As revealed byPlayStation Blog,May 2025’s monthly PlayStation Plus games areBalatro,Ark: Survival Ascended, andWarhammer 40,000: Boltgun. Solo-developer effortBalatrocompeted for TGA’s Game of the Year award in December, losing toAstro Bot, but still taking home three awards: Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Best Mobile Game.Ark: Survival Acendedis an Unreal Engine 5 remaster of the perenially popularArk: Survival Evolved. Finally,Boltgunis a notable entry in the revival of old-school first-person shooters, colloquially known as “boomer shooters.”
PS Plus Monthly Games For May Are Balatro, Ark: Survival Ascended, & Warhammer 40K: Boltgun
Balatrois a roguelike deckbuilder that riffs on poker from solo developer LocalThunk.It quickly rose to beamong the roguelike deckbuilder genre’s greatest games, tasking players with playing poker hands that synergize with a set of jokers to meet increasing score requirements. There are 150 different jokers to use (some of which need to be unlocked), as well as decks of varying mechanics, multiple difficulty tiers, and plenty of strategy in altering your playing cards themselves.
Ark: Survival Ascendedis an ongoing project from Studio Wildcard, which seeks totransfer all ofArk: Survival Evolved’s content to Unreal Engine 5, revamping the visuals and gameplay mechanics.ASAis planned to feature not only every expansion that came toASE, but new DLC as well, including fresh creatures to tame and brand-new storylines.Survival Ascendedis being made alongsideArk 2’s long development.
Warhammer 40K: Boltguncomes to PlayStation Plus representing the relatively new wave of boomer shooters, which hope to recapture a bygone era of FPS gameplay.Boltgunsees the player don Ultramarine armor and fight the forces of Chaos.Boomer shooters generally follow design principles laid down by the likes ofDOOMandWolfenstein, andBoltgunthrusts the subgenre into the iconic grimdark setting of40K.
Our Take: Balatro Alone Is Enough To Get Excited About May 2025’s PlayStation Plus Games
A Deceptively Addictive Game
In addition to virtually endless gameplay permutations and exceptional depth,Balatro’s aesthetic is ultimately charming, with hypnotic music and exceptionally satisfying sound effects. It’s a quirky game that will dig its claws in deep, having you desperately looking for the right joker to elevate your deck and make that oh-so-satisfying flame effect appear on the score counter. It’s a wonderful game to get at no additional cost viaPlayStation Plus, and it contributes to a strong lineup for May 2025 alongsideArk: Survival AscendedandWarhammer 40K: Boltgun.
