An RPG Master's Grand Return Will Be Free To Play Sooner Than You Think

In a surprise turn of events, BioWare’s critically acclaimed 2024 hit is one of the free games on offer via PlayStation Plus next month, an unusually recent game for what’s typically on offer on the subscription service.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be one of three games subscribers can download starting March 4, alongside 2021’s Sonic Colors: Ultimate and 2022’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. It’s the best trio of games on offer in a long while headlined by a meaty, tentpole RPG that was released just four months ago.

Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd is the fourth game in Bioware’s fantasy series, and the company’s first since 2019’s Anthem. A direct sequel to 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Veilguard follows the player’s team of seven companions as they look to track down and defeat two ancient gods running amok in Thedas. It’s an action-heavy departure for the series, with real-time combat and a player progression more aligned with something like the Bioware classic Mass Effect 2. Our review praised the combat for being both engaging and strategic with “enough variety in your moves to make each individual encounter fun.”

It’s unusual for big budget titles like The Veilguard to release on the service so soon after release. The game hasn’t even joined publisher Electronic Arts’ subscription service EA Play yet. However, the game’s disappointing retail performance is probably why it’s coming to PlayStation users so soon.

During its most recent earnings call, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson said that The Veilguard wasn’t the sales juggernaut the company hoped it would be. Wilson told investors that the game failed to reach a wider audience because it lacked “shared world features” that games like Destiny popularized.

Respectfully, that just isn’t the case. The Veilguard isn’t a perfect game. But its few shortcomings are the direct result of the storied developer having to pivot from making a live service game halfway through development towards a more traditional experience. All things considered, Bioware did a pretty masterful job doing so, as the only evidence of its live service roots is its windy, unorthodox level design and the party team up abilities that would have functioned as the crux of multiplayer combat.

Even so, The Veilguard is far from the irredeemable stain on the series’ legacy that the worst people on the internet would have you to believe. Even as someone who didn’t gel with the game’s lengthy introduction, I still found its world stunning, its characters likeable, and its combat every bit as good as our review suggested. Especially if you’re a fan of the series, there’s clearly a lot of love and care that went into bring this chapter in the beloved series to a satisfying close.

The Veilguard’s addition to PlayStation Plus is far from a reflection of the game’s quality. Instead, it’s probably a way to make up for a middling debut during the hectic holiday season. Either way, it’s players who will benefit. Maybe the game going free to play for a month will get more people to appreciate Bioware’s latest outing.

The Veilguard isn’t the only gem coming to PlayStation users next month. Sonic Colors is widely regarded as one of the Hedgehog’s better outings during the 2010s. The Ultimate version (which released in time for Sonic’s 30th anniversary), adds enhanced visuals, frame rate, and a remastered soundtrack. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection brings together 13 arcade classics in a single package, with added quality of life features and online play. It’s a nostalgic trip for those old enough to remember the golden years of the iconic crime-fighting quartet.

PlayStation Plus users will have until March 3 to claim February’s free games, which include the humorous first-person shooter High On Life, the platformer Pac-Man World, and the multiplayer heist game Payday 3.