly Games work
The Monthly Games are the core benefit of every PlayStation Plus tier, Essential included. Each month's games can be added to your library during the claim window.
The one rule that matters: you do not need to download or even install a game before the window closes — you only need to claim it. Once claimed, it stays playable for as long as your subscription is active.
Newsroom Focus: Sony's usual caveat applies — the Monthly Games can vary by region, so check your local PlayStation Store on October 6 before assuming availability.
F1 25: the headline racer
F1 25 is the biggest mainstream name in October's lineup and the only PS5-only racing pick. It is the official game of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, developed by Codemasters and published by EA Sports.
Single-player drivers get two long-form experiences: a Career mode and My Team 2.0, where you run your own Formula 1 team as its owner — hiring drivers, spending budget on staff and car development, and choosing which driver to race as each weekend.
Online, the new F1 World mode adds squad-based multiplayer: you and your friends race together as a squad against AI drivers rather than against each other. It is a gentler on-ramp into online racing for players who have been burned by lobby chaos.
Practical Takeaway: Sony lists the base game only — the separate 2026 Season Pack is sold separately, so do not assume it is included.
Hunt: Showdown 1896: high-tension extraction shooting
Hunt: Showdown 1896 takes the lineup in a darker direction. Crytek's PvPvE extraction shooter revolves around tracking a boss, taking its bounty, and trying to extract alive — while rival Hunters do the same.
Matches can be entered solo or in teams of up to three. Sound-driven tracking, unpredictable player encounters, and the ever-present risk of losing everything make it the most high-pressure game in the October trio.
Analysis Note: Of the three, Hunt is the only multiplayer-only choice, and it fills the tension gap nicely between F1 25's structured racing and EDF's unserious co-op.
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2: the couch co-op pick
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 rounds out the month with a lighter option. The D3Publisher voxel-style spin-off of the long-running EDF series lets you rescue soldiers, build a four-member squad from more than 100 characters, and fight giant enemies across more than 100 missions.
It supports four-player online co-op and two-player local split-screen — the only game this month with couch multiplayer. A single claim covers both the PS5 and PS4 versions.
Newsroom Focus: For PS4 owners on Essential, this is the one October game available to them — F1 25 and Hunt are both PS5-only.
October's packed release calendar
The Monthly Games land in the busiest launch month of the year. Here is how the trio fits around October's biggest days:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct 6 | Star Wars: Galactic Racer; Gears of War: E-Day (Game Pass day one) |
| Oct 8 | Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival |
| Oct 13 | Valor Mortis |
| Oct 15 | Castlevania: Belmont's Curse |
| Oct 22 | Final Fantasy Resonance |
| Oct 23 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 |
| Oct 29 | Phantom Blade Zero |
The PS Plus trio serves as low-cost filler between the expensive blockbusters — particularly useful since publishers reportedly stacked October ahead of GTA 6's November 19 launch.
What to watch next
The Extra and Premium tier Game Catalog additions will be announced on October 14 and arrive on October 20. One title is already confirmed: Mycopunk, Devolver Digital's mission-based looter shooter, launches day one into the Extra and Premium catalogs on October 20.
Before the new trio arrives, subscribers have until October 5 to claim September's games: Sniper Elite: Resistance, MLB The Show 26, Wobbly Life, and Chained Echoes.
Bottom Line
October's PlayStation Plus lineup is one of the stronger drops of the year: a full-fledged licensed racing sim, a genuinely tense extraction shooter, and a co-op action game that still supports the PS4. Claim all three by November 2, and keep an eye on October 14 for the Extra and Premium catalog reveal.
FAQ
When can I claim the October 2026 PS Plus games?
From Tuesday, October 6 through Monday, November 2, 2026. All three go live for every tier, Essential included.
Which games are PS5-only and which work on PS4?
F1 25 and Hunt: Showdown 1896 are PS5-only. Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is available on both PS5 and PS4 with a single claim.
Do I need to download the games before November 2?
No. You only need to add them to your library during the claim window. Once claimed, they stay playable as long as your PlayStation Plus subscription remains active.
When are the PS Plus Extra and Premium games for October announced?
The catalog additions for Extra and Premium will be revealed on October 14 and arrive on October 20. Mycopunk is already confirmed as a day-one addition on October 20.
When do September's PS Plus games leave?
You have until Monday, October 5 to claim September's four games — Sniper Elite: Resistance, MLB The Show 26, Wobbly Life, and Chained Echoes — before they are replaced.
Sources
- https://www.gameshub.com/news/article/playstation-plus-october-games-2910771/ — GamesHub, Oct 1 2026: lineup, claim window Oct 6–Nov 2, platform split, September games' Oct 5 deadline
- https://gaming.kroppmedia.com.au/news/ps-plus-monthly-games-october-2026-f1-25-hunt-showdown-1896/ — Kropp Gaming, Oct 1 2026: three-game lineup, platform split, co-op and squad-mode details
- https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/ps-plus-games-october-2026-premium-extra-essential-3971968 — NME, Oct 2 2026: lineup confirmation, platform split, Extra/Premium reveal on Oct 14
- https://www.talkesport.com/news/ps-plus-october-2026-games/ — TalkEsport, Sep 30 2026: claim window, game descriptions, 2026 Season Pack sold separately, September leaving list
- https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2026/09/first-ps-plus-extra-game-for-october-2026-announced — Push Square, Sep 21 2026: Mycopunk day-one on PS Plus Extra, Oct 20; Extra reveal Oct 14
- https://www.thetechoutlook.com/new-release/gaming-release/check-out-the-titles-coming-to-playstation-in-october-2026-playstation-plus-monthly-games-for-october-also-announced/ — The Tech Outlook, Oct 2 2026: October release calendar dates and PS Plus lineup with platforms
- https://www.radiotimes.com/technology/gaming/video-game-release-dates/ — Radio Times, Oct 1 2026: October 2026 video game release dates (corroboration)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Gz-ZZfL9c — PlayStation Access (official PlayStation UK channel): "PlayStation Plus Monthly Games - October 2026" video overview
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