Look, being a PlayStation fan is a rollercoaster. One month you’re getting heavy hitters that make the subscription feel like a steal, and the next, you’re staring at a list wondering if you actually played half of these games back in 2015. Honestly, the PS Plus Extra November 2024 update was one of those "wait, what?" moments for a lot of people. It wasn't that the games were bad—far from it—it’s just that Sony decided to play a game of "musical chairs" with some of their biggest titles.
If you’ve been paying attention to the Game Catalog lately, you know the drill. Sony drops a batch of games in the middle of the month, usually around the third Tuesday. For November 19, 2024, they brought back a titan, but it came at a pretty steep cost in terms of what we lost.
The Big Returns and New Blood
Basically, the headliner was Grand Theft Auto V. Yeah, again. It’s the game that refuses to die. While it’s technically a "re-release" for the service, having GTA V on the service is a massive win for anyone who somehow hasn't bought it across three different console generations. But let's be real—most of us already own it.
The real meat for people looking for something "new" was Dying Light 2: Stay Human. Specifically, the Reloaded Edition. If you haven't touched this since launch, it’s a completely different beast now. The parkour is tighter, and the nights are actually scary again.
What landed on PS Plus Extra November 2024:
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, PS5)
- Dying Light 2: Stay Human (PS4, PS5)
- Like a Dragon: Ishin! (PS4, PS5)
- MotoGP 24 (PS4, PS5)
- The Sims 4 Island Living (Expansion pack only, you need the base game)
- Digimon Survive (PS4)
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat (PS4, PS5)
- Stick Fight: The Game (PS4)
- Clash: Artifacts of Chaos (PS4, PS5)
- Killer Frequency (PS4, PS5)
- Hungry Shark World (PS4)
- Chivalry 2 (PS4, PS5)
That’s a lot of variety. You’ve got Like a Dragon: Ishin!, which is basically Yakuza but with samurai in the 1860s. It’s fantastic. Then you have Killer Frequency, a weirdly addictive indie where you play a 1980s radio DJ trying to save callers from a slasher. It’s the kind of game you’d never buy but absolutely love because it’s "free" on the service.
The "Purge" Everyone is Talking About
You can’t talk about the PS Plus Extra November 2024 lineup without mentioning the mass exodus. This is where it gets kinda depressing. Sony didn't just remove a few indie titles; they cleared out some absolute legends.
We’re talking about Red Dead Redemption 2 leaving. That’s a 100-hour game. If you were halfway through Arthur Morgan’s story when November 19 hit, you were basically out of luck unless you opened your wallet. Even worse for JRPG fans, the entire Kingdom Hearts collection vanished. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Kingdom Hearts 3, and even the rhythm game Melody of Memory all got the axe.
It felt like a Square Enix fire sale, but in reverse. We also lost Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, and the indie darling What Remains of Edith Finch. It’s a lot to process. When you compare the games coming in to the ones leaving, it’s a tough trade. Is GTA V worth losing Red Dead 2 and the whole Kingdom Hearts saga? Probably not for most.
Premium Perks: A Trip Down Memory Lane
If you're paying for the top-tier Premium sub, November was actually pretty decent for the nostalgia factor. They finally added Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2. These were the PS3’s answer to Halo back in the day, and they still hold up surprisingly well, even if you’re just streaming them.
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The addition of the Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain games was a smart move too. With the Soul Reaver remasters coming out right around the corner in December, it gave people a chance to see where the vampire drama started. Plus, for the three people who own a PS VR2, Synapse was a massive "get." It’s easily one of the best shooters on the headset, using eye-tracking for telekinesis in a way that makes you feel like a god.
Is the service still worth it?
Honestly, it depends on what you play. The PS Plus Extra November 2024 update proved that Sony is leaning heavily into the "rotating door" model. You can't treat this library like a permanent collection. It's more like a rental shop with a really aggressive repo man.
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If you want to get the most out of your sub after this update, here is what you should do:
- Check the "Last Chance to Play" section every month. Seriously. Don't get caught 40 hours into a 100-hour RPG when it’s about to leave.
- Play the indies first. Big titles like GTA V or Dying Light 2 will probably stay for 6-12 months. Smaller games like Killer Frequency or Clash: Artifacts of Chaos are easier to wrap up in a weekend and are less likely to stay forever.
- Don't ignore the DLC. Since The Sims 4: Island Living was included, it’s a reminder that Sony occasionally tosses in expansions. If you already play Sims, that’s a $40 value right there.
- Keep an eye on the Essential Tier too. Remember, the "free" games you claim in the first week of the month (like Ghostwire: Tokyo or Hot Wheels Unleashed 2) are yours as long as you have a sub. The Extra/Premium Catalog games are the only ones that can be taken away.
The takeaway from November is clear: the library is volatile. Enjoy the samurai action of Ishin and the zombie-slaying of Dying Light 2 while you can. Because as we saw with Red Dead 2, nothing is sacred when the licensing contracts expire.
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To stay ahead, make sure you've finished any remaining Square Enix or Rockstar titles you've been eyeing, as the departure of the Kingdom Hearts series suggests Sony's partnership with certain publishers might be shifting toward shorter windows. Dive into the smaller, high-rated titles like Killer Frequency now to ensure you don't miss out on the service's hidden gems before the next monthly rotation.