PS Plus free games for April include a heist, a spire and a sponge

Sony has announced its PS Plus free games lineup for April 2022, and its certainly an eclectic mix of titles.

From April 5 to May 2, PS Plus subscribers can grab Hood: Outlaws and Legends (PS5 and PS4), Slay the Spire (PS4), and SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated (PS4) for free. 

It's certainly a mixed bag, in more than one way. Intense online multiplayer Hood: Outlaws and Legends heads up April's offering and sees players competing with rival gangs in heists against a medieval backdrop. Hood isn't exactly the showstopper PS5 game we were hoping to see from Sony this month (remember when the likes of Destiny 2 and Days Gone headed up the PS Plus lineup?) but it's worth giving a try, especially with friends.

Next, we have SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, a remake of the original 2003 platformer. At the mere mention of Spongebob, some of you will have either cringed or lit up in delight. But whether you're a fan of the cheery sea sponge or not, Battle for Bikini Bottom is actually a very good game that will scratch the itch for those who love a good PS2 / Xbox era platformer.

Last, but certainly not least, we have the critically-acclaimed deck builder, Slay the Spire, which sits proudly on our best roguelike games and best Xbox Game Pass games lists. Mega Crit Games' excellent title takes elements from both roguelike and deck-building games to create an experience that will please fans of both genres and suck in those who think its not for them.

If you still haven't claimed your March PS Plus free games yet, which include Ark: Survival Evolved, Team Sonic Racing, Ghostrunner, and Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, see this as a reminder to do so – as they are only available until April 4.

Changes are coming to PS Plus

Sony's next PS Plus free game offering comes shortly after the company announced plans to revamp the subscription service to compete with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass.

This overhauled PlayStation Plus subscription combines the PS Plus and PS Now (which will no longer be available standalone) services and will be available in three tiers. The lowest tier offers the current benefits of PS Plus, while the highest tier allows access to a library of retro PlayStation games – among other perks. 

This new subscription service isn't due to roll out for a few months yet, and current PS Plus subscribers won't see any changes to their monthly free games or pricing when it does roll out (unless they upgrade their tier). 

We're just excited to see Sony finally revamping its somewhat stale subscription service, especially if that means we can play more old school platformers like Bikini Bottom.

• PS Plus relaunch as it happened