PlayStation Plus has confirmed its monthly games lineup for October 2026, bringing three very different experiences to subscribers: F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896, and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2. The selection spans simulation racing, high-stakes first-person extraction combat, and an approachable voxel-styled shooter built around cooperative play.
The October group is listed for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium, with F1 25 and Hunt: Showdown 1896 available on PlayStation 5, while Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 supports both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. No further timing details were included alongside the lineup announcement.
It is a notably varied trio even by the standards of a service intended to offer something for multiple kinds of players. One game aims for the technical precision and licensed authenticity of the real-world Formula 1 championship. Another turns supernatural hunting into a nerve-racking contest where surviving with valuable gear is often as important as defeating rival teams. The final pick takes a much lighter visual approach, but still centers on the long-running Earth Defense Force series' fondness for huge threats and chaotic firefights.
F1 25 leads October's PlayStation Plus games
F1 25 is the newest of the three featured titles, having launched in 2025 as part of Codemasters' long-running Formula 1 racing series. It arrives on PS5 with the task of representing a sport where tiny differences in braking, tire management, setup decisions, and race strategy can shape an entire weekend.
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For players who follow Formula 1, the appeal is straightforward: a modern licensed entry offers a chance to take control of the championship's cars, circuits, and atmosphere rather than simply watch it unfold. For players less interested in motorsport itself, the series has also traditionally served as an accessible gateway into a more demanding kind of racing game. There is room to learn the fundamentals and experiment with assists, while those who want a more involved experience can engage with the sport's more technical elements.
The game was praised as a substantial improvement over its immediate predecessor, with particular attention given to the breadth of its overall package. It was described as the series' strongest outing since the especially well-regarded F1 2020, a comparison that speaks to the expectations surrounding annualized racing releases. Sports and racing games can face a difficult balance: they need to reflect the current season while also giving returning players enough meaningful reasons to upgrade.
Its arrival through PlayStation Plus is especially useful for anyone who skipped the game at launch and has been waiting to see whether its handling, modes, and broader feature set suit their tastes. While it is now a year removed from release, the game remains a recent Formula 1 entry and a potentially substantial addition for PS5 racing fans.
Hunt: Showdown 1896 offers monster hunting with major consequences
The second October title, Hunt: Showdown 1896, moves the action from polished race circuits to a hostile world populated by grotesque mythological monsters and equally dangerous human opponents. Developed by Crytek, the first-person shooter is built around extraction-focused matches in which players enter dangerous territory, pursue objectives, and try to escape alive.
That last part is central to what makes Hunt: Showdown 1896 distinct. In a conventional multiplayer shooter, a defeat can mean a quick return to the next round. Extraction games create more tension by making survival and successful departure matter. Players are encouraged to weigh whether they have enough to risk another confrontation, whether a target is worth pursuing, and whether other hunters may be waiting to take the reward for themselves.
The setting's creatures add another layer to those decisions. The game is not solely about battling other players, since its maps are also inhabited by monsters that can disrupt plans, reveal a team's position, or turn a routine encounter into a messy fight. That mixture of PvE threats and PvP pressure is a defining part of the experience. A squad may be working toward the same major bounty as another group, but cooperation is rarely guaranteed when everyone is trying to leave with the prize.
Hunt: Showdown 1896 first entered early access in 2018, giving it a longer history than October's other picks. Its PS5 version also includes a battle royale offering. The game has earned recognition for its unusual atmosphere and for emphasizing sound, caution, and deliberate decision-making in a genre often associated with fast respawns and constant movement.
It can be a demanding game, particularly for newcomers. Matches are designed to make information valuable, and players who charge into every encounter without a plan may quickly discover how costly that approach can be. But that same tension is why the game has developed a dedicated audience. Every successful extraction can feel meaningful because it comes after navigating both the map's creatures and the unpredictable intentions of other players.
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 brings the co-op chaos
Rounding out the month is Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2, available on both PS4 and PS5. Unlike the more realistic presentation of F1 25 or the dark horror tone of Hunt: Showdown 1896, this third-person shooter embraces a bright voxel look. That visual style does not mean the game lacks scale, however. The Earth Defense Force series is known for sending players against oversized invaders and turning combat into cheerful, screen-filling mayhem.
World Brothers 2 follows the events of the first World Brothers. Its story concerns voxel Earth, which is again endangered after brothers from around the world reunite to combat a new enemy. The threat is severe enough to put the planet itself at risk of being broken apart once more, giving the game a deliberately dramatic premise that matches the series' longstanding taste for enormous stakes.
Players can take the fight online or locally through cooperative play. That makes it the most immediately social game in October's lineup for households or groups looking for a less punishing way to spend an evening together. While Hunt: Showdown 1896 also supports team-based action, its mood is built around suspicion, loss, and pressure. World Brothers 2 is a more playful alternative, prioritizing the enjoyment of battling through absurd invasions alongside allies.
The voxel aesthetic also helps separate it from the primary Earth Defense Force games. It presents characters and environments in a blocky form while retaining the franchise's core attraction: lots of enemies, unusual weapons, and cooperative missions that can become increasingly hectic. For PlayStation Plus members who have overlooked the spin-off because of its different visual identity, October provides a low-risk opportunity to see how its lighter style fits the EDF formula.
October 2026 PlayStation Plus monthly games at a glance
- F1 25 -- PlayStation 5
- Hunt: Showdown 1896 -- PlayStation 5
- Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 -- PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
The three-game lineup gives PlayStation players a broad range of options without much overlap. Racing fans can take on a modern Formula 1 simulation, competitive shooter players can enter a world where every extraction is a gamble, and co-op groups can tackle a colorful alien threat together. It is also a selection that offers different levels of commitment: F1 25 can support long-term career and racing ambitions, Hunt: Showdown 1896 rewards learning its systems over time, and Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 provides a more immediately pick-up-and-play route into multiplayer action.
For subscribers deciding where to start, the choice may come down to temperament rather than genre alone. F1 25 is for players who enjoy refining performance and mastering a course. Hunt: Showdown 1896 is for those who want every encounter to carry a sense of risk. Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is for anyone eager to share a spectacular, silly fight against impossible odds. Together, they make October 2026 a particularly eclectic month for PlayStation Plus.
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