PlayStation Plus has offered PS5 and PS4 gamers some pretty fantastic “free” games in the past, but when I saw the monthly lineup for August 2025 on the PlayStation Blog, I instantly knew it ranked among the best trio of monthly games the service has ever offered subscribers.
While Day Z and My Hero One’s Justice 2 aren’t exactly the most desirable titles around (No offence to the passionate My Hero Academia fanbase), the headliner is an incredible Soulslike that I genuinely haven’t stopped talking about for almost two years since I first played it.
Of course, I’m talking about Lies of P, the 2013 action game from developers Neowiz and Round8 Studios. This tricky game that takes clear inspiration from Dark Souls creators FromSoftware, most obviously 2015’s acclaimed Bloodborne, is available to all PlayStation Plus members at any tier level.
And I’m telling you right now, you need to play it ASAP.
I’ve praised this game so often, it’s become something of a meme among my friends, with me liable to drop Lies of P into the conversation at any chance I possibly can get. Plus, even better, there genuinely hasn’t been a better time to dive into Lies of P than right now.
Lies of P is a seriously special Soulslike
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Lies of P is part of the Soulslike genre, which essentially is a shorthand for saying it cribs the formula perfected by Dark Souls developer FromSoftware. Though, as noted, Lies of P takes more cues from the Japanese studio’s 2015 title Bloodborne, packing fast-paced combat that demands player aggression, and a sinister gothic world to explore.
Inspired by the classic stories of Pinocchio, you play the eponymous P, a puppet come to life, who must venture out in the corrupt city of Krat to find their father, Geppetto. The story is intriguing, but it is mostly presented in optional conversations and collectible files rather than cutscenes.
The star of Lies of P is the meticulously crafted combat and the punishing, but highly rewarding level of challenge. Like all Soulslike, Lies of P asks a lot of its players, with fearsome bosses likely to cut you down numerous times before you vanquish them. But each hard-fought victory is satisfying, and it plays so well you’ll feel compelled to carry on.
Now is also a fantastic time to be diving into Lies of P. Earlier this summer, the Overture expansion was released, and while it’s an additional $29 downloaded, it adds 12-15 hours of new content to the game, and if you enjoy the base experience, trust me, you’ll want to play Overture as it packs some grand story reveals and some of the game’s best bosses.
Alongside Overture, a free game update launched, which adds a new Boss Rush mode, letting you refight the game’s hardest encounters (and even make them significantly tougher), as well as adding difficulty settings, which can reduce the challenge if you hit a brick wall.
Lies of P really is a fantastic game, and was my pick for GOTY in 2023, which is no small praise considering that particular year saw numerous heavy-hitters like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate 3.
While I enjoyed and even loved all those games, Lies of P rose above them all. I’m thrilled that, thanks to PlayStation Plus, even more players are about to dive into the twisted city of Krat and see exactly why I rank this experience as one of the PS5’s very best games.
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