Sony is already having a rough stretch heading into July. Between the physical games controversy and the Marvel Tokon region-blocking backlash, the last thing PS Plus Essential subscribers needed was a headline game that most of the community already dismissed back in 2023.
Yet here we are. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 leads the July 2026 PS Plus Essential lineup, joined by For the King 2 and CrossCode. All three games are available now for PS4 and PS5 subscribers.
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The headliner nobody asked for
Here's the thing about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 as a PS Plus headliner: it was already a tough sell when it launched in November 2023. The campaign was widely criticised as one of the shortest and most underdeveloped in the series' history, and the multiplayer launched with a noticeably thin map pool that leaned too heavily on remastered maps from the original 2011 game.
The multiplayer did receive updates over its lifecycle, which improved the experience somewhat. But arriving as a free Essential game nearly three years after launch, when the player base has largely moved on to newer entries, limits how much of that improvement actually matters in practice. The community reaction to this month's announcement has been pointed, with plenty of subscribers calling it one of the weakest Essential lineups in recent memory.
The two games quietly worth your time
The real question is whether the supporting titles do enough to salvage the month.
For the King 2 is a tabletop-inspired, turn-based RPG that works best when played with friends. The co-op structure gives it genuine replay value, and if you can pull together two or three players, there is a solid evening or two of entertainment here. Solo, it is decent but noticeably less compelling.
CrossCode is the more interesting pick of the two. Released on PS5 in 2021, it is a top-down action RPG set inside a fictional sci-fi MMO, and it plays completely differently to anything else on the list. The combat is fast, the puzzle design is genuinely clever, and the game has a dedicated following that has stayed positive about it for years. What most players miss is that CrossCode is not a short game either, clocking in at 40-plus hours for a full run. That alone makes it the month's best value proposition.
Worst timing Sony could have picked
The lineup lands at a genuinely bad moment for Sony's public image. The announcement that PlayStation consoles will stop receiving disc-based physical releases in 2028 has generated significant backlash, and a separate bug that removes the playtime tracker from physical games has added fuel to an already heated community. Against that backdrop, a PS Plus lineup headlined by a three-year-old Call of Duty instalment that was poorly received at launch is not going to move the needle in Sony's favour.
The key here is that PS Plus Essential has always been a mixed bag month to month. Some months punch well above expectations, others are filler. July 2026 looks like the latter, with CrossCode being the one legitimate bright spot for subscribers who have not already played it.
For players looking for more to do across their PlayStation library this month, our gaming guides cover everything from free code redemptions to upgrade breakdowns. If you are jumping into any gacha titles while waiting for something better to land on Essential, the Zenless Zone Zero redeem codes guide and the Neverness to Everness codes guide are worth bookmarking for free in-game resources.
