10 Best Licensed Video Games Currently On PS Plus

While it’s an impressive feat to create an IP of your own, establish a rich tapestry of lore, and develop characters that fans will potentially connect to and fall in love with. It’s actually just as difficult to take pre-established stories, worlds, and characters and do them justice, as the fans of these established IPs are very protective of their beloved properties.

You need to be able to draw from the source material without outright copying, you need to be able to tap into the subtle nuances of the world you are borrowing from, and, you need to make the game good, or the knives and pitchforks will be out.

It’s a high-pressure situation, but every now and again, a brave developer takes a challenge like this on, and coincidentally, a lot of these games have found their way to the PS Plus catalog. So, here’s a rundown of which licensed games you can play courtesy of your subscription.

Note: We will be including games from all categories, which means that games within the Classics Catalog are fair game.

10 Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear To The Rescue

To Infinity & Beyond

We kick things off with a game that is sure to offer a hearty burst of nostalgia to anyone who grew up during the PSX era, like myself.

This movie-tie-in for the second Toy Story movie is a classic platformer worth its weight in gold, offering a bunch of standout levels that mirror Buzz and the gang’s quest to get Woody back home. Complete with interesting bosses, fun races, platforming sequences, and a whole lot of Pizza Planet Tokens.

It’s a little rough around the edges with controls that almost feel like tank controls at times, but thanks to the save states on offer for PS1 titles on the platform, the frustration can be easily managed.

Which leaves only the whimsy of each unique level, the rush of nabbing each new token, and the satisfaction of informing Star Command of a job well done.

9 Jurassic World Evolution 2

Life Finds a Way

While I would concede that Dino Crisis is easily the best prehistoric-fueled game on the catalog at the time of writing, it’s hard to look past this Jurassic Park epic as a close second.

The best way to describe this one is simply to ask you to picture what Rollercoaster Tycoon would look like if you added ferocious dinos into the mix. Which can either run smoothly and allow onlookers to take in the sights and sounds of a colony of dinos, or it can be a recipe for disaster that ties you up in more lawsuits than Kanye West.

Your goal is to keep the dinos happy by offering food in abundance and suitable environments to live in harmony, but you also have to make the park profitable with stalls, restaurants, and all kinds of other capitalist ventures to squeeze every last buck out of every Raptor, Triceratops, and T-Rex you have on-site.

It’s a little less involved than some management sims out there, which makes it great for beginners and casual Jurassic Park fans, but perhaps a little less intriguing for veteran sim fans. That said, we still suggest you take a look at this one, as it’s one of the more unique management sims out there today.

8 Digimon Survive

A More Mature Creature Tamer

As someone who grew up through the Pokemania of the 2000s, I always feel a little sorry for the Digimon franchise, as there’s always been an ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ feel to their output. Which is a shame, because it has always been a franchise worthy of praise and adoration.

Something that games like Digimon Survive showcase by offering a Tactical JRPG experience that is rich in detail, offers a gripping story within this established world, and naturally, allows you to train, bond with, and digivolve your beloved creatures.

That said, this is a much more mature storyline than you might expect, with choices that can have dire consequences. As the title might suggest, there is a tangible struggle to survive, and based on your actions, your peers just might not manage to escape this summer camp with their lives.

It’s honestly more of a visual novel than anything else, but even as someone who generally loathes visual novels, I found this one to be a rare treat. So, consider giving this one a try.

7 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game

And You Thought Your Love-Life Was Complicated…

We’ve probably all got at least one ex that we would rank up there as one of the most detestable and difficult humans on the planet. I know I do. But when it comes to picking duds, Ramona Flowers is unmatched.

This naturally sets up the classic comic-book tale of Scott Pilgrim, as he must battle his way through Ramona’s seven deadly ex-partners to finally be with her. But, as fans of SP will know, it’s easier said than done.

You, along with a handful of co-op partners if you so choose, will be able to hop into this classic arcade beat-em-up and work through stages, knocking down baddies in waves as you go. All presented in a larger-than-life comic book style that allows you to live out the underdog fantasy that the SP series has always represented so well.

It’s a tough beat-em-up that always has a lot going on on-screen and forces you to master mechanics, combos, and special moves to succeed. But when you get into a rhythm, there are a few games that nail action better than this one.

6 TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge

Turtle Power!

I hear you. One Beat-Em-Up simply isn’t enough. So, how about another comic book creation that allows you to step into the role of the heroes in half shells, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

This game, under the Dotemu umbrella, is essentially a generational step forward and a spiritual successor to Streets of Rage, offering the same arcade action that we know and love, but with lots of fan service, modern tweaks, and killer combos like never before.

But, equally, this is a spiritual successor to older arcade TMNT games of the same nature, like Turtles in Time, offering amazing visuals and music that take you right back to that era of arcade rats and pockets jingling with quarters.

It’s essentially that perfect middle ground between respecting the ways of old, while offering the mechanical polish of today’s era. It’s a bold statement, but at least until Marvel: Cosmic Invasion comes along, this is the best beat-em-up on the market today.

5 Hogwarts Legacy

Cast Alohamora & Unlock Adventure

I think you would have been hard-pressed to find a more in-demand franchise for a video game open-world adaptation than Harry Potter before the release of Hogwarts Legacy, as the licensed games of the PS2 era still hold a place in many of our hearts today.

However, it’s fair to say that they were all usurped by this modern great that allowed players to live their ultimate fantasy of becoming a Hogwarts Student, explore the grand castle and the outskirts of Hogwarts, and cast spells or curses with careless abandon.

While the open-world aspects do eventually dilute down to cookie-cutter, repetitive assets as the game goes on, the opening hours filled with classes, open exploration, and fan service in abundance are something to behold, and, not to sound cliché, but there are plenty of magic moments to be had.

It was a monumental bestseller for a reason, and now, you can enjoy it for the mere cost of a PS Plus subscription, which is a deal you should grab with both hands, before it hops away like a chocolate frog.

4 South Park: The Stick of Truth

Come Out Down To South Park

I can’t claim to be the biggest South Park fan in the world, as my connection to this beloved adult cartoon has been limited to dipping in and out when the world is talking about the show so frequently that I’m borderline forced to stop and take notice. However, what I am is an RPG fan.

So, despite my relative disconnect from the show, I had an absolute ball with this game. Not only because the gags and comedy were accessible to a relative newbie, but also because this is a turn-based RPG helmed by Obsidian Entertainment that rivals just about any other game within the genre for depth of systems and overall quality.

It’s a game that goes way overboard with the humor on show, much like the source material, and offers an interesting world to explore with a potential laugh around every corner.

Sadly, the sequel is a real step down in terms of quality, which may or may not have something to do with Ubisoft, but if you want a top-tier turn-based RPG, the original is well worth picking up.

3 Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Wait, There’s Two of Them?

While neither of the mainline Marvel’s Spider-Man games occupies the PS Plus Catalog, if you’re hankering to jump into this series and get a taste of what the web-swinging feels like as you soar through NYC, then this glorified DLC might just do the trick.

I say that with no malice because, while this game is essentially an addendum to the first Marvel’s Spider-Man game, albeit with a new character and more snow, it’s still a top-tier experience that justifies its existence, setting up for the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

Playing as Miles is a blast as you get to grips with this character’s new role as Spidey number two, and enjoy more nuanced combat thanks to Miles’ all-new electro-powered moveset.

It’s a little on the short side, and if you’ve played the original in the series, it’s essentially just more of the same. But, when the original is as good as it was, more of the same is hardly a bad thing.

2 Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Now Playing Tears For Fears

Of the few Marvel-licensed games on the catalog at the moment, I’m more than happy to stick my neck out and say that Guardians of the Galaxy is the pick of the bunch. Which, I promise, is not entirely down to the 80s soundtrack. But, it sure does help.

Square Enix managed to oversee the development of a game that truly captures the ragtag spirit of this gang of intergalactic mercenaries for hire. Allowing fans to role-play was Star Lord, but also, balancing this with a need for teamwork to succeed.

You see, in combat, you’re a pretty flimsy dude that needs to rely on agility to stay alive long enough to act as quarterback and call the plays, allowing the bigger, stronger characters to step in and lay a smackdown on foes.

It’s a unique approach to combat, and coupled with a compelling story and a wealth of set-pieces that keep you locked in, you have an experience that feels like a cinematic blockbuster from start to finish. Plus, there’s Groot, which is always a bonus.

1 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Kestis At His Bestest

It’s always hard to choose which licensed game is the best on offer, as it comes down to the quality and popularity of the source material just as much as it does the actual game itself. But, by any metric, a good Star Wars game will tick every box imaginable, as Jedi Survivor certainly does.

I had a lot of issues with Fallen Order, such as the shoddy platforming, and the terrible map design with looping one-way navigation. However, Survivor irons out just about all these issues while also offering incredible new additions, more scope and scale, and much better combat to boot.

More weapon variety makes combat feel less one-note. The planets you explore, Koboh in particular, feel genuinely like open worlds in their own right, and the traversal is so much tighter, allowing for much more intricate and challenging platforming sequences.

It’s hard to imagine any game coming along and dethroning KOTOR as the best Star Wars game. But, if you’re looking for the game that pushes it the closest, this is the one.