Square Enix announces a complete $60 Life is Strange Collection for PS5, but the monkey's paw curls: only 2 of the 5 games are actually on the disc

I love keeping a physical game collection, so seeing a beloved series like Life is Strange get an all-in-one retail release should be joyous news. I had a brief moment of hope that the upcoming Life is Strange Collection on PS5 would be the physical version of the series I'd been hoping for, but alas, not even half of the included games are even on the disc.

The Life is Strange Collection recently appeared on the official Square Enix store. It includes Life is Strange, Life is Strange 2, Before the Storm, True Colors, and Double Exposure, and at $60 USD it's a decent deal for that many games, especially with "all associated DLC and pre-order incentive items" included.

But if you're looking to add this package to your library, beware the fine print. The disc only contains True Colors and Double Exposure, with the remaining games all coming to you via "redemption code." Add to that the fact that the original Life is Strange and Before the Storm are only included in their broadly maligned remastered forms, and you've got a pretty disappointing re-release.

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True Colors and Double Exposure were the only previous LiS games to get physical releases on PS5, so it makes some logistical sense that they're the only ones on disc here. Life is Strange 2 got a PS4 disc, but that was an incomplete version that required you to download episode five. LiS1 and Before the Storm similarly got PS4 discs, but those aren't the questionable remastered edition that Square Enix seems most keen to sell today.

Square Enix has already gotten physical game collectors annoyed in recent months by putting out Switch 2 titles like Bravely Default on game-key cards. The same thing is happening with Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake, but that one's even weirder - there is a proper physical version for Switch 1, but it doesn't offer cross-save with or an upgrade to its current-gen counterpart.

In all these cases, it seems Square Enix isn't particularly concerned with what physical collectors are looking for. Here in 2025, I'm not really surprised - I'm just disappointed, especially since this would've been a golden opportunity to finally get all of Life is Strange together in a complete package.

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