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Do You Lose Your Free Games If You Cancel PS Plus?

PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) is Sony‘s premium subscription service that provides a variety of benefits to PlayStation gamers. One of the biggest perks of a PS Plus membership is getting access to free games every month. However, a common question PS Plus members have is whether they lose access to the free games if they cancel their membership. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about what happens to your free PS Plus games if you cancel your membership.

Overview of PlayStation Plus

PlayStation Plus originally launched in 2010 as a paid subscription service for PlayStation gamers. Over the years, it expanded into multiple membership tiers, each offering various benefits at different price points. Here‘s a quick overview of the PS Plus tiers currently available:

  • PS Plus Essential – The basic PS Plus tier that costs $9.99/month. Provides online multiplayer access, free monthly games, exclusive discounts, and cloud saves. Essentially the same benefits as the original PS Plus membership.

  • PS Plus Extra – Mid-tier plan for $14.99/month. Includes all Essential benefits plus a catalog of 400+ PS4/PS5 games available for download.

  • PS Plus Premium – The highest tier at $17.99/month. Has all Extra benefits plus 700+ additional games from PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS3 eras available to stream or download. Also provides time-limited game trials.

A key benefit across all tiers is access to monthly free games. Typically 1-2 PS4 titles and 1-2 PS5 titles are made available each month. As long as your membership is active, you can download and play these games for free. But what happens if you cancel?

What Happens to Free Games When You Cancel PS Plus?

The short answer is that you‘ll lose access to any free games obtained through PS Plus if you cancel your membership. This applies whether you cancel an auto-renewing subscription or let your membership lapse at the end of its term.

Free PS Plus games are only playable and accessible with an active PS Plus membership. This applies to all monthly free games across Essential, Extra, and Premium tiers. If your membership expires, the free games will be locked and unavailable until you renew your subscription.

However, there is a key distinction between whether games are already downloaded vs. just added to your library:

  • Downloaded games – Any free games downloaded from PS Plus will be locked and unplayable once membership lapses. They cannot be launched without renewing PS Plus.

  • Games added to library – Games you add to your library but don‘t download will simply disappear from your library without an active PS Plus membership.

So in summary, you immediately lose access to free PS Plus games if you cancel membership before downloading and playing them. Any downloaded free games are locked until you re-subscribe and renew access.

What About Game Saves and Trophies?

Your game saves and earned trophies are also tied to your PS Plus membership when it comes to free monthly games. Here‘s what happens to them if your membership expires:

  • Game saves – Save data will be deleted from your console storage for any free PS Plus games. However, if you‘ve backed up saves to the PS Plus cloud, you can restore that data if you resubscribe within 6 months. After 6 months, cloud saves are deleted.

  • Trophies – You retain any trophies earned in free PS Plus games. If you resubscribe, the trophies will sync and reappear once you start playing the game again.

So you have a 6 month window after PS Plus membership lapses to renew and recover your cloud saved game data. But trophies are retained and reactivated once you regain access to the game.

The PS Plus Collection for PS5 Owners

In 2020, Sony offered a special PS Plus benefit for PS5 owners called the "PS Plus Collection." This provided access to a curated library of classic PS4 games that PS5 owners could redeem and download at no extra cost.

Titles offered included critically acclaimed exclusives like God of War, Bloodborne, and The Last of Us Remastered. This was a huge incentive for PS5 owners to subscribe to PS Plus.

However, Sony announced that as of May 9, 2023, the PS Plus Collection will no longer be available. This means PS5 owners joining PS Plus after that date will lose access to this collection of 20 free games.

So for new PS5 owners signing up, the PS Plus free game options will be reduced to just the monthly games. Existing subscribers who already redeemed the PS Plus Collection will retain access to those titles. But this change does impact the value proposition of PS Plus on PS5 versus PS4.

Monthly Free Games on PS Plus Essential vs. Extra and Premium

Now that we‘ve covered what happens when you cancel, let‘s discuss the free games you actually get each month as part of an active PS Plus membership.

Both PS Plus Essential and Extra/Premium memberships provide monthly free games. The difference is in the number and type of games offered.

Here‘s a comparison:

BenefitPS Plus EssentialPS Plus Extra & Premium
Monthly Free GamesTypically 2 PS4 games + 1 PS5 gameAll Essential monthly games PLUS access to Extra/Premium game catalog
Quality of GamesMajor releases + indie games. Variety of AAA titles + niche games.Major first-party titles not included. More niche indies and AA games.
Value of GamesHigher likelihood of major AAA titles worth $60 or more.Catalog offering dilutes value of monthly games. Often lesser-known indies vs. big AAA titles.
Number of GamesUp to 47 games per year (24 PS4 + 23 PS5)All Essential games plus 400+ catalog games (PS4/PS5) with Premium adding 340+ classics. Hundreds of total games.
Keep Games Forever?Yes, monthly Essential games are yours to keep as long as your membership is active.No, catalog games can be removed anytime. Only monthly Essential games are permanent as long as your membership remains active.

So while Extra and Premium offer way more total games, the quality and consistent value of the Essential monthly free titles is often viewed as superior. The Extra catalog focuses more on indies and AA games that lack the big budget value of major AAA releases.

Maximizing and Sharing PS Plus Free Games

Here are some tips to maximize the value you get from free games with an active PS Plus membership:

  • Add monthly games to your library – You don‘t have to download every free game each month. But make sure to add them to your library so they‘re tied to your account in case you want to play them later.

  • Set reminders to grab games – Use tracking sites and set calendar reminders so you never accidentally miss claiming that month‘s free games before they get rotated out.

  • Play downloaded games first – Try to download and play any games you‘re interested in right away while your membership is active. Don‘t put off playing downloaded games or you risk losing access if you cancel.

  • Share games across consoles – Setup your PS Plus account on 2 consoles to allow other accounts on your primary PS4/PS5 to access your free games while you play them on a secondary console.

  • Time membership purchases – Try to renew or purchase a new membership towards the end of the month. That way you can maximize the number of different free game offerings during your year.

Using PS Plus game sharing and strategically timing membership purchases allows you to gain access to the most free games possible from your annual subscription.

The Value of Maintaining an Active PS Plus Membership

While no one wants recurring subscription fees, maintaining an active PS Plus membership is highly recommended for PlayStation gamers. Here are some key reasons why:

  • Access to 100+ free games each year provides tremendous value that often exceeds the annual membership cost.
  • Online multiplayer access is required for the majority of PS4 and PS5 games with online components and communities.
  • Cloud storage provides backup protection for save files that can be lost if membership lapses.
  • Member discounts on games in the PlayStation Store save you money on purchases year-round.
  • Free monthly games provide a great way to try out game genres or franchises you normally wouldn‘t play.

Losing your "free" PS Plus games is certainly disappointing if you cancel. But the benefits often outweigh the monthly or annual costs, providing access to free games worth hundreds of dollars over a full membership term.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is you lose access to all monthly free games obtained through PlayStation Plus if you cancel or fail to renew your membership. Downloaded games are locked, while library additions disappear entirely. But with strategic planning, you can maximize the incredible value Sony provides from this premium service.

While occasional short lapses in membership are understandable, an active PS Plus subscription is crucial for accessing online play, building game libraries virtually for free, and protecting your saved progress. For serious PlayStation fans, the benefits are well worth the recurring subscription expense.

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Michael

Michael Reddy is a tech enthusiast, entertainment buff, and avid traveler who loves exploring Linux and sharing unique insights with readers.