October PS Plus: F1 25 and Hunt: Showdown 1896 Bring Plenty of Competition

Sony has revealed the monthly PlayStation Plus Essential games for October 2026, and this time the lineup has a strong competitive edge. As reported by Vandal, the headliners are F1 25 and Hunt: Showdown 1896, joined by Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. All three can be claimed from Tuesday, October 6 until Monday, November 2, as long as you have an active subscription.

Why does this matter so much to us at Underworld Lordz? Because it's not every month that PS Plus gets two titles with demanding, ranking-focused player bases. An official Formula 1 sim and an extraction shooter known for punishing every mistake are exactly the kind of games that can revive communities, fuel internal tournaments and give content creators fresh material.

What you need to know

• October's games are F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2.
• They will be available from October 6 to November 2 for PS Plus subscribers.
• F1 25 and Hunt: Showdown 1896 arrive in their PS5 versions.
• As always, the games stay linked to your account as long as your subscription remains active.
• F1 25 includes Career, My Team 2.0, multiplayer and the co-op F1 World mode against the AI.

What each game offers

The main draw is F1 25, the official game based on the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship. On top of single-player modes like Career and My Team 2.0, it offers multiplayer options and an F1 World mode where several players can team up to race against AI-controlled drivers. It's an ideal entry point for anyone who has always wanted to try sim racing without paying full price.

Hunt: Showdown 1896, from Crytek, is the highlight for fans of tension. It's a demanding extraction shooter that blends PvP with a design where any match can end in seconds if you don't play smart. Rounding out the lineup is Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2, a more lighthearted option for a change of pace between serious sessions.

Who it affects

The announcement affects all PS Plus Essential subscribers on PS4 and PS5, although the two standout titles are aimed at PS5. If you're still playing on PS4, this month has less appeal, and it's worth keeping that in mind before you renew.

Our take

Our newsroom is clear on this: it's one of the most interesting months of the year for competitive players. Hunt: Showdown 1896 is a game that rewards communication, sound awareness and patience, three skills any esports team should train. Its arrival on PS Plus means a huge wave of new players will hit its servers, and that cuts both ways: more matches and more opponents, but also a chaotic period with players who don't yet understand its unwritten rules.

With F1 25, the takeaway is similar. It's an official game with co-op and multiplayer modes, but there's also a sense that it's well into its life cycle. For content creators it's a golden opportunity: friendly leagues, time trial challenges, races with the community. That said, we urge some caution: diving headfirst into a game that depends on your subscription carries risks if you stop paying for it.

What we like least is that the value of the lineup is concentrated on PS5. Sony keeps boasting about PS4 support, but in practice those still on the previous generation lose out. Even so, the overall verdict is positive: PS Plus rarely offers this many games with potential for organized competition.

What do you think?

We're already planning some Hunt trios matches and a few F1 25 races with the community. Let us know in the team chat and on Discord: are you going to claim these games on October 6, and which one would you like us to use for our next internal tournament?