If you’ve got PlayStation Plus and you’ve been putting off checking your library, now’s the time. The clock is ticking on June’s free games lineup, and one of them in particular is way too good to let slip through the cracks.
- Deadline: Claim by July 7, when the new lineup rotates in
- Free games right now: Grounded: Fully Yoked Edition, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
- Standout pick: Grounded, Obsidian’s backyard survival-crafting game
- Good to know: You just need to claim it, not play it, before the deadline
- Bonus reason to grab it: Grounded 2 hits PS5 Early Access on August 11
Don’t Sleep on Grounded Before It Rotates Out
PS Plus Essential is often called the “free games” tier for a reason. It doesn’t come with the massive back catalog that Extra and Premium subscribers get, but every month it hands out a handful of games to keep permanently as long as your subscription stays active. This month’s batch has been sitting in the Essential tier since early June, and the window to grab them closes soon.
As of right now, Sony hasn’t confirmed the July and August lineup yet, though an announcement is expected any day. What we do know for sure is that the current trio, Grounded, Darktide, and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, rotates out once the new games drop, and that’s happening on July 7.
What’s Actually in the June Lineup
Here’s the full rundown of what’s still claimable:
- Grounded: Fully Yoked Edition – A co-op survival-crafting game where you’re shrunk down to the size of an ant and have to fend off giant bugs in your own backyard
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide – A brutal four-player co-op shooter set in the Warhammer 40K universe, basically Left 4 Dead with chainswords and lasguns
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 – A platform fighter in the Smash Bros. mold, featuring SpongeBob, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jimmy Neutron, and more
Darktide is a PS5 exclusive, but Grounded and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 are both playable on PS4 and PS5, so nobody’s getting left out depending on what console they’re running.
Why Grounded Is the One to Prioritize
Out of the three, Grounded is the real headliner, and it’s not close. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the same studio behind Fallout: New Vegas and Pentiment, Grounded takes a goofy premise, being shrunk down to bug-size in your own yard, and turns it into one of the most fully realized survival games out there. You’re gathering resources, building bases, crafting weapons and armor, and fighting off spiders, ants, and other oversized backyard threats while piecing together why you got shrunk in the first place. Basically Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but as a full-blown survival-crafting loop.
What makes this drop even more notable is that Grounded spent years as an Xbox and PC exclusive before finally making its way to PlayStation. Since launch, it’s picked up a ton of post-launch content, new areas, enemies, gear, and systems, and the Fully Yoked Edition being handed out on PS Plus bundles all of that in. You’re not getting a stripped-down version, you’re getting the complete package Obsidian has been building for years.
There’s Also a Sequel on the Way
Timing-wise, this couldn’t line up better. Grounded 2 is heading into Early Access on PS5 on August 11, so claiming the original now means you’ve got a solid window to get through the first game’s story and systems before jumping into the sequel. It’s basically a free head start on the whole series before Obsidian moves the story forward.
Remember, You Only Need to Claim It, Not Play It
One thing worth repeating since it trips people up every rotation: you don’t need to install or play Grounded before July 7, you just need it added to your library. Once it’s claimed, it stays there for as long as your PS Plus Essential subscription is active, and you can download it whenever you’re actually ready to dive in. Miss the window, though, and you’ll be paying full price if you want it later.
What’s Coming Next for PS Plus
Sony typically reveals the next batch of Essential games on the final Wednesday before the new month’s Tuesday rotation, and that pattern points to July 1 as the likely announcement date for the July and August lineup. Until then, the smartest move is just making sure June’s games are locked into your library before they disappear.
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