Tackle deadly creatures, wield the legendary Buster Sword, carve out a kingdom to call your own and much more with July’s Game Catalog lineup! Remnant II, Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and many more games will be available from July 16 for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members. We’re also announcing new classic and PS VR2 game offerings coming to PlayStation Plus Premium.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the new game announcements. 

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium | Game Catalog

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Remnant II – Standard Edition | PS5

Remant II is the sequel to the best-selling game Remnant: From the Ashes that pits survivors of humanity against new deadly creatures and god-like bosses across terrifying worlds. Play solo or co-op with two other friends to explore the depths of the unknown to stop an evil from destroying reality itself. To succeed, players will need to rely on their own skills and those of their team to overcome the toughest challenges and to stave off humanity’s extinction.

The post-apocalyptic survival horror Metro series – based on the best-selling sci-fi novel series of the same name by Dmitry Glukhovsky – plunged players into an oppressively dark and dank underground network and the ruins beyond.

Highly immersive and critically acclaimed, the franchise has spawned three games to date. Before year’s end, that count will reach four. Announced at State of Play this past January, Vertigo Games – creator of Arizona Sunshine and After The Fall – revealed it has spent the last few years working on an all-new game built for PS VR2. Metro Awakening is a standalone story set prior to the events of the original title – Metro 2033. I sat down with Creative Director Martin de Ronde and Game Director Samar Louwe to discuss more about how this world has been adapted to VR and how they’re keeping the title authentic to the series.

The game’s story has been created in collaboration with the original author

“One of the first things that we did when we embarked upon this project was to reach out to Dmitry [Glukhovsky],” explains de Ronde. “For us almost like, we were expecting him to come in and come up with another story for the game that was in line with the other Metro games. But instead, he came up with a very, very personal, emotional story for a new character. […] It also meant that our focus started to shift from taking a straightforward approach to a more story-heavy and story-driven approach in this particular game. And of course, the Metro series has always been known for the story that differentiates from other first-person shooters out there, but this time around, I think Dmitry really wanted to make sure that the story and the development of the characters was even more important.”

It’s still going to stick close to the playstyle of the mainline games… 

“Part of our onboarding process for every team member is to play the games, of course,” explains Louwe. “And so we look at what the strengths are of the franchise, and specifically on which of those strengths are translatable to VR. And some of the things that we noticed is the dynamic that they have between stealth and combat. And always making sure that you’re on your toes, and that you are never really sure when people are going to spot you. That’s something that works very, very well in VR. There’s just something about creeping up on enemies, listening to what they’re talking about. Of course the nature of VR, you can physically sit behind cover, maybe you can peer through a hole in the cover, and then you can spy on your enemies.”

“But rest assured for everybody that is a little bit more trigger happy,” interjects de Ronde. “There’s plenty of classic Metro action in the game.”

“I think it’s also good to say that the mainline games, of course, have Artyom,” Louwe continues. “After the first game he becomes a Spartan. But in [Metro Awakening], our protagonist is not necessarily a combat expert. So with that in mind, it also fits better to have a bit of a slower pace to the combat versus narrative than the original Metro series.”

…and keep close to their look and feel, thanks to original developer 4A Games

“We were very happy that 4A helped us fantastically well with supplying all the assets that they have from those games,” explains de Ronde. “We were able to either use some of those assets directly or us

Welcome to Frenzies, the wildly chaotic and stylishly slick multiplayer shooter, coming to PS VR2!

I’m thrilled to share some more information about Frenzies following its unveiling. If you missed that, here’s our announcement trailer that gives you a taste of Frenzies’ unique blend of fun and chaos: 

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Make friends, break friends

In Frenzies, you’re thrown into a winner-takes-all showdown across five rounds with a randomized, lucky dip of round types and maps that ensures no two games are ever the same. Frenzies’ mixture of solo and team-based round types means one minute you’ll be forging friendships and working together to pick up a win, and the next you’ll be trying to take those friends down in a frenetic free-for-all.

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Last month, Skydance’s Behemoth put us through our paces with the first taste of the combat heavy, dark fantasy VR adventure that’ll launch later this year on PS VR2. Now we’re turning the spotlight on three other immersive experiences also coming to the platform soon. 

Frenzies is a brand-new title debuting today, which fuses Synapse creator nDreams’ award-winning gunplay with neon-infused multiplayer arenas. Announced earlier this year, Metro Awakening VR is a return to the post-apocalyptic world of Dmitry Glukhovsky’s survival horror series. Developer Vertigo Games takes us on a trip to the underground, illuminating us as to how it’s adapting the franchise to VR, while keeping this new entry authentic to what’s come before. Finally, Mighty Eyes gives us an update on Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate with an exclusive, in-depth look into the time-traveling title.  

And remember, starting on August 7, you’ll be able to have even more content options for PS VR2, by way of a PC adapter. Players will have access to buy and play Steam’s expansive library of thousands of VR games, including fan favorites like Half-Life: Alyx, Fallout 4 VR, and War Thunder. Find out more here. 

Now, onto the games, as introduced by their creators. 

Frenzies

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Hey everyone! I’m Shaun “Unconkable” Rivera, game director on 2XKO. 2XKO is our new free-to-play, team-based fighting game featuring champions from League of Legends, releasing in 2025. Fight solo or with a friend in intense 2v2 battles, and master powerful abilities, assists, and combos to outplay enemies.

Our team is led by Evo founders Tom and Tony Cannon here at Riot Games—the studio behind League of Legends and Valorant—and is composed of developers who have deep connections with the fighting game community, including former professional players, creators, and tournament organizers. 

2XKO is currently in development. We’ve just revealed a new champion and announced Alpha Lab, the game’s first at-home playtest. Sign up for a chance to play starting August 8. 

Meet Braum, the Heart of the Freljord

2XKO’s newest playable character is Braum, a beloved hero blessed with mighty biceps and an even bigger heart. He joins the previously announced roster of re-imagined League of Legends champions, which includes Ahri, Yasuo, Ekko, Darius, and Illaoi. 

Since 2v2 combat and playing with your friends is at the core of 2XKO gameplay, the team was eager to design a champion who would thrive as a support character. Braum’s protective abilities make any duo partner shine. 

Stand behind me

Early concept art of Braum with his shield

Braum’s design is centered around his massive shield, which was once the unbreakable door to an ancient treasure vault. With it, he protects allies from incoming damage. Braum excels at disrupting opponents and blocking their attacks, making space for his team to land devastating combos. 

Defense is key to Braum’s gameplay design, but he still has strong offensive options. He gains a unique buff called Unbreakable when he lands certain abilities, which coats Braum’s shield in ice and makes his special moves deal more damage. 

His kit also introduces a unique freeze mechanic to 2XKO. By activating the magic of his shield, Braum can gain extra armor and stop opponents cold.

Fluffs of fury

Early concept art of Braum’s beloved poros

Braum’s warm and infectious personality has fostered his friendship with poros—magical creatures who hail from the frozen Freljord, Braum’s home region.  

Braum’s little friends are ready to assist him however they can, whether it’s by flying through the air to stop fleein

It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, PS VR, and free-to-play games topped the download charts last month. The launch of the huge new expansion Shadow of the Erdtree catapulted Elden Ring back up the PS5 charts across US and Europe, while the PS VR2 list saw Beat Saber rocking back to the top of the chart in the US and European regions.

Check out the full listings below. What titles are you playing this month?

PS5 Games

*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

US/Canada	EU
Minecraft	Minecraft
Red Dead Redemption 2	Red Dead Redemption 2
Firewatch	Firewatch
Grand Theft Auto V	Grand Theft Auto V
NBA 2K24	THE FOREST
Watch Dogs 2	Watch Dogs 2
Gang Beasts	A Way Out
THE FOREST	Kingdom Come: Deliverance
A Way Out	Gang Beasts
Bloodborne	EA SPORTS FC 24
Read more Cygni: All Guns Blazing – redefining the shoot-’em-up Cygni: All Guns Blazing – redefining the shoot-’em-up Game Ace Pro / Monday, July 8, 2024 0 0 The journey of developing Cygni hasn’t been easy, especially as a start-up, with this being our debut game. Nevertheless, every step of this journey has been filled with passion. Our inspiration was sparked by the enjoyment we found in playing shoot’em ups on arcade machines in our youth – a fun experience that brought joy to all, regardless of high scores. We aimed to recreate this exhilarating experience using next-gen technology, with the power of the PlayStation 5. This has allowed us to deliver a fresh take on the shoot-‘em-up, with an epic story, and innovative gameplay features for a new generation of gamers. Play Video Ava’s fight for survival Cygni, a planet colonized by humans, thrives on ancient technology found in ruins left by an unknown civilization. These remnants serve as a vital power source and catalyst for technological progress. Our protagonist Ava, a recent recruit in Cygni’s Air Force, pilots the Orca in a desperate struggle against a sudden, potent attack by bio-mechanical aliens— potentially Cygni’s original inhabitants.  Beyond the bullets Energy Management: Switching between shields (health) and weapons (more firepower and missiles) on the fly.  Combat: Air-to-air and air-to-ground combat includes a real-time crowd system—not just a background prop; they are gameplay-related, where players can interact with allied forces on the ground. This mutual assistance is not only crucial for gameplay but also aids in obtaining pickups and increasing your score. Weapon Enhancement: Upgrade and prepare weapons – even equipping your ship with two additional side-drones – before engaging in battle. Designer Mode: Allows players to create, save, and manage projectile patterns on the go. This feature adds a layer of customization and strategy, enabling players to toggle between saved patterns on the go. Three Difficulty Modes: Easy (being more accessible, by having 3 lives per level) Normal and Hard.  Astro’s Playroom second update is now available, hiding a new Special Bot in-game Game Ace Pro / Monday, July 8, 2024 0 0 Hi everyone! We hope you are getting ready for a good summer and have enjoyed the last few weeks of gaming news.  As we gear up for Astro Bot’s launch on September 6, we wanted to let you in on a few surprises we have been reserving for our community. In Astro Bot, you and Astro go on a mission to rescue the 300 bots crew who got scattered all over the galaxies. Many of the bots making up the crew are cameo characters that have marked the PlayStation history. There are over 150 to collect, each with their own funny animations relating to the game they originally came from. To add a spice of fun, we’ve been hiding 4 of these Special Bots inside Astro’s Playroom, which came pre-loaded in every PS5 console. By unlocking these 4 hidden characters in Astro’s Playroom, you will be able to take them with you into the new game, Astro Bot, and add them to your starting crew. Are you following so far? On June 7, we dropped in the first of these 4 Special Bots. Being cheeky robots ourselves, we thought it would be fun to turn this into a treasure hunt riddle and see how long it would take anyone to figure it out. What a big surprise to see it took the community less than 3 hours to clear that riddle. That was quite incredible. If you have missed it, here is a quick rundown of what you have to do. We hid a secret capsule in the first area of GPU Jungle (Render Forest). To make it appear, you must stand on top of a big plant near the edge of the level, just behind the Bloodborne Hunter Bot. Inside the capsule, another Special Bot (Lady Maria) appears to be trapped and needs rescuing. On the capsule itself, we included a small hint showing the image of a clock. But what could that mean? Looking carefully around the level nearby, you will find a similar clock symbol carved into one of the trees up above. It takes a few jumps to get there. It is at the back of a tree, the furthest away. That’s when things get trickier (or so we thought!). Standing on that spot, you have to pause the game by pressing the options button. Instead of the normal pause, that makes a special Astral Clock screen appear. By entering the number 24.11.2015 (or November 24, 2015, the original release date of the Bloodborne DLC featuring Lady Maria), the hands of the clock magically turn and… The capsule opens, letting our Special Bot free. Well done, let’s celebrate with a trophy! Once freed, Lady Maria will wait for you in the Mission Room, ready to be transferred to Astro Bot when you are ready. Just a few days ago, we added a second Special Bot, Selene, from the PS5 title Returnal. Once again, working together, you were able to crack the riddle and free her to make it 2 out of 4. Read more Share of the Week: Fireworks Game Ace Pro / Friday, July 5, 2024 0 0 Last week, we asked you to share fireworks bursting in games of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: clerence_1993 shares Cloud and Tifa sharing a moment with firework bursting in the sky behind them secondcapture shares sparks flying behind Ratchet in a way that looks like fireworks in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart call_me_xavii shares Aloy in her Elisbeth outfit staring up at fireworks xenobitz shares fireworks bursting in Naraka: Bladepoint jdbolzan shares fireworks bursting over the Eiffel Tower and the not-yet-gifted Statue of Liberty in Assassin’s Creed Unity GM04v shares a ronin posing in front of fireworks in Rise of the Ronin Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? THEME: Tourist SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on July 10, 2024 Next week, we’re using games to travel the world. Share real world locations or landmarks that players can visit in the game of their choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. Read more Introducing new PlayStation Studios collectible figures from Spin Master, launches starting this August  Game Ace Pro / Wednesday, July 3, 2024 0 0 At Sony Interactive, we’re always looking for opportunities to bring our players closer to some of PlayStation’s most beloved games – and that includes bringing to life collections of physical products to add to your home decor.  Today we are pleased to reveal a new collaboration with Spin Master, a leading toy company, to introduce The Shapes Collection – a new line of collectibles, based on our hit PlayStation Studios titles. This includes iconic characters from God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, and Ghost of Tsushima.   The highly detailed figures deliver the interactive storytelling element of these titles in an all-new way, extending the gaming experience from digital to physical. This creative line takes inspiration from details in each game, with interchangeable accessories and dozens of points of articulation to pose and display each figure in your collection of memorabilia. The Shapes Collection  Deluxe Figure 6-inch Aloy, Horizon Forbidden West