January is already starting to be a good month PS Plus subscribers, with Sony starting 2026 with variety rather than relying too heavily on a single headliner. As usual, the monthly lineup aims to appeal to the broad PlayStation audience, with games that feel different from each other while being easy to pick for PS Plus subscribers looking to expand their backlog without spending anything extra.
That variety is evident in January's three free games, all of which will be available to play January 6, 2026. Subscribers will be able to claim Need for Speed Unbound, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushedand Core Keepercovering everything from arcade-style street racing to a reimagined Disney platformer and a co-op sandbox survival experience. It's a lineup that includes a variety of genres, tones and playing styles, giving January a bit more scope than the average monthly drop.
Need for Speed Unbound
Read Game Rant's review of Need for Speed Unbound
Need for Speed Unbound is an open-world street racing game set in Lakeshore City (inspired by Chicago), where players progress by earning money, upgrading cars, and qualifying for larger weekly events. As usual in the franchise, races increase the player's Heat (the police's notoriety), forcing them to balance risk and reward as escapes become more difficult. While Need for Speed Unbound stands out visually with its mix of cel-shading and graffiti with realistic car models, the core Need for Speed the experience remains intact, with a focus on arcade-style handling, in-depth vehicle customization, and a single-player campaign alongside online multiplayer modes.
Need for Speed Unbound's features at a glance
- OPEN WORLD STREET RACING over Lakeshore City, a fictional urban setting inspired by Chicago.
- SIGNATURE VISUAL ART STYLE mix cel-shading and graffiti with realistic car models.
- HEATING SYSTEM where police notoriety increases as you race and evade law enforcement.
- DEEP CAR CUSTOMIZATION with body kits, paint, covers and performance tuning.
- WEEKLY CYCLE with qualifiers leading up to the big Lakeshore Grand event.
- SINGLE PLAYER CAMPAIGN with narrative elements and character focus.
- MULTIPLAYER and online modes with races and shared events.
- WIDE LIST OF CARS (about 140 vehicles) to collect and drive.
- Released
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December 2, 2022
- ESRB
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Teenager
- Publisher
-
Electronic Arts
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
Check out Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed on OpenCritic
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a remake of the original Disney Epic Mickey (Nintendo Wii 2010), a 3D platformer that revolves around exploration and environmental interaction. Players control Mickey Mouse as he moves through the wasteland, using paint to restore items or thinning to erase them, affecting level layouts, puzzles, and optional paths. Disney Epic Mickey: Brushed over updates the original game with modern visuals, smoother controls, additional movement options, and quality-of-life improvements, all while maintaining a focus on platforming, light combat, and choice-driven progression.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed's Features at a Glance
- COMPLETE REMAKE of the classic Epic Mickey with new visuals and rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4 for modern systems.
- PLAY AS MICKEY MOUSE in a vibrant 3D platform adventure through the Wasteland, a world of forgotten Disney characters.
- MAGIC PAINTBRUSH MECHANICS allows you to use paint to restore and thinning to erase parts of the world, affecting the environment and secrets.
- CHOICES AFFECT YOUR JOURNEY and outcomes, with decisions shaping certain parts of the story.
- Increased MOVEMENT AND ABILITY including dash, sprint and ground pound not found in the original.
- IMPROVED CONTROLS and quality of life updates over the original Wii version.
- PHOTO MODE AND ADDITIONAL COLLECTIBLES like art and pins to unlock in-game extras.
- EXPLORE CLASSIC DISNEY-INSPIRED LEVELSwith both 3D and 2D themed segments.
- Released
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September 24, 2024
- ESRB
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All 10+ // Fantasy Violence
- Developer
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Purple lamp
Core Keeper
Check out Core Keeper on OpenCritic
Core Keeper is a top-down sandbox survival game featuring mining, crafting and exploration in a procedurally generated underground world. Players collect resources, craft equipment and tools, and build a base while pushing outwards from a central hub to unlock new biomes and progression systems. Combat, farming, fishing, cooking, and boss encounters all factor into long-term progression, and the entire experience can be played solo or cooperatively with others. It might sound like a typical survival game on the surface, but fans of both Stardew Valley and Terraria should find something worthwhile here.
Kärna Keeper's features at a glance
- UNDERGROUND MINING SANDBOX ADVENTURE where you explore a procedurally generated cave full of secrets, resources and creatures.
- SURVIVAL, CRAFTING AND BUILDING SYSTEMS with tools, workstations, farms and bases to expand your underground home.
- FIGHTS AND BOSS FIGHTS against powerful enemies unlocking new progression items and rewards.
- SKILL PROGRESSION SYSTEM which improves abilities such as mining, combat, farming and movement through repeated use.
- MULTIPLAYER CO-OP FOR UP TO 8 PLAYERS lets you team up with friends to explore and survive together.
- FOOD, AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK AND OTHER SYSTEMS including cooking, gardening, fishing and animal care.
- MULTIPLE BIOMES AND WORLD MODES with distinctive materials, enemies and challenges plus creative options or difficulty levels.
- EXPLORATION TOOLS SUCH AS PORTALS AND MAPS to help navigate the vast underground world.
- Released
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August 27, 2024
- ESRB
-
E For All // Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer
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Pugstorm
- Publisher
-
Fireshine game
PS Plus free games for January 2026 will be available to play on January 6, 2026.
