Sony announces new PS5 games and first next-gen PS Plus freebie

With the PS5 release date fast approaching, today Sony has committed to sharing news and updates for five upcoming PS5 games.

The official PlayStation twitter announced the news supercut this morning. Five new PlayStation Blog posts discussing different PS5 games will be published between now and 8:30am PT / 11:30am ET / 4:30pm BST. We'll round up these blog posts as they're published and collect the most important information below. Let's start with the first bit of news…

No Man's Sky: Next Generation will be on next-gen consoles at launch  

The first blog post focuses on No Man's Sky, which has now been confirmed for both PS5 and Xbox Series X. The aptly titled Next Generation update will bring the game to both new consoles at launch, and it will be available as a free update to existing players. Saves will transfer as well, so explorers and engineers will be able to jump right in. 

Hello Games founder Sean Murray discussed the next-gen version of the game in his PlayStation Blog post, and while he obviously focuses on the PS5 feature set, much of his comments apply to Xbox Series X as well. The next-gen build of the game offers a new 32-player multiplayer mode, 4K/60 FPS visuals, denser worlds powered by more detailed procedural generation, faster loading times, and improved audio.

No Man's Sky will also make full use of the haptic feedback on the DualSense controller. "From the satisfying feeling of firing your boltcaster, to the gentle nudge of a building part slotting into place in a space habitat or the firm click of the trigger in your interstellar ship – haptic controls allow players to feel immersed in an alien world as never before," Murray says.

Here's more information on No Man's Sky: Next Generation. 

Haven is the next game from the makers of Furi, and it's out December 3 

Haven is essentially a single-player co-op game from Game Bakers, best known for rhythm action game Furi, and with today's news, it finally has a release date: December 3. That's for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC. The Nintendo Switch and PS4 versions of the game will be out in early 2021. 

Creative director Emeric Thoa describes Haven as "a romantic RPG about love and freedom," which is where our dual protagonists come in. You play as Yu and Kay, and I don't mean either of them, but both at the same time, hence the term single-player co-op. You can play Haven in traditional co-op as well, and quite easily thanks to seamless drop-in support, but it's a full-fat solo experience. The D-pad controls Kay and the face buttons control Yu. 

Like Furi, Haven emphasizes rhythm in its combat, which uses something of a real-time turn-based system where you use Yu and Kay's abilities to combo and defend. Outside of combat, you can explore the world in tandem with skiing-like movement, and when you need to restock or rest up, you can return to your ship to craft, cook, or just cuddle. It is a romance story, after all.

Temtem will be a PS5 console exclusive when it arrives December 8

Temtem developer Crema previously confirmed that its creature collecting MMORPG would come to PS5 this year, and it's now specified that it will be a PS5 console exclusive when it launches December 8. However, the game is still planned for other consoles, with the Xbox Series X version scheduled for sometime in 2021.

Temtem has been in early access on PC since early 2020, and it will support crossplay between PS5 and PC players from the day it launches on the next-gen console. PS5 players will also receive an exclusive in-game title and PlayStation Network avatars if they pre-order the game, which is available through a $37.49 standard edition (on sale from $39.99)  and a $57.49 deluxe edition (on sale from $59.99). The deluxe edition also comes with an extra outfit and other cosmetics. 

Note that "with each major Island update to Temtem the base price will increase," so "the earlier you buy in, the cheaper the game will be," as Crema puts it. There are currently four islands in the game and another two are planned for Temtem's early access period. The game will also add dozens of new Tem to catch and train, new multiplayer features like server-wide trading, and more end-game challenges for diehard Tem trainers. 

Tribes of Midgard is a Viking-flavored action-RPG coming next year  

Up to 10 players can join forces in Tribes of Midgard, a survival action-RPG set just before the coming of the Norse Ragnarok, or you can play it as a solo Viking. It's one part base builder, one part hack and slash, and it's coming to PS5 in 2021. 

Published by Gearbox, Tribes of Midgard sounds a bit like a tower defense game on paper, in that increasingly difficult waves of enemies attack your base each night, targeting your Seed of Yggdrasil. Naturally, you spend the daytime collecting resources, building defenses, and upgrading your gear. There's a big world to explore, and each one is procedurally generated when you start your journey, so expanding your horizons is key. 

Its Norse inspirations give Tribes some cool enemies to work with, with the most threatening being the towering giants that periodically besiege your camp. These look like the true boss fights of the game, and the greatest tests of both your preparation skills and your Viking's abilities. We're still waiting on exact release date and pricing details, but Tribes of Midgard looks like a fun bit of survival action.  

The first PS Plus freebie for PS5 is Bugsnax 

To round things out, Sony announced the next batch of PlayStation Plus free games, with a surprise dash of PS5 news.  

The PS Plus free games will be two free PS4 games in November: Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition and Middle-earth: Shadow of War, both arriving November 3. In addition, subscribers will be able to claim a free PS5 copy of Bugsnax as soon as the console is released on November 12 (or November 19 depending on your region). Bugsnax will only be free on PS5, mind you, so you'll need to buy the console itself to claim this freebie. 

Hollow Knight and Shadow of War will be available until November 30, but Bugsnax will be free to claim on PS5 through January 4, presumably to give prospective PS5 owners a bit more time to upgrade. 

Head here for more details on Bugsnax and its PS5 freebie.