PlayStation Now gamers will notice something a little different about the new games announced for the service in July.
Sony likes to refresh the official lineup every month to include new titles, ranging from first-party exclusives to popular third-party games.
June saw the additions of Metro Exodus, Dishonored 2, and NASCAR Heat 4, with more games expected to be added next week.
This will happen the same week as the new PS Plus free games for PlayStation 4 are added to the lineup.
The PSN update will occur on Tuesday, July 7, with Sony sharing its updated PS Now lineup on the same day.
And while gamers can expect some exciting new titles to be revealed for PlayStation Now in July, Sony has also confirmed another feature coming to the service.
As part of the company’s PS4 Indie initiative, it’s been revealed that a new independently created game will be added to the PlayStation Now lineup each month.
The PlayStation Indies initiative is being spearheaded by Shuhei Yoshida, head of PlayStation Studios.
The first PlayStation Indies game to debut on PS Now will be Hello Neighbor, which will join the service later this month.
A message from Yoshida explains: “With PlayStation Indies, we hope to spotlight and support the best of the best indie games being published on PlayStation and the entire indie community as a whole. Our goal is to make PlayStation the best place to develop, find, and play great indie games.
“The indie community is increasingly important for the future of the video game industry, as AAA game development has grown so financially demanding that big companies are finding it harder to take risks to invest in new concepts that may or may not work.
“We trust indie developers with strong vision will continue to bring ideas that have never been tried before, creating whole new genres of games and advancing the art and meaning of video games.
“PlayStation has always embraced games with completely new concepts, like PaRappa the Rapper, Katamari Damacy, LittleBigPlanet, and Journey, and we look forward to seeing what surprising new ideas will come next!
“I was so excited to see the strong reactions to the amazing indie titles featured in the PS5 Future of Gaming event a few weeks ago.
“Do they not look charming and interesting? I, for one, could not get the Bugsnax song out of my head for a few days since the show went live.
“While details are still forthcoming, we are also happy to confirm a new indie title will join the PlayStation Now service every month, starting with Hello Neighbor in July. Please look out for our monthly PS Now posts for more information.”
July is also a special month for PS Plus, as it marks the 10th Anniversary of the service, with Sony celebrating by offering three games this month.
Below are the games for PS Plus members, available July 7 until August 3.
NBA 2K20
NBA 2K has evolved into much more than a basketball simulation. With its immersive open-world Neighborhood, NBA 2K20 is a platform for gamers and ballers to come together* and create what’s next in basketball culture. Take your skills to the next level, featuring an upgraded motion engine with signature styles, advanced shooting controls, a new dribble size-up system, refined off-ball collisions, and a new read & react defensive game.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration
In Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara uncovers an ancient mystery that places her in the crosshairs of a ruthless organization known as Trinity. As she races to find a powerful and sought-after artifact before Trinity, the trail leads to a myth about the Lost City of Kitezh. Lara knows she must reach the Lost City and its hidden secrets before Trinity as she sets out for Siberia on a thrilling expedition.
Erica
This feature-length cinematic experience merges high-fidelity Hollywood production values with engaging, tactile gameplay. Become Erica, a brave young lady plagued with nightmares of your father’s murder. With the traumatic events that have haunted you as a child dragged back into the light of the present-day vis grisly new clues, it’s up to you to unearth the shocking truth behind this devastating tragedy. Every choice you make influences how the game develops, with multiple endings awaiting you at the finale of the emotional branching narrative.