PlayStation Plus vs. Xbox Live Games with Gold for May 2016

It is somehow already May, with 2016 flying by at a ridiculous pace. With the coming of a new month comes a new selection of “free” games for both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Games with Gold. The competition between these two services has been heating up lately, with the companies essentially tying over the last few months. In April Xbox Live Games with Gold trounced PS Plus, largely thanks to a focus on AAA Blockbuster titles. With a return to the norm, does Microsoft have what it takes to repeat their victory? Find out in PlayStation Plus vs. Xbox Live Games with Gold for May 2016…

PlayStation Plus Free Games for May 2016

Tropico 5 – PS4 – 76%
Switch Galaxy Ultra – PS4/Vita – 70%/79% (we’ll go with the larger)
Table Top Racing: World Tour – PS4 – No score
God of War: Ghost of Sparta – PS Vita – 86%
LocoRoco Cocoreccho! – PS3 – 72%
Bionic Commando Rearmed – PS3 – 87%

MetaCritic Average Score – 80%
Oldest Title – 2007
Newest Title – 2016 (brand new game)

Xbox Live Games with Gold for May 2016

Defense Grid 2 – Xbox One – 78%
Costume Quest 2 – Xbox One – 65%
Grid 2 – Xbox 360 – 78%
Peggle – Xbox 360 – 89%

MetaCritic Average Score – 77.5%
Oldest Title – 2008
Newest Title – 2014

The Winner Is…

Honestly this wasn’t an amazing month for either PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Games with Gold. However, looking at what is offered in a strictly comparative sense it’s easy to call a winner: PlayStation Plus. Offering more games, newer games, and overall better games, PS Plus wins May 2016 pretty handily.

Of course, Xbox Live Games with Gold has the highest rated title out of the bunch, with Peggle, but that is also one of the oldest, and there is already a very well received sequel. The fervor over Peggle has largely died down, making it have a high overall Metacritic score, but not really presenting something that most players will be dying to download.

Meanwhile Sony’s PlayStation Plus not only has a few very well received games, it also has another brand new release with Switch Galaxy Ultra. Even if the game ends up not being very fun, getting something for free right when it is released is way more impressive than getting a game from a few years ago. In fact, no Xbox Live Games with Gold title even came from the last year, leaving players with older titles that will probably not have them jumping onto Xbox Live to grab them.