One of the recently-revealed PS Plus Extra games for September 2023 is Civilization 6, which is notable because of the confirmation of Civilization 7‘s development. That announcement was as barebones as they come, meaning it’s possible that the subscription addition of the game could be to help build hype ahead of an official reveal. Of course, this is pure speculation and admittedly a bit of a stretch, but the PS Plus games have been used to promote upcoming releases or reveals before.
For those curious, the complete list of PS Plus Extra games for September 19, 2023, include 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Call of the Sea, Civilization 6, Cloudpunk, Contra: Rogue Corps, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…,Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls, Planet Coaster: Console Edition, Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, Star Ocean: The Divine Force, Tails Noir, This War of Mine: Final Cut, Unpacking, and West of Dead. It’s pretty on par as far as expectations go, but Civilization 6 definitely sticks out.
While PS Plus adding Civ 6 to tease Civ 7 may seem like a bit of a leap, it’s happened with PS Plus before. In the months ahead of Battlefield 2042’s reveal, back when it was rumored to be called Battlefield 6, PS Plus added Battlefield 5. There are quite a few similar instances. A few months before God of War Ragnarok‘s release, God of War (2018) was added as a free game. The PS Plus free games for September 2022 added Need for Speed Heat, just a month before the reveal of Need for Speed Unbound and a few months before its release. And there are likely a few others unmentioned here.
Of course, it obviously doesn’t happen with every game added to the PS Plus free game selection and much less for the Extra or Premium games, but Civ 6 is somewhat similar to Battlefield and Need for Speed in this regard. One big common element to Battlefield and Need for Speed were the constant rumors around them, and while there is not a lot of rumors regarding Civ 7, fans do know it is in development.
This is somewhat similar to Civ 6’s initial marketing where its announcement trailer did not confirm or show much, with marketing picking up after that and it releasing within the year it was first announced. It’s clear Civ 7 is not that far along, though it has invited plenty of discussion just as rumors do, and part of its announcement may be the disappointing performance of Marvel’s Midnight Suns (a genuinely underrated game), but it’s likely to have been in the works well before then. As such, thinking that a more informative reveal is on the horizon is not as big of a stretch as it may seem.
It could be a random trailer drop on a Tuesday or it could be at The Game Awards 2023, but if this PS Plus addition is indeed a lead into Civ 7, fans can expect it within the next few months. At the same time, it may be something completely random and unrelated, meaning fans may need to wait until 2024 for any Civ 7 news. But fingers crossed, as many are no doubt excited for the next numbered entry in the franchise.
PS Plus subscribers get a handful of games every month.