For April 2026, PlayStation Plus Essential gives you three games to claim between April 7 and May 4: Lords of the Fallen (PS5), Tomb Raider I–III Remastered (PS4/PS5), and Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream (PS5). If you add them to your library in that window, they stay tied to your account as long as your PS Plus sub is active.
If you’re a PS5 owner who likes demanding action, retro‑style exploration, or co‑op anime grind, this is a month you probably don’t want to skip. PS4‑only players still get value from the remastered Tomb Raider trilogy, but the lineup is clearly tilted toward current‑gen hardware.
Quick overview: which April 2026 PS Plus game fits you best?
Short answer:
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Play Lords of the Fallen if you want a modern Soulslike with a twist and have the patience for tough bosses.
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Pick Tomb Raider I–III Remastered if you want a big single‑player project with classic puzzle platforming and a surprisingly deep new Challenge Mode.
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Go for Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream if you mainly play co‑op and enjoy building teams around anime characters.
Here’s a quick at‑a‑glance table to help you decide.
If you don’t have much time this month, at least claim all three, then start with the one that matches how you usually play during a regular weeknight.
Lords of the Fallen (PS5): is this Soulslike worth your time?
TL;DR: Lords of the Fallen is a PS5‑only action RPG that leans hard into Soulslike combat, with a gimmick where you swap between the living world and a deadly shadow realm using a magical lantern. It’s a good pick if you like learning bosses and don’t mind a few early brick walls.
Moment to moment, you’re doing the usual mix of:
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Creating a character, choosing a starting class, and investing stats as you level.
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Fighting through dense, interconnected zones filled with ambushes and shortcuts.
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Taking on bosses that punish panic rolls but reward clean positioning and patience.
The twist is the dual‑realm system. You explore the normal world first, then use the lantern to “shift” or peek into an underworld layer to reveal platforms, alternate paths, and extra enemies. Dying in the living realm drops you into the dead one with different threats, so even your mistakes turn into short, stressful recovery runs rather than instant restarts.
Co‑op is built in: you can summon help for bosses or join other players’ worlds, which takes the edge off some of the rougher fights. If you’re coming from Elden Ring or Lies of P, expect a difficulty curve that feels familiar, with some early spikes until you find a weapon and build that click for you.
Who should probably skip it?
If you hate repeating bosses or you just want something you can pause during short sessions with kids or roommates interrupting you, this may be better as a “weekend focus game” than a casual after‑work pick.
Tomb Raider I–III Remastered (PS4/PS5): what’s new and how does Challenge Mode work?
TL;DR: Tomb Raider I–III Remastered is easily the most flexible game in the April lineup, combining three full classic campaigns, visual toggles between retro and modern looks, and a new Challenge Mode update that adds outfits, modifiers, and trophies.
At baseline, you’re getting:
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Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, and Tomb Raider III in one package on PS4 and PS5.
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Upgraded lighting, textures, and character models, with a one‑button toggle to switch back to the original polygon style.
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The classic grid‑based 3D platforming where you line up jumps, manage limited ammo, and hunt for secrets.
The March 2026 Challenge Mode patch turns completed levels into replayable “runs” with custom modifiers. You can crank up the difficulty by:
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Cutting Lara’s health pool.
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Reducing your weapon options or starting with weaker gear.
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Boosting enemy strength and density.
Doing this increases your challenge rating, which in turn unlocks:
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10 new outfits tied to Challenge Mode, each with specific gameplay perks like increased mobility or extra survivability.
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15 new trophies/achievements for clearing higher‑difficulty setups or meeting strict conditions.
From a time perspective, a relaxed, first‑time run through all three games can easily hit 60–80 hours, especially if you chase secrets and then dive into Challenge Mode for outfit unlocks. It’s not a “finish in a weekend” kind of project unless you rush.
Player insight: If you’re new to old‑school Tomb Raider, spend 30 minutes in an early level just practicing jumps and grabs. Once the movement clicks, the series stops feeling clunky and starts feeling like a puzzle game with guns.
Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream (PS5): is this co‑op raid game any good?
TL;DR: Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream is a PS5 co‑op action game focused on large‑scale PvE raids for up to 20 players, where you pick from a big SAO roster and grind out gear and classes. It’s built primarily for groups, not solo play.
Bandai Namco describes it as “the ultimate co‑op raid battle experience,” with 21 playable characters pulled from across the SAO timeline. They’re divided into six roles:
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Fighter
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Tank
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Rogue
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Mage
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Ranger
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Support
You’ll feel that role choice in actual missions. Tanks and supports matter a lot more in higher‑tier raids, where boss patterns and AoE damage can wipe out greedy DPS players in a single combo if nobody’s mitigating or healing.
To access the Boss Raid content, you need to do some homework in the story and co‑op quests:
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Finish Chapters 1 and 2 of Story Mode.
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Clear the “Woods of Recollection” co‑op quest.
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Reach at least Player Rank 5 to unlock and clear “Abandoned Facility.”
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Hit Player Rank 15 to finally unlock the “Skull Reaper” Boss Raid.
