PS Plus vs. Xbox Games With Gold: Which Free Games Win September

 1: PlayStation Instant Games Collection

It’s officially September, which means that fall is right around the corner. Destiny 2 will tide fans over until a tidal wave of games hits in early October and keeps going until Christmas, with free games to fill out the space in between. Both Sony and Microsoft have put together a great slate of free games this month, exposing gamers to AAA and indie titles that they might have overlooked before. There are a lot of savings in store, but only one system can come out on top. Will it be Xbox or PlayStation? Who will win the month of September?

Let’s start with the PlayStation games on offer and their original prices:

PS4

inFamous: Second Son ($21.99)

Strike Vector Ex ($19.99)

PS3

Truck Racer ($9.99)

Handball 16 ($19.99)

PS Vita

We Are Doomed ($9.99)

Hatoful Boyfriend ($9.99)

PlayStation is offering some fantastic titles for September. Starting things off with inFamous: Second Son is a strong move on Sony’s part. It was one of the best games released during the PS4’s launch window, giving players a massive sandbox to explore, not to mention the three unique sets of superpowers. Speeding through Seattle utilizing strange and imaginative abilities doesn’t get old, especially with so many activities sprinkled throughout the city to take on.

Strike Vector EX is an aerial combat game where the player straps into a deadly machine know as a Vector. They race through the air, taking on enemies and destroying any enemy craft that comes their way. It’s incredibly fast-paced and a change of pace from other flight simulators.

The PS3 has two smaller titles on offer for those still on the platform. Truck Racer is exactly what it sounds like. You race semi-trucks through colorful tracks, drifting and drafting your way to victory. Of course, it’s a little more complicated than other games because you’re driving such a massive machine, but that’s what sets it apart from other racers.

In Handball 2016 you assemble a team, hit the court, and play some handball. For those not familiar: it’s a strange mix of basketball and soccer. It’s a straightforward title with plenty of room to learn tactics. If nothing else it’ll serve as a mindless distraction great for unwinding.

While no big titles are hitting the powerful PS Vita portable right now, it still gets some great indie games. We Are Doomed is a fun, psychedelic shoot ‘em up. Your weapon juts out from your character, slicing through everything in your path, but the screen is eventually covered in enemies, making for a very difficult game. Hatoful Boyfriend fits into another niche altogether. This dating game has you starting relationships with various pigeons. You can choose to see them in their human forms, but what fun is that? It’s a ridiculous yet addictive game that is brimming with laughs.

For the month of September, PlayStation’s savings come to $92.

2: Xbox Games With Gold

Next up are the Xbox games on offer and their original prices:

Xbox One

Forza Motorsport 5: Racing Game of the Year Edition ($39.99)

Oxenfree ($19.99)

Xbox 360

Hydro Thunder Hurricane ($14.99)

Battlefield 3 ($19.99)

The Xbox One side of things has both Forza 5 and Oxenfree on this month’s slate. The former was a launch game for the console, showing off its graphical prowess, and it still holds up today. With smart drivitar technology and plenty of cars to unlock and tracks to race them down, this is an incredibly fleshed out racing game.

Oxenfree is an adventure game, but it doesn’t have as many puzzles as the genre usually does. Instead, a lot of the game is spent walking through environments, choosing dialogue options and experiencing the narrative. Don’t be fooled by how simple this all sounds, it is actually an incredibly thoughtful supernatural tale about a group of teens who become embroiled in something fantastic.

Xbox 360 brings out two older titles this month. Hydro Thunder Hurricane, originally launched in 2010, is a water sports racing game, but filled with boosts, jumps, and supped up rides. It’s fast, furious, and incredibly versatile. Think of it as Wipeout on water, and you’ll get an idea of what to expect from this unique racer.

Battlefield 3 may not be the best game in the series, but it introduced campaigns to the mainline series and added some nice improvements to multiplayer. You won’t find as many people online these days, but the story is still worth a play through.

All in all, these four games add up to $95 of savings. There’s a great array of titles this month. Both older AAA and indie games will be more than enough to keep you busy while you wait for this falls biggest titles to finally come to Xbox.

And the Winner Is…

When it comes down to it, Xbox Games With Gold has better savings, narrowly beating out PlayStation by $3. Of course, since they are so close, which will win YOUR heart is going to come down to what games appeal to your personal preference. It was a close competition, but there are still three months left in 2017. We are rapidly approaching the fall, which means some of the biggest AAA titles are about to hit shelves. These free game will serve as great breaks in-between newer releases in the coming months.