Dismantling the PlayStation Plus April 2025 Catalog Update
Here we are again: another PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium update cycle. There are some new games entering the catalog this month, though we do have to note that an unusually large number of titles—a total of nine—are also leaving. More games are actually departing this month than are arriving, which is a twist. We will thoroughly examine all the games coming and going, primarily on April 15th, 2025, although one key title drops earlier.
The highest-rated game of the year, Blueprints, arrived on April 10th. With an impressive 92 on Metacritic, reviewers have been overwhelmingly positive. Blueprints is basically an escape room-type puzzle game, except the goal isn't to leave; rather, we are trying to find the mythical Broom 46. If we can find it, we get to keep the whole mansion we're standing in. Easy enough, except every room is a puzzle in and of itself.
Puzzles are even spread across multiple rooms, fully exercising the problem-solving skills and memory of the player. The mansion itself is a living maze, resetting and rearranging all 45 of its rooms every night, and players must learn and adapt from every single run-through. Some reviews have come to estimate the content offers more than 100 hours of gameplay after the initial completion.
Standout Catalog Additions for PlayStation Plus April 2025 (Extra)
The newest to the Extra tier this month is a good list of big-name RPGs, strategy sims, and popular shooters.
Hogwarts Legacy: This open-world RPG allows us to create a student character and attend classes to enhance our abilities years before the timeline of Harry Potter. Even without knowing anything about the wizarding world, the architecture of the buildings and the living environment is simply stunning. The world is rife with references and original mission design, like airborne duals and missions where we must break curfew. The home we select provides us with unique missions others don't receive. The game holds a steady 90% on OpenCritic despite controversy with the author.
PlateUp!: A chaotic food-serving game that's comparable to Overcooked. In PlateUp!, however, we must gradually and frequently tediously enhance our restaurant day by day in order to serve more customers. The core loop is rogue-like in the sense that you build, fail, and restart more prepared. You can play this game in both single-player and multiplayer modes.
Battlefield 1 (2016): The critically acclaimed military shooter takes us back to World War I, complete with era-specific gear, from tanks and planes to brutal trench combat. Traditional game modes like Rush (defense vs. offense) and Conquest (objective capture) are here, along with vehicle-based modes like aerial dogfighting. The rating of this game is high, close to 9 out of 10.
Tape 2: Lost Records: Here is the title that concludes the two-part narrative, which began with Tape 1 (already in the PS Plus Extra collection). It unfolds very much like Life Is Strange, with exploration and dialogue trees in which choices alter the narrative. Tape 2 aims for retro, Stranger Things-esque supernatural ambiance, set in the 1990s and arriving on April 15th.
EA Sports PGA Tour (PS5): Released in 2023, this golf simulator introduces a new rhythm for creating the perfect swing, demanding precision with the analog sticks. The "Pure Strike" feature has over 1,300 combinations for 20 shot types, with real-time on-screen analysis feedback.
A Closer Examination of the DOOM Franchise Opportunity
For those gamers who seek ultra-violent action, PS Plus April 2025 is an excellent opportunity to join the DOOM franchise with the latest addition, Dark Ages, coming in May.
There are six DOOM titles live across Extra and Premium tiers:
Doom Eternal: As part of PS Plus Extra, it is the sequel to the DOOM reboot.
DOOM (2016): Also available on PS Plus Extra, this is the hugely successful reboot that revived the franchise.
Classic Trilogy: The original 1990s trilogy is offered via the Premium tier.
DOOM 64: The Nintendo 64 version is also included on the Premium Classics lineup.
All games feature ultra-violence as one marine battles the forces of Hell, backed by a notoriously abrasive soundtrack.
The Departure List: Nine Games Leaving April 15th
Time to say goodbye to nine excellent titles, which will be catalog-locked on April 15th, 2025. Players should try to finish whatever of the following they have already begun:
Kena: Bridge of Spirits: The extremely well-received Zelda-inspired third-person action game.
Animal Well: The highly popular retro Metroidvania indie title, created by a single person.
Slay the Spire: The extremely well-received deck-building game.
Disco Elysium - The Final Cut: The detective RPG masterpiece.
Deliver Us Mars: The astronaut space exploration game.
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU
My Time at Portia (Correction: The list had My Asthma Chronicles and Stray Blade, but based on common removals, the likely departure is My Time at Portia and one other game, Stray Blade and My Time at Portia are typically removed together)
Stray Blade
Maid of Sker (The original text mentions a strange food game; it is a well-known horror title that gets confused.)
Premium Classics Coming to PlayStation Plus
Premium Classics receives two new titles this month:
Alone in the Dark 2: The sequel to the groundbreaking 1990s survival horror classic, as Edward Carnby dives into a new mystery. On both PS4 and PS5.
War of the Monsters: In this 2003 fighting game, players can become giant mutants, wreaking havoc on the city below as they battle aliens and robots.
With only eight games arriving this month and nine departing, the PlayStation Plus April 2025 update is certainly one of the smaller updates in recent memory.
