Sony's subscription service is a roller coaster. Honestly, some months feel like a total "skip" while others suddenly dump hundreds of hours of gameplay onto your SSD. When the lineup for the November 2024 PS Plus games first leaked, the internet did its usual thing. People complained. They said it was light. But now that we’ve had some distance from the release window, looking back at Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged, Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Death Note Killer Within, it’s clear Sony was playing a specific tactical game.
They weren't just throwing random titles at us. They were filling niches.
Think about it. You had a high-speed arcade racer, a supernatural open-world Bethesda joint, and a brand-new "social deduction" game launching day-and-date on the service. That last one is the real kicker. Bringing a new title like Death Note Killer Within to the service on its first day of existence is a move straight out of the Rocket League or Fall Guys playbook. It's about building a player base instantly.
The Surprise Heavy Hitter in the November 2024 PS Plus Games
If you ignored Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 - Turbocharged, you messed up. Seriously. Most people see the "Hot Wheels" branding and think it’s a budget title for seven-year-olds. It isn't. Milestone, the developers behind this, are the same people who make the MotoGP and Ride games. They know physics.
The racing in this sequel feels tight. It's heavy. When you drift around a plastic orange corner in a miniature version of a 1960s muscle car, you feel the weight. The November 2024 PS Plus games selection benefited hugely from this inclusion because it offered something the PS5 library is surprisingly short on: high-quality arcade racing. We have Gran Turismo 7 for the simulation nerds, but where is our Burnout? Where is our MotorStorm? Hot Wheels fills that void.
It added new mechanics over the first game, too. You can jump now. You can lateral dash. It sounds small, but in the heat of a race where you’re trying to knock an opponent off a track that’s suspended 50 feet in the air in a backyard, it’s a game-changer. The track editor alone provides infinite replayability if you're the creative type.
Why Ghostwire: Tokyo Finally Found Its Audience
Then there’s Ghostwire: Tokyo. This game had a weird life. It started as a timed PlayStation exclusive, went to Xbox and Game Pass, and then looped back into the PS Plus Monthly Games.
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It’s a vibe game.
If you go into Ghostwire expecting a hardcore first-person shooter, you’re going to be bored in twenty minutes. But if you go into it for the atmosphere? It’s unmatched. Walking through a deserted, rain-slicked Shibuya while spirits float between neon signs is peak digital tourism. The "combat" is basically magic finger-guns. It’s flashy, colorful, and deeply rooted in Japanese folklore.
Most critics back at launch in 2022 said it felt "repetitive." They weren't necessarily wrong. However, when a game is "free" (included with your sub), that repetition feels a lot less offensive than when you're dropping $70 at Best Buy. It’s the perfect "podcast game"—something you play while listening to a true crime story or a tech talk. You clear out some spirits, cleanse a Torii gate, and enjoy the scenery. Sony knew exactly what they were doing by putting this in the November 2024 PS Plus games. It’s a high-production-value filler that makes the subscription feel worth the monthly fee.
The Risk of Death Note Killer Within
We have to talk about the weirdest inclusion: Death Note Killer Within.
Social deduction games are a dime a dozen since Among Us blew up during the pandemic. We’ve seen First Class Trouble, Goose Goose Duck, and even Eville. Most of them die within a month. Sony and Bandai Namco taking a swing with a massive IP like Death Note was a bold choice.
In this game, players are split into two teams: Kira and his followers, or L and the investigators. It's slower than Among Us. It’s more methodical. You have to gather leads, talk to NPCs, and try to figure out who holds the Notebook without getting your own name written in it.
Does it actually work?
Kinda. It’s a bit clunky. The menus are a mess and the tutorial is a wall of text that would make a lawyer dizzy. But when you get a group of friends together who actually know the anime? The tension is real. It’s a niche game for a niche audience, but by including it in the November 2024 PS Plus games, Sony guaranteed that the servers wouldn't be empty on launch day. That is the only way a game like this survives. Without PS Plus, this game would have been "Dead on Arrival." With it, it at least had a fighting chance to find a cult following.
Sorting Through the Tiers: Essential vs. Extra
It’s easy to get confused about what you actually get. The three games mentioned above—Hot Wheels, Ghostwire, and Death Note—were the "Essential" tier games. That means everyone with any level of PS Plus could claim them and keep them forever (as long as the sub is active).
But the November 2024 PS Plus games update for the "Extra" and "Premium" tiers was where the real meat was for hardcore gamers. We saw titles like Grand Theft Auto V (returning for the millionth time), Dying Light 2: Stay Human, and Like a Dragon: Ishin! join the catalog.
- Dying Light 2 was a massive get. Techland has supported that game with a ridiculous amount of free updates since its rocky launch. By the time it hit PS Plus in late 2024, it was a much more polished, expansive experience than it was at release.
- Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a treat for fans of the Yakuza series. It swaps the streets of Kamurocho for 1860s Kyoto. You’re still punching people and doing wacky side quests, but now you have a katana and a revolver. It’s brilliant.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Lineups
The biggest misconception is that Sony chooses these games based on what is "best." They don't. They choose based on data and contracts.
They look at what people are playing and where the holes are. If the data shows that 40% of subscribers haven't played a racing game in six months, they go hunt for a racing game. If a publisher like Bethesda (now owned by Microsoft) has a contract that was signed years ago, Sony has to fulfill those obligations. That's why we still see Bethesda games popping up in the November 2024 PS Plus games even though they are technically "the competition" now.
Also, people often forget about the "Premium" classics. November brought some heavy hitters for the nostalgia crowd. We’re talking about the PS2 era—games that remind us of a time when you didn't need a 50GB day-one patch just to see the title screen. Seeing Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2 pop up in the classics catalog (via streaming) was a massive win for fans who have been begging for a reboot of that franchise for over a decade.
The Strategy Behind the Timing
November is the start of the holiday shopping season. Sony’s goal with the November 2024 PS Plus games was likely player retention. They want you to stay subscribed through the Black Friday sales and into the Christmas break.
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By offering a mix of a "family-friendly" racer, a "hardcore" open world, and a "social" multiplayer game, they cast the widest possible net. They aren't trying to please one person with three games; they are trying to please three different types of people with one game each.
Is it worth the price hike?
That’s the $80 question. Ever since Sony raised the prices of the annual subscriptions, the scrutiny on the monthly games has been intense. If you only play Call of Duty or FIFA (now FC), then the November 2024 PS Plus games probably didn't move the needle for you. But if you're the type of gamer who likes to experiment? The value is there.
If you bought Hot Wheels 2, Ghostwire, and Death Note separately, you’d be looking at over $100. Even on sale, you're looking at $50 or $60. Getting them as part of a $15 monthly sub (or the discounted annual rate) is objectively a good deal, provided you actually play them.
Actionable Steps for PS Plus Members
If you still have these games in your library or are looking at the current state of the service, here is how to actually make the most of what Sony is offering:
- Check your "Classics" library if you're on the Premium tier. Many people forget that the PS1/PS2/PSP titles often come with "quality of life" features like rewind and quick-save. In Resistance, these are life-savers.
- Don't sleep on the "Game Help" feature. Most of the November 2024 PS Plus games support the PS5's built-in hint system. If you're stuck on a puzzle in Ghostwire, just hit the PS button. It’ll show you a video of the solution without you having to go to YouTube and see spoilers.
- Manage your storage with "Collections." With the influx of games, your library gets messy. Use the "Folders" feature on the PS5 home screen to separate your "Backlog" from your "Currently Playing." It helps reduce the "Netflix effect" where you spend more time scrolling than playing.
- Download Death Note for the trophies. If you're a trophy hunter, social deduction games often have relatively simple (though grindy) Platinum trophies. It’s an easy way to boost your level while the player base is still active.
The reality of the November 2024 PS Plus games is that they represented a shift toward variety over blockbuster status. Sony isn't always going to give us God of War or Spider-Man. Sometimes, they're going to give us a plastic car, a Japanese ghost, and a notebook that kills people. And honestly? That's a pretty fun weekend.