Sony has named the October 2026 PlayStation Plus Monthly Games: F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. All three can be claimed by PlayStation Plus members from Tuesday, October 6 until Monday, November 2.
That’s a racing sim, a horror-tinged extraction shooter and a blocky co-op monster blaster, which covers a lot of ground for three games. If you’re on PS4, though, there’s only one game for you this month. Here’s everything you need to know, including what’s leaving on October 5.
PlayStation Plus Monthly Games October 2026
Sony’s announcement on the PlayStation Blog lists the lineup and platforms as follows:
| Game | Platform | Available From | Available Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 25 | PS5 | October 6, 2026 | November 2, 2026 |
| Hunt: Showdown 1896 | PS5 | October 6, 2026 | November 2, 2026 |
| Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 | PS5, PS4 | October 6, 2026 | November 2, 2026 |
Two quick things to note. First, this month has three games, one fewer than September’s four. Second, Sony says the Monthly Games lineup can differ by region, so check the PlayStation Store on release day to confirm what’s available where you live.
F1 25
F1 25 is the official game of the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship, developed by Codemasters. It’s available on PS5 for this month’s offer.
According to Sony’s description, the game includes:
- Career mode, the traditional path through a season as a driver
- My Team 2.0, where you take control as the owner of a Formula 1 team and run its operations
- Online multiplayer, including a new mode in F1 World where you and friends race as a squad against AI drivers
GameSpot also notes the game includes all the official teams and drivers from the 2025 season.
One thing worth keeping in mind: F1 25 reflects the 2025 season. It’s built around the 2025 championship, so don’t expect the cars and regulations of the current real-world season.
Hunt: Showdown 1896
Hunt: Showdown 1896 is Crytek’s extraction shooter, and it’s the darkest pick of the month, which suits October.
The basic idea: you’re dropped into corrupted, monster-infested backwaters in the late 1800s. You track down a boss, kill it, claim the bounty and then try to get out alive. The catch is that other teams of players are hunting the same bounty, so you’re fighting monsters and other people at the same time. That mix of player-versus-player and player-versus-environment combat is often called PvPvE.
You can go it alone or bring up to two teammates. Extraction shooters are known for their high stakes: losing a match generally means losing what you brought in, which is part of why the genre has a reputation for being punishing.
Hunt: Showdown 1896 is a PS5 game this month. There’s also a tie-in bonus: PlayStation Plus members can claim a Hunt: Showdown 1896 Starter Pack from October 6 as part of Sony’s HorrorFest packs.
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 takes the long-running EDF series and turns it into a blocky, voxel-style world. As Sony puts it, a square Earth is under attack by giant enemies, and your scattered teammates are waiting to be rescued.
The gameplay revolves around building a squad. You collect soldiers as you rescue them, then choose four to form your team and pick their equipment before heading into battle. The roster includes soldiers from both the main EDF games and its spin-offs, and enemies from earlier games return in voxel form alongside new ones.
It’s also the most social game in the lineup for couch play: World Brothers 2 supports four-player online co-op and two-player local split screen on both PS5 and PS4.
And it’s the only October Monthly Game with a PS4 version, which matters if you haven’t upgraded yet.
When Can You Claim the October PS Plus Games?
The October 2026 PlayStation Plus Monthly Games go live on Tuesday, October 6 and stay available to claim until Monday, November 2.
That gives you about four weeks. You don’t need to download or play the games during that window; you only need to add them to your library before November 2. After that, they’re replaced by November’s lineup.
If you’re a PS4 owner, it’s worth knowing that Sony’s PS Plus page notes that from January 2026, PS4 games are added only intermittently. Months like this one, where most games are PS5-only, may become more common.
How to Add PlayStation Plus Monthly Games to Your Library
PlayStation Support lays out the process.
On PS5:
- From the Games home screen, scroll right and select PlayStation Plus.
- Go to the Benefits tab and select Monthly Games.
- Highlight the game and select Download.
On PS4:
- From the function screen, scroll right and select PlayStation Plus.
- Scroll down and select Monthly Games.
- Highlight the game and select Add to Library, then Download.
You don’t have to be at your console. According to PlayStation Support, you can also start a download remotely to your PS5 or PS4 through a web browser or the PlayStation App. That’s handy if you’re away from home and the claim window is about to close.
What Happens After You Claim a PS Plus Monthly Game?
Once you add a Monthly Game to your library, it stays there. You can download and play it any time, even months later, as long as you still have an active PlayStation Plus membership.
Sony’s own FAQ answers the “do I get to keep it?” question directly: PlayStation Plus games are yours for as long as you remain an active member. If your membership lapses, you lose access. If you later rejoin, the games you previously claimed come back to your library.
This is different from the Game Catalog, which works more like a streaming service. Sony notes that some Game Catalog and Classics Catalog titles have end dates and leave the service, with those departures announced ahead of time. A Monthly Game you’ve claimed doesn’t leave your library just because a new month starts.
The one thing you can’t do is go back. If you didn’t add a game during its month, you generally can’t claim it later.
September 2026 PS Plus Games: Last Chance
If you haven’t grabbed September’s lineup, you have until Monday, October 5 to add these four games to your library:
- Sniper Elite: Resistance
- MLB The Show 26
- Wobbly Life
- Chained Echoes
After October 5, they’ll be gone from the Monthly Games list.
PlayStation Plus Monthly Games vs Game Catalog
PlayStation Plus has three tiers, and the different game benefits get confusing quickly. Here’s how they break down, according to PlayStation.com:
| Benefit | What it is | Essential | Extra | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Games | New games to claim each month and keep while subscribed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Game Catalog | An on-demand library of hundreds of games that rotates over time | No | Yes | Yes |
| Classics Catalog | Older games from PlayStation history | No | No | Yes |
| Game Trials | Time-limited trials of select games | No | No | Yes |
The key difference: Monthly Games are claimed one month at a time and stay in your library while you’re a member. The Game Catalog is a large library you can dip into, but games can leave it.
So yes, the October Monthly Games are available to every tier. Essential, Extra and Premium members can all claim F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2.
Other October PS Plus Extras
Alongside the Monthly Games, Sony is offering a few member perks this month:
- HorrorFest packs: a Call of Duty: Warzone Horror Bundle (October 1), Hunt: Showdown 1896 Starter Pack (October 6) and Overwatch 2 Dragur Reinhardt + 5 Tier Skips Pack (October 7). Sony notes you need to own the base game to use the pack content.
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day avatars, claimable by PS Plus members through the Sony Pictures Core app from October 6, for a limited time.
The Bottom Line
The October 2026 PlayStation Plus Monthly Games are F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2, available from October 6 to November 2. Two are PS5-only, and EDF: World Brothers 2 also runs on PS4. Add them to your library during the window, and you’ll be able to play them whenever you like while your membership stays active. And if September’s games are still on your list, October 5 is the last day to grab them.
PS Plus October 2026 FAQ
What are the October 2026 PlayStation Plus Monthly Games?
F1 25 (PS5), Hunt: Showdown 1896 (PS5) and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 (PS5 and PS4).
When can I claim the October PS Plus games?
From Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
How long are the October PS Plus games available?
Until Monday, November 2, 2026. Add them to your library before then.
Are the October PS Plus games available on PS4?
Only Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. F1 25 and Hunt: Showdown 1896 are PS5 only.
Are the October games available on PS Plus Essential?
Yes. Monthly Games are included with Essential, Extra and Premium.
Can I keep PS Plus Monthly Games permanently?
They stay in your library for as long as you’re a PlayStation Plus member. If your membership ends, you lose access until you resubscribe.
Do PS Plus Monthly Games require an active subscription?
Yes. You need an active membership both to claim the games and to play them.
Is the lineup the same in every country?
Not always. Sony says the Monthly Games lineup may differ by region, so check the PlayStation Store on October 6.
Sources
- PlayStation Blog: PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October: Lineup, platforms, dates, game descriptions, September last-chance date, regional note and October extras.
- PlayStation.com: PlayStation Plus: Membership tiers, what each tier includes, PS4 game additions note, and whether games are yours to keep.
- PlayStation Support: How to access PlayStation Plus games: Steps to claim Monthly Games on PS5 and PS4, and remote downloads.
- GameSpot: F1 25 developer and content details.
- FullCleared: Crytek as Hunt: Showdown 1896 developer, comparison with September’s lineup.
- PlayStation LifeStyle: Claiming past Monthly Games and access after a subscription ends.
