PS5 gamers have access to a range of money-saving discounts with Black Friday PS5 deals heating up this week, but my favorite PS5 promotion right now won’t cost you a single penny if you’re already a PlayStation Plus Premium member.
Subscribers at the Premium tier of PlayStation Plus now have access to a two-hour free trial of Baldur’s Gate 3. This exclusive trial gives you 120 minutes of playtime in the critically acclaimed RPG, and if you like what you see, your progress will carry over to the full game (Sadly the full game is not a part of the PlayStation Store Black Friday sale).
Released on Windows in August, before coming to PlayStation a month later in September, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a frontrunner for Game of the Year at the upcoming Game Awards 2023 and one of the most critically acclaimed games released in 2023. It boasts a remarkable 96 score on Metacritic (the joint highest of the year) and a 99% recommendation rate on OpenCritic.
The epic RPG lets you control a diverse party of characters as you explore a vast fantasy land. Baldur’s Gate 3 been praised for its deep tactical combat and its rich decision-driven storytelling.
However, it should be noted that the two hours featured in the free trial is merely a drop in the ocean of the overall adventure. Baldur’s Gate 3 offers more than 100 hours of gameplay for thorough players. This trial should be considered just a small taster — don’t expect to make any significant progress before the two-hour window is up.
Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t the only game that’s just received a new PlayStation Plus trial either. The Lord of the Rings Gollum can now also be sampled for an hour. However, as I noted in my Lord of the Rings Gollum review, it’s one of the worst games on the PS5 right now, and after just a few minutes you’ll understand why I labeled it “an unwelcome throwback to the days when licensed games were synonymous with low quality.” It’s hard to understand why the game’s publisher has decided to let players try out a game that received such poor reviews.
These trials are only available to PlayStation Plus subscribers on the Premium plan. But if you’re an Essential/Extra member, Sony is currently running a Black Friday deal that lets you upgrade to a higher tier for the remainder of your subscription at a reduced cost. While I wouldn’t advise upgrading just for this new Baldur’s Gate 3 trial it’s a great perk if you were previously considering it or have Premium already.
