PlayStation Plus Essential October 2022 Lineup Includes Injustice, Hot Wheels, and More

September 28, 2022

Sony has finally announced the October 2022 PlayStation Plus Essential lineup in the final days of September, giving subscribers of the lowest tier of the service a preview of what they are in for. This roster includes Hot Wheels Unleashed, Injustice 2, and Superhot and they’ll be available from October 4 to October 31.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is the newest game of the bunch and the only one with a native PlayStation 5 version. This licensed title was developed by Milestone S.r.l., a team known for its other racing games like SBK 22, MotoGP 22, and Monster Energy Supercross 5. Unleashed released to decent reviews and had plenty of post-launch DLC that brought in vehicles from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Back to the Future, and Batman universes.

Injustice 2 initially came out in 2017 and saw NetherRealm Studios hone its craft making DC-only fighting games. It was critically acclaimed for its story mode and visuals and saw a few unexpected DLC characters that included Hellboy, Raiden and Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The game is also currently on the PlayStation Plus Extra tier, making this an unusual addition. It’s also unclear if NetherRealm is currently making a third title, as a 2021 report noted that the studio is prioritizing Mortal Kombat 12 for the time being.

Superhot is an innovative shooter that only moves forward in time when the player does, leading to sequences that look like a scene from an action movie when played at normal speed. Its distinctive style and unique storytelling were also highly praised even when the game’s PS4 port launched over a year later after its PC and Xbox One versions. Superhot has a separate VR game and a roguelike follow-up, too, both of which have the same core gameplay but with slightly different approaches.

While Sony announced the Essential, Extra, and Premium lineup in one post last month, it opted to only reveal the Essential titles this time. However, the PlayStation Blog post noted that games coming to those other tiers will be revealed later this month. And considering how there’s only two days left in September, they should be unveiled in the next two days.