It is time for the monthly update for the Games with Gold Vs PlayStaiton Plus program offerings for July 2014. Sony and Microsoft continue to offer free games and discounts to gamers who subscribe to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold respectively. With a more solid release schedule from Sony ending the ambiguity of when a game is pulled from the PlayStation Plus listings, the two programs have become more alike month after month.
The promises from Xbox head Phil Spencer about changing the fundamental structure of the Games with Gold program are still yet to realized, however the Games with Gold division have made the important step in beginning to offer content to Xbox One owners. As we reported in the Games with Gold Vs PlayStation Plus for June comparison, the main difference between the programs is that Games with Gold allows players to retain ownership of the titles they download even if their subscription lapses, while the PlayStation Plus program will render games downloaded with the program unplayable until the membership is renewed.
On Xbox Live ‘ s Major Nelson Blog , it was revealed that the program this month for Games with Gold starts by holding over Max: The Curse of Brotherhood from the Xbox One June offerings. The new Xbox One game will be Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition which will replace Halo: Spartan Assault. Xbox 360 owners will be treated to Gotham City Impostors for the first half of the month. The last half will play host to BattleBlock Theater.
Over in Sony’s camp, each of the three active platforms will receive 2 games each, as outlined on the PlayStation Blog last month. Starting with the PlayStation 3, PS Plus members will be be able to play Dead Space 3 and Vessel , a liquid simulation puzzle game. PS Vita owners will be treated to Vanillaware’s Muramasa Rebirth , an HD remake of the original Wii title. The hand drawn aesthetic of Doki-Doki Universe will be the second PS Vita offering. The two PlayStation 4 offerings are both side scrolling platforming titles TowerFall Ascension and Strider. The games will be available on July 1.
It should also be noted that Doki-Doki Universe is a Cross-Buy title, meaning that if you purchase it for PS Plus as part of the program, you will unlock the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 version of the title as well on your PSN account.
If you have not picked up the titles for either the Games with Gold or PlayStation Plus offerings yet, you need to do so soon before June is over. Our complete list of the offerings from both platform holders are below.
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition (Xbox One) Original Release Date | July 1, 2014 Games for Gold Release Date | July 1, 2014 Current Price | $14.99
Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood (Xbox One) Original Release Date | May 21, 2014 Games for Gold Release Date | June 2014 – July 2014 Current Price | $14.99
Gotham City Impostors (Xbox 360) Original Release Date | February 7, 2012 Games for Gold Release Date | July 1 – July 15, 2014 Current Price | $14.99
BattleBlock Theater (Xbox 360) Original Release Date | April 3, 2013 Games for Gold Release Date | July 16 – July 31, 2014 Current Price | $14.99
Strider (PlayStation 4) Original Release Date | February 18, 2014 PlayStation Plus Release Date | July 1, 2014 Current Price | $14.99
TowerFall: Ascension (PlayStation 4) Original Release Date | March 11, 2014 PlayStation Plus Release Date | July 1, 2014 Current Price | $14.99
Dead Space 3 (PlayStation 3) Original Release Date | February 5, 2013 PlayStation Plus Release Date | July 1, 2014 Current Price | $19.99
Vessel (PlayStation 3) Original Release Date | March 11, 2014 PlayStation Plus Release Date | July 1, 2014 Current Price | $9.99
Doki-Doki Universe (PS Vita/PlayStation 4/PlayStation 3) Original Release Date | December 3, 2013 PlayStation Plus Release Date | July 1, 2014 Current Price | $14.99
Muramasa Rebirth (PS Vita) Original Release Date | June 25, 2013 PlayStation Plus Release Date | July 1, 2014 Current Price | $24.99