Sony has officially announced the PlayStation Plus Essential free games for October 2026, offering subscribers three distinct titles: F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896, and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. These games will be available for download starting October 6.
F1 25, the latest installment in EA's Formula One racing series, allows players to compete in career modes like Konnersport Career and My Team, or test their skills against others online. The game received a paid expansion in June that added content for the 2026 season, including new teams, drivers, and cars.
Hunt: Showdown 1896 is a first-person extraction shooter set in the American Frontier. Players battle monstrous creatures and other hunters across four maps, aiming to extract with valuable loot. The game supports solo play or teams of up to three.
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 offers a stark contrast with its bright, voxel-art style and focus on defending Earth from giant enemies. This title features over 100 playable characters, more than 600 weapons and accessories, and can be played in single-player or four-player co-op.
All three titles will be available to PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers until November 2. Players can still claim the September 2026 free games—Chained Echoes, Sniper Elite: Resistance, Wobbly Life, and MLB The Show 26—until October 5.
PlayStation Plus Essential, the base tier of Sony's subscription service, provides access to online multiplayer, monthly free games, cloud storage, and discounts. The service saw a price increase across all tiers in May 2026.