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• Free VPNs are among the most downloaded apps in UK app store
• A surge in downloads follows the introduction of an age verification law
• Users could be putting their privacy at risk with less reputable free VPNs

VPNs are now among the most downloaded apps in UK app stores following the implementation of age verification. As of July 25, 2025, the UK’s new law requires sites hosting content deemed for adults to carry out age verification checks.

Internet users in the UK must prove they’re over 18 using verification methods including facial age estimation – sharing a selfie or video – or uploading a form of ID. The new law also impacts social media platforms including Reddit, X, and Bluesky.

Age verification comes as the government looks to protect minors from harmful content, as per the Online Safety Act. Some of the best VPN apps are now topping the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as users look to bypass age checks.

(Image credit: Future)Free VPNs dominate Apple's UK App Store

At the time of writing, Proton VPN leads the top free apps on the UK’s Apple App Store. The Swiss VPN provider reported a 1,800% increase in signups in the weekend following the new law’s implementation.

(Image credit: Proton)

NordVPN, VPN - Super Unlimited Proxy, and Free VPN by Free VPN.org also make the top five most downloaded free apps in the UK.

The rise in VPN downloads comes despite Ofcom, the UK’s internet regulator, discouraging the use of VPNs to bypass verification. It told the BBC it would be illegal for platforms to promote VPNs as a means to get around age checks.

At the time of writing, over 420,000 people have signed a petition to repeal the Online Safety Act, with many concerned about the privacy risks that age verification carries.

The importance of choosing a reputable VPN

Ofcom’s assurances that “strong age checks can be done effectively, safely, and in a way that protects [user] privacy” may not be enough to ease concerns amid recent high-profile data breaches.

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a privacy tool that encrypts your internet traffic, allowing you to browse privately. By connecting to a VPN server, you can secure your connection to the verification provider, reducing the risk of issues should they be victims of a data breach.

The trouble with some free VPNs being among those most downloaded by UK app store users is that these apps may log excessive data, identifying users and putting privacy at risk. They may also lack essential security features – such as strong encryption – that help keep user data safe.

Proton VPN Free, from privacy-first company Proton, being the most downloaded free VPN app, suggests that UK internet users are, at least, putting privacy first in their quest for access. It's among the best free VPNs, offering Swiss privacy and top security features for no cost.

UK internet users looking to browse the internet privately also have the option of paid VPN providers, some of which offer free trials. Most have money-back guarantees of at least 30 days, making it possible to try their services risk-free and request a refund if unsatisfied.

Right now, the best paid VPN is NordVPN. It has some of the fastest speeds around, rock-solid security, and a bunch of added features that make your everyday easier. Plus, TechRadar readers can exclusively claim up to $50 in Amazon gift vouchers and 4 months free when they sign up.

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NordVPN comes with unlimited access to its global network of over 7,400 servers in over 120 countries around the world.

Plus, we've tested all of its protocols at unblocking popular streaming services, and it's a top performer, no matter the region you choose.View Deal

• Mario Kart World version 1.2.0 is here
• It adds a new way to track progress in Free Roam
• It also nerfs NPC opponents and the Boomerang item

The latest patch for Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Mario Kart World is here, and it's a big one.

Update 1.2.0 is available now and there's plenty to be excited about. First and foremost, completionists will surely appreciate the new way to tell when they've hoovered up all the collectibles in free roam mode.

Now, when you have collected all of the P Switches, ? Panels, or Peach Medallions, the color of the on-screen numbers will change to denote that there are none left. This should make it a lot easier to keep track of what you need to scoop up for 100% completion.

The update also nerfs the Boomerang item, reducing its homing capabilities which should come as a relief if you've been repeatedly hit by it during races like I have. Non-playable character (NPC) opponents have also been made a little weaker outside of Battle mode, which will hopefully make races a little more manageable.

Other big changes include the ability to select a 'Mushrooms only' item rule in VS Races, or view the replays of downloaded time trial ghost data.

The update also includes a large number of fixes, addressing issues in both online and single-player modes.

You can view the full patch notes, as released by Nintendo, below:

• In the “VS Race” of “Single Player”, added “No COM” to the COM rules.
• In the “VS Race” of “Single Player” and “Multiplayer”, added “Mushrooms only” to the item rules.
• You can now choose “View Replay” after downloading ghost data in “Time Trials”.
• You can now choose whom to watch when spectating in “Knockout Tour” and “Balloon Battle” in “Online Play”, “Wireless Play”, and “LAN Play”.
• You can now see the waiting time until the next race or battle starts in “Online Play”, “Wireless Play”, and “LAN Play”.
• When using CameraPlay in “Multiplayer” and “Online Play”, the game will now remember the camera cursor position and size until the player closes the game.
  • If you change the number of people playing, the cursor position and size will return to their original settings.
• On the “Free Roam” map, when you gather all of the P Switches, ? Panels, and Peach Medallions, the colors of the various numbers will now change.
• Made COM weaker in everything other than “Battle”.
• Made homing of Boomerang weaker.
• Decreased the probability of getting a Triple Dash Mushroom in the low position, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than “Frantic”.
• Changed it so order of getting ? Block is higher than in the past, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than “Frantic”.
• Made it so there is a wheel spinning animation if the player presses the A button (acceleration) too early when starting a race while driving.
  • Player will not lose speed even when spinning wheels.
• Increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in “VS Race” and wireless races.

Fixed Issues:

• Fixed an issue where the rate fluctuations were sometimes displayed incorrectly in wireless races.
• Fixed an issue where the vehicle would stay floating in air when jumping off a half pipe.
• Fixed an issue where, when a player crashes while gliding and uses Bullet Bill, they go out of the course.
• Fixed an issue where, if a player quits a Rewind in the location where they were wall riding, the driver’s posture would not return to what it was before.
• Fixed an issue where the item that was displayed in the item slot would turn into something else when using it.
• Fixed an issue where in “Online Play”, the player would not dash even when getting on a Dash Panel.
• Fixed an issue where the points in a team race in “Wireless Play” would display incorrectly.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable on the menu screen after the player was retired in “Balloon Battle” in “Wireless Play”.
• Fixed an issue where a Peach Medallion would sometimes disappear when doing Rewind in “Free Roam”.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when the player pointed the cursor at their own character or course and pressed A on the “Free Roam” map.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when the player quit a mission in “Free Roam” right before entering a pipe.
• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through some drift ice around “Sky-High Sundae”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the outside of a handrail on the left and right sides right after the start of “Airship Fortress”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the fence and not be able to move forward in “Bowser's Castle”.
• Fixed an issue where, when the player used a Bullet Bill in “Bowser's Castle”, they would not be able to glide and fell into the abyss.
• Fixed an issue where the player would go out of the course when using a Mega Mushroom on the last turn of “Whistlestop Summit”.
• Fixed an issue where the player could not get out of the location where they fell from a railroad when “Smart Steering” is on in “Whistlestop Summit”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ground at a ramp near the goal at “Choco Mountain”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on a block when using a Bullet Bill on the road that enters “Choco Mountain”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on a plank of wood laid on the road when throwing a green shell on the road between “DK Spaceport” and “Whistlestop Summit”.
• Fixed an issue where the last place would be sometimes incorrect in the wireless races of “Dino Dino Jungle”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the back of a leaf when using a Bullet Bill in “Acorn Heights”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would not be able to slip through a vase that is placed on the road in “Shy Guy Bazaar”, when using a Boo.
• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ceiling in “Dry Bones Burnout”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would sometimes hit a fence when throwing a red shell on the first turn in “Moo Moo Meadows”.
• Fixed an issue where one part of the effects that take place for the bridge transforming when heading toward “Rainbow Road” did not display.
• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ground on the road between ”Starview Peak” and “Sky-High Sundae”.
• Fixed an issue where some of the item boxes would not have appeared in “Wario Shipyard”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the bottom of a rock near the goal of ”Wario Shipyard”.
• Fixed an issue where the player would go out of the course when using a Mega Mushroom on a turn inside “Wario Stadium”.
• Fixed an issue where the player gets caught on a tree in the middle of a shortcut if they have “Smart Steering” on when heading from “Starview Peak” to “Dandelion Depths” in “Ice Rally” of “Knockout Tour”.
• Several other issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.

Mario Kart World is available now for Nintendo Switch 2. It is offered either separately as a physical release or digital download, or as part of a bundle with the console.

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BitTorrentis the synonymous torrent client of the BitTorrent protocol. This protocol is the world’s largest peer-to-peer file sharing system used by millions. Sharing files over it is known as “torrenting.”

The synonymous torrent client is also the first in its class. It’s the most widely used torrenting app and offers many advanced features. I tested it extensively to help you decide whether it’s a suitable torrenting tool. Read on to learn about its features, pricing, user-friendliness, and other essential criteria.

BitTorrent: Versions

BitTorrent is available on the two most popular desktop operating systems: Windows and macOS. I was also pleased to discover it has an Android app, enabling me to download torrents on my smartphone. It’s incompatible with iOS, like all torrenting apps I’ve tested. Apple doesn’t allow torrenting apps to appear in its App Store.

This app isn’t available for Linux, which I consider a drawback. Though I don’t use a Linux PC, it’s the most popular desktop operating system after macOS and Windows. It would be good if BitTorrent were directly compatible with Linux, but that isn’t the case. Linux users can choose alternatives like qBittorrent and Transmission.

BitTorrent: Pricing

BitTorrent has four variants: Web, Classic, Android, and Remote. Web is available on macOS and Windows, enabling users to stream torrents while downloading.

Classic is the original desktop torrenting app and is only compatible with Windows. It doesn’t support any macOS version later than macOS Catalina 10.15., an outdated version that debuted in 2019.

The Web and Classic variants have the same pricing structure. The free version lets you download torrents conveniently, but you can pay for premium features.

Ad-Free. For $4.95 annually, you can remove all ads from your BitTorrent interface.

Pro. For $19.95 annually, this package is ad-free and includes integrated virus scanning for all downloaded torrents.

Pro + VPN. For $69.95 per year, you can get the enhanced security features of the Pro version plus a CyberGhost VPN subscription. A VPN encrypts your traffic and prevents third-parties from spying on your torrenting activities.

The Android app has a free version that includes ads. For a one-time payment of $3.99, you can remove ads and access battery-saving features.

The Remote BitTorrent app is free to use.

(Image credit: Future)BitTorrent: Features

BitTorrent has advanced features that make downloading torrents easy. It is more sophisticated than most torrenting clients I’ve tested.

Like most torrenting clients, BitTorrent lets you add a torrent file and download the corresponding content. A torrent file contains metadata of the music, movie, software package, or any other content you want to download. When I add a torrent file, BitTorrent reads the metadata and immediately downloads the content.

The BitTorrent Web version let me stream files even while downloading them, a feature many torrenting clients lack.

Torrenting is a peer-to-peer file sharing system that relies on distributed computers connected to a single network. When you download a torrent file on BitTorrent, you automatically become a seeder uploading the same file for other users. This system is what makes files readily available on BitTorrent.

Because of simultaneous downloads and uploads, torrenting clients often cause excessive bandwidth consumption. Fortunately, BitTorrent mitigated this issue by enabling me to set maximum download and upload speeds.

BitTorrent Classic is a sophisticated version that enables bulk downloads. I used it to download many files simultaneously and prioritized bandwidth for specific files over others. This prioritization allowed me to download those files faster than others.

Suppose you want to download dozens of episodes of your favorite movies. BitTorrent Classic is your best choice. You can prioritize specific files, schedule downloads ahead of time, and subscribe to RSS feeds to download new content automatically. The drawback is that BitTorrent Classic is only available on Windows PCs.

I tested the Android app, and it worked similarly to the desktop apps. I used it to download torrents seamlessly on my smartphone. I also tested BitTorrent Remote, which let me control torrenting activities on my PC from a smartphone. With a smartphone, I could pause, start, or stop torrent downloads on my PC.

(Image credit: Future)BitTorrent: Interface and in-use

BitTorrent has a simple interface that I enjoyed using. The Web version runs on my web browser, making it convenient to combine downloads with other torrenting activities. The Classic version runs as a standalone app, which is less convenient but suitable for bulk downloads.

With features neatly placed on the left and the main dashboard on the right, navigating BitTorrent was as simple as it gets. The Web app has a modern, sleek interface that anyone can quickly understand.

The Classic version has a more dated interface but is easy to familiarize with. The Android app has a similar interface to the web app scaled down for a smartphone. BitTorrent scores excellently in the user-friendliness criterion.

BitTorrent: Security

BitTorrent has advanced security features to protect users while torrenting. I liked the integrated virus scanning feature, which checked torrents for malware before downloading them on my PC. Malicious actors often abuse torrents to spread malware on unsuspecting computers, so this feature was critical to keeping me safe online.

I also liked that the Pro + VPN feature is bundled with the advanced CyberGhost VPN. This VPN routes your traffic through a remote server and prevents third-parties, especially internet service providers (ISPs), from spying on your torrenting activities.

If you already have a VPN installed, you can use it to protect yourself online without paying $69.95 annually for the Pro + VPN version.

BitTorrent: Final verdict

BitTorrent is one of the best torrenting clients, with excellent download speeds, enhanced security, and a user-friendly interface. My main complaint is that some key features are locked behind a paywall, but overall, BitTorrent is a stellar client I’ll recommend to everyone.

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• Orange warns customers of an ongoing cyberattack
• The attack forced it to isolate parts of its network
• This isolation could cause disruptions, it warned

Orange Group, one of the world’s leading telecom operators, has warned about a cyberattack that disrupted some of its services.

In a statement, the French telecom giant said on July 25, it detected a cyberattack on one of its information systems. Moving in to mitigate the threat, the company was forced to “isolate” potentially affected services, causing disruption to different management services and platforms.

Both business customers, as well as “a few” consumer services, primarily located in France, could experience temporary service disruptions or be completely offline for some users, Orange said. “Our dedicated teams are actively engaged in informing and assisting the affected customers.”

Salt Typhoon

The company said it identified and is currently implementing solutions that will allow it to gradually restore the affected services. At press time, most of the services should already be back up and running.

While there was no talk of the threat actors, how they broke in, or what their motives were, Orange did say that there was no evidence suggesting any data exfiltration or tampering. However, it still lodged a formal complaint with the regulators and filed notices with relevant authorities.

“For obvious security reasons, Orange will not provide further comments,” Orange concluded.

Being critical infrastructure, telecommunications organizations are constantly at the crosshairs of different hacking groups and state-sponsored cybercriminals.

Salt Typhoon, a Chinese state-sponsored group and a part of the wider “typhoon” collective of hackers, has been targeting telecoms for some time, striking some of the world’s biggest and most popular brands.

The goal is to remain hidden inside the network, in case tensions between China and the US over Taiwan escalate into a full-blown war. In that case, the groups are tasked with disrupting services, eavesdropping on vital communications, and exfiltrating sensitive information.

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Apple has adjusted Liquid Glass in the beta process, but it still might be hard to read for some users.

I'm so stoked about the car-crunching carnage.

Fueled by MAHA, state lawmakers are moving to remove dyes and other additives from food. A wide range of state laws could make it difficult for manufacturers and could spur further federal regulation.

(Image credit: Inna Reznik/iStockphoto)

• Magnitude 8.8 earthquake strikes off Russia's east coast
• The epicenter is near two local subsea cables, which remain operational
• The Pacific is filled with other cables, but they could be safe from disruptions

After the sixth-largest quake in recorded history struck off the eastern coast of Russia, experts have been quick to reassure that critical subsea cables used for internet and data transfer remain secure.

Rated to magnitude 8.8, tsunami warnings are now being shared across the whole North Pacific region, including Japan and America's West Coast, with waves already arriving in Hawaii, and Japanese low-lying coastal towns being urged to evacuate.

However, so far there have been no effects on critical infrastructure, with subsea cables remaining in tact.

Russian earthquake didn't prompt internet outages

So far, no outages have been reported by communication facilities, cloud computing services or chipmaking plants, with the likes of AWS, Azure and Google Cloud still operating normally.

Russia’s Rostelecom has not reported any disruptions to its subsea cable connecting Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky with Anadyr, despite its location near to the quake site.

The 10-point Polar Express subsea cable that's currently under construction, also connecting Russian locations and also located near the earthquake's epicenter, doesn't look to have been disrupted, though the quake could cause delays to the project.

Although no other cables transit near the epicenter, the Pacific is filled with major subsea cable networks, including Google's Topaz and Jupiter, which is part-owned by AWS and Meta.

Still, subsea cables are generally buries in trenches for the first few kilometres offshore. Once they're exposed on the ocean floor, they're deep enough not to be majorly affected by tsunami water columns. The biggest risk is earthquake-triggered submarine landslides which threaten to break cables, as seen when nine Asia-Pacific cables snapped in the 2006 magnitude 7.0 Taiwan earthquake.

Hyperscalers also make use of multiple Availability Zones, meaning that even if Russia's earthquake were to affect one area, traffic could be rerouted within hours.

Via The Register

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• Developers are less likely to trust AI-generated output than they were last year, report claims
• Only 2.5% of experienced developers highly trust AI output
• AI is great at helping new developers learn to code

As developers become more accustomed to AI tools in their workflows, it's becoming increasingly clear that they don't always trust its output, new research has claimed.

The latest developer survey from Stack Overflow has revealed although AI adoption is up to 84% from 76% in 2024, ther has also been a huge jump in the number of developers who don't trust AI-generated results, up from 31% in 2024 to 46% in 2025.

On the flip side, only 3.1% highly trust AI results – a sentiment that's more common among beginners (6.1%) than it is among experienced devs (2.5%).

Developers aren't sure about AI, still

Currently, as many as 78.5% of developers use AI on an infrequent basis, such as monthly, and this is consistent across all experience levels according to the study.

Despite the lack of trust, it's clear that developers see artificial intelligence as a useful starting point, with as many as three in five viewing AI tools favorably compared with just one in five who see it unfavorably (and a further one in five who are indifferent).

But that's all it is at the moment – a starting point. Three-quarters admitted that they'd still ask a human when they don't trust AI answers, with 58% preferring to ask humans when they don't fully understand something and a similar number seeking human help for ethical and security concerns.

"AI is a powerful tool, but it has significant risks of misinformation or can lack complexity or relevance," Stack Overflow CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar explained.

While its use cases in the development cycle may be more limited, artificial intelligence is proving to be useful in other areas – 44% use it to learn to code (up from 37% last year), and 36% use it for work or advancement.

"By providing a trusted human intelligence layer in the age of AI, we believe the tech enthusiasts of today can play a larger role in adding value to build the AI technologies and products of tomorrow," Chandrasekar added.

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• A new round of leaks regarding the next Xbox console have hit the internet
• The new console will reportedly outpace PS5 Pro and target native 4K 120fps performance
• It could arrive as soon as late 2026 to early 2027

Microsoft may be going all-in on its next-generation Xbox console, and it might be launching sooner than you think.

As reported by Notebookcheck, a new round of leaks from Moore's Law Is Dead suggest that the next Xbox console could greatly outpace the PS5 Pro in terms of performance and visual fidelity.

The new system, codenamed Magnus, will allegedly have AMD's RDNA 5 GPU and Zen 6 CPU. According to Moore's Law, graphical capabilities here would roughly be the equivalent of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 card. The system will reportedly capable of targeting native 120fps performance at 4K resolution. We might also expect improved ray tracing capabilities.

As for launch window, Moore's Law suggests a late 2026 - 2027 release time. That's a bit earlier than I'd have expected, given the seven-to-eight-year gap found with more recent console generations. It may also suggest that once again, you probably shouldn't expect a massive PS1 to PS2-esque technological leap.

It's also been reported that the next Xbox console will rely on AMD's FSR upscaling tech. So unlike PS5 Pro's PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), Microsoft potentially isn't looking at developing its own AI upscaling solution.

Backwards compatibility also seems likely, meaning current-generation Xbox players should be able to carry over their game libraries to the new console without issues. Though part of this hinges on whether or not the next Xbox will feature a disc drive, or if Microsoft is opting to go fully discless as we've recently seen evidence of with the Xbox Series X Digital Edition.

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PlayStation Plus free games change at the start of every month, and coming in at no extra cost to PS Plus members, these free games are a great way to expand your library on the cheap or pick up and try games that you might not have thought about initially.

More often than not, you'll have three games to try out with each month's drop - which covers both PS5 and PS4 (so you're still set if you haven't jumped into the latest generation yet) - though sometimes we see some curveballs in the form of one or two fewer or more games. And we're also likely to see more PSVR games be thrown into the PS Plus free game mixer too.

If you are a subscriber and don't make the most of the free games on offer from month to month, it's worth making it a habit to start claiming them when you can since they'll always be available to you as long as your subscription is live. Since the best PS5 games can set you back a pretty penny, this is a great way to make the most of your console without having to fork out new releases every month.

The new line-up for August 2025 includes an excellent Souls-like action game, and an absolute gem of a survival MMO. Read on for the full lineup.

PS Plus Free Games for August 2025

(Image credit: Bohemia Interactive)

Lies of P | PS5, PS4
This macabre Soulslike draws its inspiration from an unlikely source: The Adventures of Pinocchio. In this grim reimagining of Carlo Collodi’s treasured tale, Pinocchio is trying to find the mysterious Mr. Geppetto. His journey takes him to Krat, a Belle Époque-inspired city whose humanity has been lost to madness and killer puppets. Pinocchio must battle for survival using a range of weapons and swappable Legion Arms with special abilities. He will also encounter non-hostile characters, but you will have to help him lie to fulfil his dream of becoming human. You can read our Lies of P review to see what we thought of it.

Day Z | PS4
DayZ is a hardcore survival game where up to 60 players must strive to endure a post-apocalyptic world populated by frenzied infected and other survivors. DayZ includes the original iconic map of Chernarus and Livonia – the dense 163 km2 map which lets players experience the hardcore survival hit in a whole new environment. With no checkpoints or saves, when you die, you lose everything and have to start over.

My Hero One’s Justice 2 | PS4
My Hero One’s Justice 2, the over-the-top follow-up to the smash hit 3D arena fighter My Hero One’s Justice, makes its heroic debut! Make full use of characters’ Quirks as you clash head-to-head in epic battles across huge arenas!

All games available August 5.

PlayStation Plus free games: 2025 archive

(Image credit: Sony)

Below, you'll find the PS Plus offerings for the last six months or so. Use these to see what you've missed, and to predict the kinds of games that might be available in the future.

PS Plus free games for July 2025

(Image credit: Don't Nod)

Diablo 4 | PS5, PS4
Diablo IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends (2 player local or up to 4 players online), meeting memorable characters throughout a beautifully dark open world and a gripping story. Dive into an expansive End Game where players can meet in towns to trade, team up to battle larger-than-life World Bosses, unlock robust character and loot customization, and uncover tons more action-packed activities to explore with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms.

The King of Fighters XV | PS5, PS4
Since its debut in 1994, the KoF fighting game series has featured iconic characters and a unique battle system. Now the most epic dream match in KOF history is about to begin! Inheriting the series’ traditional 3-on-3 team battle setup, KoF XV features 39 characters (mixing classic fighters, revived combatants and new warriors), a new combat system and rollback netcode to reduce lag in online matches. There are also a variety of battle options that allow you to choose how you want to play. The PlayStation Plus launch also includes the “Classic Leona” DLC costume, letting you change Leona’s costume to her KoF ‘96 look.

Jusant | PS5
Jusant is an action-puzzle climbing game and a meditative journey to the top of a tall tower. Challenge yourself at your own pace, explore different paths, and unravel the secrets from a bygone civilization. Master your climbing tools and watch your stamina meter to successfully navigate this mysterious and changing tower. As you go higher and hone your skills, you’ll have to figure out how best to use the tools at your disposal to get to where you want to go. Explore alternative paths to find clues about what happened here.

Available July 1 until August 4.

PS Plus free games for June 2025

(Image credit: Team Reptile)

NBA 2K25 | PS4, PS5
Stack wins, raise banners and make history in NBA 2K25. Command every court with authenticity and realism Powered by ProPLAY, giving you ultimate control over how you compete. Play anywhere, as you define your legacy in MyCAREER, MyTEAM, MyNBA and The W. Express your personality with an extensive array of customization options and explore an all-new City, where opportunity awaits behind every door.

Alone in the Dark | PS5
Alone in the Dark is an atmospheric reimagining of 1992’s ground-breaking survival horror of the same name. In 1920s America, Emily Hartwood recruits private detective Edward Carnby to aid in the search for her missing uncle. Their hunt leads them to Derceto Manor, a home for the mentally fatigued in the gothic American South that hides a dark secret. Play as either Edward or Emily as they explore Derceto and discover horrors that defy explanation. You’ll have to brave the shadows, solve environmental puzzles and survive chilling encounters with murderous creatures if you’re ever going to make it through this nightmare.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk | PS4, PS5
Start your own cypher and dance, paint graffiti, collect beats, combo your tricks and face off with the cops to stake your claim to the sprawling metropolis of New Amsterdam. In this action-adventure platformer, Red is a graffiti writer who lost his head and instead has a cyberhead. In search of his roots he joins the Bomb Rush Crew, Tryce and Bel, who are aiming to go All City. Together they slowly discover who it was that cut off his head and how deep Red’s human side is linked to the graffiti world.

All three games will be available to PlayStation Plus members on June 3 until June 30.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape | PS4, PS5 (REQUIRES BASE GAME)
The Final Shape looms – a nightmarish calcification of reality into the Witness’s twisted design. Embark on a perilous journey into the heart of the Traveler, rally the Vanguard, and end the War of Light and Darkness. This Destiny 2 expansion* includes the new story campaign, new Prismatic subclass, three new Supers, a new destination and new weapons and armor to collect.

PS Plus free games for May 2025

(Image credit: Playstack)

Ark: Survival Ascended | PS5
Are you ready to form a tribe, tame and breed hundreds of species of dinosaurs and other primeval creatures, explore, craft, build, and fight your way to the top of the food-chain? Your new world awaits in this survival sim, reimagined from the ground-up with Unreal Engine 5, with high-end graphic features, advanced physics systems and quality of life revamps in every area. Ark: Survival Ascended includes access to all of Ark’s worlds, including Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, Ark Genesis Part 1, Ark Genesis Part 2, and more. The game supports public online multiplayer for up to 70 players, private-session multiplayer for up to 8 players, and local split-screen for 2 players.

Balatro | PS5, PS4
In this poker-inspired roguelike deck builder, it’s all creating powerful synergies and winning big. Play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers and trigger outrageous combos in this roguelike strategy experience. Combine valid poker hands with unique joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds. Earn enough chips to beat devious blinds, all while uncovering hidden bonus hands and decks as you progress. You’re going to need every edge you can get in order to reach the boss blind, beat the final ante and secure victory.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun | PS5, PS4
Load up your Boltgun and plunge into battle headfirst! Experience a perfect blend of Warhammer 40,000, classic, frenetic FPS gameplay and the stylish visuals of your favourite 90’s retro shooters. Play a battle-hardened Space Marine on a perilous mission across the galaxy, as they battle against the Chaos Space Marines and daemons of Chaos. In glorious boomer shooter style, unleash your devastating Space Marine arsenal as you blast through an explosion of sprites, pixels and blood. Run, jump and charge across huge levels to shoot, shred and slice the worst heretics across the galaxy!

Available May 6 until June 2.

PS Plus free games for April 2025

(Image credit: Gun Interactive/Sumo Digital)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre | PS5, PS4
Take on the role of one of the notorious Slaughter family, or their victims, in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, a third-person asymmetrical horror experience based on the groundbreaking and iconic 1974 horror film. As a victim you must use your wits and stealth to stay out of the Family’s reach and find the tools you need to lead to your eventual freedom. Slaughter Family players must seek out, track down, and stop their guests from escaping. Players of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre can finally find out if they have what it takes to survive.

RoboCop: Rogue City | PS5
Become the legendary part man, part machine, all cop hero and bring justice to the dangerous, crime-ridden streets of Old Detroit. With your powerful Auto-9 or one of a range of weapons available, eradicate criminals throughout this explosive first-person adventure. Your cyborg strength and cybernetic abilities can be upgraded as you progress, to make you an even more formidable law enforcement officer.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth – Hacker’s Memory | PS4
After being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Keisuke Amazawa has no choice but to dive into the Digital World and investigate to prove his innocence. Even if that means joining a group of hackers and helping them to solve the troubles threatening this mysterious universe. Discover the mysterious backstory to the events that happened in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth as you dive into a deeper and darker adventure, at crossroads between real and digital and experience the perfect mix between Adventure, Raising and Battle with over 320 Digimon to discover.

PS Plus free games for March 2025

(Image credit: Sega)

Dragon Age: The Veilguard | PS5
Unite the Veilguard and defy the gods in this immersive single-player RPG where you become the leader others believe in. When a pair of corrupt ancient gods break free from centuries of darkness, the vibrant land of Thedas needs someone they can count on.Rise as Rook, Dragon Age’s newest hero. Be who you want to be and play how you want to play as you fight back and lead your team of seven companions, each with their own rich story. Together you will become The Veilguard.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate | PS4
The evil Dr. Eggman has built an interstellar amusement park – but he’s powering it with a captured alien race called “Wisps.” Use Sonic’s speed to free the Wisps and gain their amazing powers as you explore six unique worlds, filled with hurdles to overcome. Now with stunning upscaled visuals, additional features, a new game mode and enhanced gameplay – it’s the Ultimate Sonic Colors experience.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection | PS4, PS5
13 classic Konami TMNT games are assembled in one incredible package! Experience 13 immensely popular and influential TMNT games in a totally radical collection from Konami. These retro nostalgia trips come with a range of new quality-of-life features, including online play for certain games and local couch play, the ability to save anytime and rewind, button mapping, unique development art & sketches, historic TMNT media content and more!

PS Plus free games for February 2025

(Image credit: Squanch Games)

Payday 3 | PS5
First up is Payday 3, the latest heist co-op shooter that sees players teaming up to pull off epic bank robberies. Expect stealth and action-packed shootouts in equal measure, as you and your squad slowly take on harder and harder jobs, with rewards increasing along with the risk.

High on Life | PS4, PS5
Fresh out of high school with no job and no ambition, you’ve really got nothing going for you until an alien cartel that wants to get high off humanity invades Earth. Now, you and a team of charismatic talking guns must answer the hero’s call and become the deadliest intergalactic bounty hunter the cosmos has ever seen. Travel to a variety of biomes and locations across the cosmos, go up against the nefarious Garmantuous and his gang of goons, collect loot, meet unique characters, and more, in the latest comedy adventure from Squanch Games.

Pac-Man World Re-Pac | PS4, PS5
In this 2004 remake of the original PlayStation platformer, with improved UI, fine-tuned mechanics and updated visuals, Pac-Man arrives home on his birthday to find the Ghosts have kidnapped Pac-Man’s family & friends and ruined his party. Off to the rescue, Pac-Man sets out to Ghost Island. Dodge Ghosts, solve environmental puzzles, rescue the Pac-Fam, and more in this platforming adventure. Play a collection of 3D mazes in Maze mode, clear Quest mode to unlock the original Pac-Man game in Original mode.

PS Plus free games for January 2025

(Image credit: PlayStation)

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League | PS5
Take down The Justice League yourself in single-player or team up with friends in multiplayer co-op in this genre-defying, action-adventure third-person shooter from Rocksteady Studios, creators of the critically acclaimed Batman: Arkham series. Featuring an original narrative set within an expansive open-world city of Metropolis, the game puts the four DC Super-Villains on a collision course with an invading alien force and DC Super Heroes who are now laser-focused on destroying the city they once vowed to protect.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered | PS4
Feel the thrill of the chase and the rush of escape in Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. Unleash a savage sense of speed both as an outlaw and a cop in the world’s hottest high-performance cars. Outsmart the heat or take down lawbreakers with the tactical weaponry at your disposal in a heart-pumping, socially competitive racing experience. Updated with enhanced visuals, cross-platform multiplayer – including the asynchronous competition powered by Autolog – plus all additional DLC content, this is the ultimate edition of Criterion Games’ critically acclaimed Need for Speed debut. It’s time to reignite the pursuit.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe | PS4, PS5
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is an expanded re-imagining of the critically acclaimed, award winning indie game The Stanley Parable from 2013. Everything that was in the original Stanley Parable is here, preserved just like it was back in 2013. But The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe also dramatically expands the world of the original game with new content, new choices, and new secrets to uncover. The labyrinth has just gotten bigger. In addition, the game has been visually upgraded to reflect modern technology while faithfully preserving the tone of the original game. Accessibility features have also been added to the game, including localization of in-world text, colorblind options, and content warnings. And just as before, the impeccable voicework of Kevan Brighting will accompany you every step of the way.

PlayStation Plus free games - Subscription prices

In order to get every batch of PlayStation Plus free games you'll need to have an active PS Plus subscription. This can be an Essential (the basic level), the mid-tier Extra subscription, or the top-end Premium subscription, as all will get you the monthly free games. If you're keen to jump in or want to check the latest prices for adding to your existing subscription of want to upgrade, then we've got the latest and lowest prices below.

PlayStation Plus free games - FAQsAre there free games on PS Plus?

Yes! As we've stated here on our dedicated PlayStation Plus free games page, each month a handful of games are available to PS Plus members and, as long as your subscription is live and active, then they are yours to keep and play!

Can I play free PS Plus games without a subscription?

Sadly, no, PlayStation Plus free games are only available to run and play for those with an active subscription. That means that if you acquired some games one month when your sub was active, but then let it lapse, those games would become unavailable.

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Hardly a week goes by without a breakthrough in LLMs (large language models). They're cheaper to train and getting smarter, so why bother with their little sibling SLMs (small language models)?

For any developer team serious about delivering practical AI, it all comes down to focus and fit. LLMs are great for general, non-domain-specific tasks, but when AI needs to be truly useful in a business context, an SLM, or even a federation of SLMs supporting an LLM, is often the smarter choice.

Why? Because, as top reasoning engines show, using a general-purpose AI for a focused or numeric task is often overkill, and introduces risk. For example, DeepSeek R1 uses a “mixture of experts” setup with 671 billion parameters, but only up to 37 billion activate per query.

Because it knows it needs to operate with only a subset of those billions of parameters active at any given time, and it’s much more efficient to instead break problems down and use selective use of smaller components when it spots, say, a user question that needs some mathematical sub-routines, and not all of its encoded “brain power.”

It’s easy to see how much more useful the results become when you stop assuming one LLM can do it all. A smarter approach is to deploy different SLMs to analyze specific areas of your business, such as finance, operations, logistics, and then feed their focused outputs into a more general model that synthesizes the findings into a single, coherent response.

When you think about it, this model of coordination is deeply human. Our brains don’t fire up every region at once; we activate specific areas for language, memory, motor function, and more. It’s a modular, connected form of reasoning that mirrors how we solve problems in the real world. A physicist might stumble outside their domain, while a generalist can offer broader but less precise insights. Likewise, AI systems that recognize boundaries of expertise and delegate tasks accordingly can tackle far more complex problems than even the smartest standalone LLM.

SLMs v LLMs

To test the case for SLMs, just try asking ChatGPT, or any general-purpose LLM, about your AWS infrastructure. Since LLMs are notoriously imprecise with numbers, even a basic question like “how many servers do we have?” will likely produce a guess or hallucination, not a reliable answer.

A better approach would chain together an SLM trained to generate accurate database queries, retrieve the exact data, and then pass that to an LLM to explain the result in natural language. For predictive tasks, classical statistical models often still outperform neural networks — and in those cases, an SLM could be used to optimize the model’s parameters, with an LLM summarizing and contextualizing the results.

SLMs aren’t just cheaper — they’re often more capable in niche domains. Take Microsoft’s Phi-2, a small model trained on high-quality math and coding data. Because of its focused, domain-specific training, it famously outperformed much larger models in its area of expertise.

Until (or unless) we reach true AGI, no single model will be great at everything. But an SLM trained for a specific task often outperforms a generalist. Give it the right context, and it delivers peak performance — simple as that.

Granularity matters. You don’t need an AI that knows who won the World Cup in 1930; you need one that understands how your company mixes paint, builds networks, or schedules deliveries. Domain focus is what makes AI useful in the real world.

And for mid-sized operations, SLMs are much more cost-effective. They require fewer GPUs, consume less power, and offer better ROI. That also makes them more accessible to smaller teams, who can afford to train and run models tailored to their needs.

Best to be flexible

So, is the case closed? Just pick an SLM and enjoy guaranteed ROI from enterprise AI? Not quite.

The real challenge is getting your supply chain, or any domain-specific data, into the model in a usable, reliable way. Both LLMs and SLMs rely on transformer architectures that are typically trained in large batches. They’re not naturally suited to continuous updates.

To keep an SLM relevant and accurate, you still need to feed it fresh, contextual data. That’s where graph technology comes in. A well-structured knowledge graph can act as a live tutor, constantly grounding the model in updated, trustworthy information.

This combination, SLM plus knowledge graph, is proving particularly powerful in high-stakes domains. It delivers faster, more precise, and more cost-efficient outputs than a standalone LLM.

Add to this the growing adoption of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), especially in graph-enabled setups (GraphRAG), and you have a game-changer. By bridging structured and unstructured data and injecting just-in-time context, this architecture makes AI genuinely enterprise-ready.

GraphRAG also boosts reasoning by continuously retrieving relevant, real-world information, instead of relying on static or outdated data. The result? Sharper, more contextual responses that elevate tasks like query-focused summarization (QFS) and enable SLMs to operate with greater precision and adaptability.

In short, if we want AI systems that truly address real business challenges, rather than echo back what they think we want to hear, the future isn’t about building ever-bigger LLMs. For many enterprise scenarios, a hybrid SLM/GraphRAG model may be the real path forward for GenAI.

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