Call of Duty and CrossCode hit PlayStation Plus tomorrow

Sony is rolling out its next batch of PlayStation Plus Monthly Games tomorrow, July 7. According to the PlayStation Blog, subscribers on both PS4 and PS5 can claim Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, For the King II, and CrossCode. All three titles will remain available to add to your digital library until Monday, August 3. I highly recommend grabbing them before they are gone, even if you just plan to stash them in your backlog. Just like Sony's commitment to physical media, they won't last long.

16 maps from 2009

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is the undeniable heavyweight of the month. Released in late 2023, this entry is a direct sequel to Modern Warfare II and brings back Task Force 141 to hunt down Vladimir Makarov. The campaign itself drew some criticism at launch for its shorter runtime and reliance on open combat missions.

The multiplayer suite is where the real value lies. Activision rebuilt all 16 launch maps from the original 2009 Modern Warfare 2 with updated graphics and modern movement mechanics. The maps are a pure nostalgia trip back to the days of calling in AC-130s on Highrise or Terminal. The package also includes Modern Warfare Zombies. This mode ditches the traditional round-based survival format for a massive open-world PvE extraction setup.

Four players against Queen Rosomon

If you prefer your multiplayer to be a little more cooperative and a lot more punishing, For the King II fills that gap. IronOak Games built a sequel to their sleeper hit tabletop RPG simulator and moved the action to an updated engine. The premise is straightforward. Queen Rosomon has turned evil, and you need to gather a party of four to stop her.

The execution is anything but simple. The game blends roguelite progression with brutal turn-based combat on a hex grid. You can play it solo, but it really shines in four-player online co-op. The original game captured the feeling of a tabletop campaign going horribly wrong because of a few bad dice rolls. The sequel keeps that exact energy alive. It adds new classes, deeper tactical positioning, and a much cleaner interface.

I am begging you to play CrossCode

The final game in the trio is CrossCode, an exceptional 2D action RPG from Radical Fish Games. It originally launched on PC back in 2018 after a lengthy early access period before eventually making its way to consoles. The pitch sounds familiar. It is a retro-inspired adventure with 16-bit graphics and a sci-fi story.

The actual game is a masterclass in pacing and level design. It combines incredibly fast twin-stick combat with complex, Zelda-style dungeon puzzles. You play as Lea, an avatar in a fictional MMO called CrossWorlds, trying to recover her lost memories. The physics are buttery smooth. The combat system rewards aggressive play and perfect dodges. It is easily one of the best indie RPGs of the last decade.

Just remember that these are the base tier Essential games. You do not need the Extra or Premium subscription tiers to claim them. Once you add them to your account, they are yours to play as long as you maintain an active PlayStation Plus membership. Make sure to hit the claim button before the August 3 cutoff.