While not lacking in standalone releases, PS Plus has plenty of franchises for subscribers who want to fully immerse themselves in a specific license or universe. This selection includes a few of the greatest video game trilogies of all time, and while most of them have been out for a while, they hold up beautifully.
Batman: Arkham
Rocksteady’s Arkham series changed the gaming industry. The franchise’s free-flowing combat has been duplicated by many other properties, but few come close to replicating the magic of Rocksteady’s projects. While Arkham Origins is not on PS Plus, Premium subscribers can play Rocksteady’s full trilogy, starting with Arkham Asylum and concluding with Arkham Knight.
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Each entry builds upon its predecessor’s gameplay, story beats, characters, and world design, giving the trilogy a notable sense of progression. While more self-contained and streamlined than its successors, Arkham Asylum is nevertheless fantastic, and some might even argue it represents the trilogy’s peak.
God Of War Trilogy
Even though PS Plus has five God of War games, the PS2 and PS3 numbered trilogy tells a complete story that works well in isolation, even if 2013’s Ascension does add some nuance to Kratos’ backstory. Inspired by Greek Mythology, Santa Monica’s PlayStation-exclusive franchise depicts Kratos’s rise and fall as the God of War, culminating in his blood-soaked attack on the deities that used him.
All three God of War games follow identical gameplay loops that blend hack-and-slash combat with lite platforming and puzzles. The sequels are better paced than the first game in the series, but the latter makes up for that by telling the most engaging chapter of Kratos’s Greek Mythology era. In terms of pure spectacle, God of War is the best trilogy on PS Plus Premium.
Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection
PS Plus Extra has quite a few Assassin’s Creed games, including modern sequels like Odyssey. As the franchise has progressed, Ubisoft has deemphasized the entries’ interconnectivity and modern timeline in favor of telling relatively self-contained stories. As such, newcomers can jump into any Assassin’s Creed game and not feel like they are missing out on too much context.
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Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection is often cited as the franchise’s peak, at least during its pre-Origins era. As the title suggests, this trilogy covers Ezio Auditore da Firenze’s entire life as he grows from a brash young assassin to a world-weary veteran burdened by responsibility and guilt. Set in Italy during the Renaissance, the games deliver well-written characters and immersive open-worlds.
Infamous’ Cole MacGrath Trilogy
Sucker Punch has moved away from Infamous, but at least all five games are on PS Plus. The Extra tier has Infamous Second Son and First Light, which are a solid double-feature; meanwhile, Premium subscribers can experience Cole MacGrath’s complete PS3 journey. Infamous leads directly into its sequel, which continues Cole’s growth as a hero (or villain) while building upon the protagonist’s powers and abilities.
Admittedly, this trilogy includes a filler arc since Festival of Blood is a non-canon expansion that throws vampires into the mix. While not really adding anything to Cole’s narrative, the game is nonetheless a lot of fun.
Ratchet & Clank Collection
Insomniac Games’ Ratchet & Clank continues to produce gold for PlayStation consoles, with 2021’s Rift Apart ranking among the PS5’s greatest exclusives. However, an argument could be made that the franchise peaked with the original trilogy on the PS2. Ratchet & Clank is a platformer series that focuses heavily on third-person shooter action, with each game containing an arsenal of creative weapons that are a joy to control and master.
That description accurately reflects all three games in the Ratchet & Clank Collection, and the sequels expand nicely on the first entry’s concepts. Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal are typically regarded as the best Ratchet & Clank games of all time, and they are just as fun today as they were in the 2000s.
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