A younger me would have been thrilled with how affordable gaming has become. It might sound strange – new games and video game consoles are getting more expensive all the time – but with the advent of services like PlayStation Plus and Game Pass, getting access to hundreds of titles is just a matter of a relatively small monthly fee. This brings with it a host of other problems, especially for smaller developers and publishers looking to turn a profit, but for the average consumer it's definitely a positive.
I use Xbox Game Pass on my PC and PlayStation Plus Extra on my PS5, so I feel like I have a pretty solid grasp of the ins and outs of these services, and I'm not shy about identifying one as better than the other. Despite Xbox's recent struggles, Game Pass is still arguably better than the PS Plus catalog due to sheer, concentrated quality. In other words, Game Pass has a greater density of worthwhile games, while PS Plus, while still good in many ways, is more bogged down by niche or underwhelming titles. Nowhere is this more evident than in the service's plethora of sports games that, in my opinion, are basically just filler entries.
There's still one big wall that Xbox Game Pass can't overcome
Although Xbox Game Pass offers players a lot, there is a big wall in the way to lead the gaming market.
Traditional sports games are among the least exciting on the market
I'm not sure if this is controversial, but sports games, especially those from older franchises like Madden and NBA 2Kare remarkably uninteresting. Don't get me wrong, they can be fun – I've spent countless hours playing 2K with friends growing up, and still do sometimes – but they're also quite cynical and creative-willed. These games are the pinnacle of the antiquated, consumer-hostile annual release cycle, and all the problems that come with it.
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That's the obvious question about major sports franchises that Madden releasing basically the exact same game every year, at $70 a pop and with countless microtransactions to boot. But such franchises are also characterized by a stunning lack of quality and ambition in other, less immediately recognizable ways. For example editing, acting, directing, character animations and writing of almost all of them NBA 2K MyCareer is often abysmal. Even when the series brings in established filmmakers like Spike Lee and famous actors like Idris Elba, they still feel low-key and obligatory, like they're only there because the audience expects a solo campaign, not because anyone actually wants to do them.
Maybe you don't care that much about that and just want to play a few matches with your friends or online. I don't begrudge it, but consider this: flaws like a bad MyCareer are emblematic of a broader lack of effort on the part of these franchises. If all you want to do is play the standard multiplayer modes, where you're actually on the pitch, pitch, et cetera, you might not feel the effect of this lack of effort at first. But after so many years with the same mechanical framework and features, even these basic modes start to feel cheap, despite the fact that these games actually demand more and more money from their player bases with each release.
PlayStation Plus sports games offer little value to subscribers
Sports games have been added to PlayStation Plus over the past six months
- EA Sports FC 26
- Football Manager 26
- Crew Motorfest
- Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions
- Madden NFL 26
- Rugby 25
- Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown
- Art of Rally
- Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game
- Moto GP 25
- EA Sports WRC 24
Be careful with what I call “traditional” or “legacy” sports bets, usually represented by the last two numbers of a year in their title. Since December 2025, a surprising number of such games have been released on the various tiers of PS Plus, indicating a growing trend. I can't be sure, but it really feels like these games are being added more to fill out the library and compete with similar on-demand services, rather than to actually increase the value of the service itself.
I say this because sports games have historically experienced much faster price degradation than other video games. Take Madden NFL 26for example. If you go to GameStop's website, you will find that the digital version of this game, which was released not even a year ago for $70, can be purchased for just $14. This is even more striking when you think about it Madden NFL 26 is essentially identical to Madden NFL 25which GameStop sells brand new for just $7.
Since most PS Plus subscribers are looking for the most bang for their buck, the increasing number of sports game add-ons is a little worrying; at the end of the day, these ongoing editions simply don't offer the same value as games that Horizon Forbidden West and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. With a PlayStation Plus Extra membership costing $15 a month and an Essential subscription costing $10, it's disappointing to see so many bargains.
PlayStation Plus is still a good deal in my opinion, but I still feel my excitement drain when I see a sports game added to the catalog. Aside from the element of financial value, annual sports games are creatively redundant and uninspired, and are generally the opposite kind of experience I come to platforms like PS Plus for. I subscribe to PS Plus for two main reasons: to save money through affordable access to games that would otherwise be very expensive, and to enjoy unique, versatile gaming experiences. Basically sports betting in the direction of FIFA, EA Sports FCand Maddendoes not meet any of these goals.
