2022 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for PlayStation fans with several major releases coming in the next few weeks. However, gaming on PlayStation is already great thanks to a fantastic selection of free-to-play titles on both the PS4 and PS5. Shockingly, PUBG: Battlegrounds has shot to the top of PlayStation’s top free-to-play games list for January 2022 despite only going free-to-play on January 12.
It has managed to beat Epic Games’ hugely popular Fortnite in the EU region and sits in a close second in the US-Canada region. With Fortnite regarded as one of the most popular free-to-play games out there, seeing PUBG topple Fortnite is proof that going free-to-play was the right move for the battle royale.
This isn’t the only new game to shoot up to the top end of the list, though. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel was released on January 18 and sits comfortably third in both regions. This could be a sign that PlayStation players are looking for more variety when it comes to free-to-play games on the platform.
Interestingly, Apex Legends failed to break into the top five in either region – despite the fact that it’s recently set a new record for highest concurrent players on Steam. Warzone sits comfortably fourth in the US region and fifth in the EU region, with Rocket League and Rec Room both floating around the bottom of each region’s list. With Warzone Pacific regularly criticised for in-game issues and graphics bugs, this game could drop further down the list when February 2022’s statistics are revealed by Sony.
Here is the full list of January 2022’s most downloaded free-to-play games on both PS4 and PS5, shared by Sony:
US/Canada Region
- Fortnite
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- Yu-Gi-Ho! Master Duel
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Rec Room
- Rocket League
- Apex Legends
- Genshin Impact
- Destiny 2
- Brawlhalla
EU Region
- PUBG: Battlegrounds
- Fortnite
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
- Rocket League
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Rec Room
- eFootball 2022
- Genshin Impact
- Apex Legends
- Brawlhalla
If you’re looking for an alternative to Fortnite, but PUBG isn’t tickling your fancy, why not check out our guide on the best games like Fortnite here. Alternatively, you can check out our guide on the best free PS5 games here for a wider selection from the games above and more.