The Best Games to Grab During the PlayStation Mid-Year Deals Event

It's that time of year again—PlayStation has kicked off its annual Mid-Year Deals promotion, bringing hundreds of games and DLC down to their historically lowest prices. The promotion began on June 18 and runs until July 2, and there are some impressive bargains to snatch up while it's active. In addition to grabbing standalone titles that are heavily discounted, there are also some great bundles to prioritize that allow you to add two or three incredible titles into your library in a single go, such as grabbing a bundle containing all the modern Resident Evil remakes or another that packages the Red Dead Redemption remaster/re-release along with Red Dead Redemption 2.

• Release Date — March 15, 2022
• Developer — Rockstar North
• Publisher — Rockstar Games
• Genre — Action, Open-World
• Review Aggregate Score — 97% (Universal Acclaim)
• Price — $19.79 (Normally $59.99, 67% off)

Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto V is back down to its regular low of just $20 for the bundle that includes the PS4 and PS5 releases of the single-player campaign story mode. For just a few dollars more, you can also grab the bundle that includes both the single-player story mode and Grand Theft Auto Online, greatly extending what's already some impressive replay value. We've still got a little less than a year until GTA VI releases, and GTA V is still more than capable of tiding folks over until its launch next May.

• Release Date — January 25, 2019 (RE2); April 3, 2020 (RE3); March 24, 2023 (RE4)
• Developer — Capcom
• Publisher — Capcom
• Genre — Survival Horror
• Review Aggregate Score — 91% - Resident Evil 2 (Universal Acclaim); 79% - Resident Evil 3 (Generally Favorable); 93% - Resident Evil 4 (Universal Acclaim)
• Price — $40.49 (Normally $89.99, 55% off)

Each one of the modern Resident Evil remakes does a great job reimagining some of the best and most iconic survival horror games of all time (with Resident Evil 3 being a bit of a misstep, but I digress). So, rather than just grabbing one game for $10 or $20, you can grab all three for just $40 right now as part of the Resident Evil Remake Trilogy bundle on the PlayStation Store. While there are some genuine criticisms to lob at Resident Evil 3 for its length and how it handles its source material, both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4's remakes are so good that they almost outshine the originals.

• Release Date — December 7, 2023
• Developer — Massive Entertainment
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Genre — Action, FPS, Open-World
• Review Aggregate Score — 72% (Mixed or Average)
• Price — $23.09 (Normally $69.99, 67% off)

Just about every major Ubisoft title is currently discounted as part of the PlayStation Mid-Year Deals sales event, but one that might slip under most players' radars is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Developed by The Division and Star Wars Outlaws studio Massive Entertainment, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a Far Cry game in all but name, and a very good one at that. Even if you have little to no interest in James Cameron's Avatar films, the Avatar game is a surprisingly great FPS title that mixes some fun movement and traversal with a gorgeous open world, some inventive weaponry, and a compelling mix of stealth and all-out action.

• Release Date — June 22, 2023
• Developer — Square Enix Creative Business Unit III
• Publisher — Square Enix
• Genre — JRPG, Character Action
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $45.49 (Normally $69.99, 35% off)

It's hard to believe that we're quickly coming up on the two year anniversary of Final Fantasy XVI's release, and the best way to celebrate is to grab the currently discounted Complete Edition of the game if you have yet to play the latest numbered Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy XVI is not without its faults, but the swings that it takes generally land, and its story is arguably one of the greatest in a series long known for its narrative pull. The Complete Edition brings together the base game and the two excellent DLC expansions, allowing you to experience them as a single package and more than justifying its current $45 asking price.

• Release Date — October 13, 2023
• Developer — Hexworks
• Publisher — CI Games
• Genre — Soulslike, Action RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 75% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $22.39 (Normally $79.99, 72% off)

The somewhat confusingly named Lords of the Fallen (not to be confused with 2014's The Lords of the Fallen) is a very solid attempt at a Soulslike that has only continued to improve since its launch in late 2023. The title just recently received the massive "Lords of the Fallen 2.0" update that overhauls many of the game's core systems and adds in plenty of new content, meaning anyone jumping into the title now is bound to get the best possible Lords of the Fallen experience. The Deluxe Edition of the game is normally $80, making its current sale price of $22 especially appealing for anyone who's been on the fence.

• Release Date — March 22, 2024
• Developer — Capcom
• Publisher — Capcom
• Genre — Action RPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $29.39 (Normally $69.99, 58% off)

Capcom's Dragon's Dogma II may have been a little disappointing to fans who waited 10 years for a proper sequel they never thought they'd get, but for everyone else, it's arguably one of 2024's best action RPGs and a colossal achievement for Capcom. The title is currently back down to its lowest-ever price of just under $30, which is more than reasonable considering the amount and quality of content you get in its campaign and post-game modes. Dragon's Dogma II's world is harsh and unforgiving, but it's also one of the most fun and immersive role-playing realms we've gotten in recent years.

• Release Date — October 21, 2022
• Developer — P-Studio
• Publisher — Atlus
• Genre — JRPG
• Review Aggregate Score — 95% (Universal Acclaim)
• Price — $20.99 (Normally $59.99, 65% off)

Speaking of incredible role-playing games, I shouldn't have to tell you that Persona 5 Royal is one of the best games in the JRPG genre, but I will anyway. Every facet of Persona 5 — gameplay, story, visuals, music, progression — is so finely tuned as to come dangerously close to being a "perfect" game, and it's no wonder that it stands as the gateway for millions of players who have only just recently discovered and fallen in love with Atlus' long-running Persona series and its parent franchise, Shin Megami Tensei. Royal is back down to its historic low of just $21, and you can also grab the Ultimate Edition of the game for the same price. If you have yet to play Persona 5 and have even a passing interest in RPGs, you owe it to yourself to play Persona 5 Royal.

• Release Date — May 26, 2022
• Developer — Rebellion Developments
• Publisher — Rebellion Developments
• Genre — Stealth, Shooter
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $27.49 (Normally $109.99, 75% off)

Rebellion's Sniper Elite games are like stealth action comfort food: you know exactly what you're going to get when you play one, and it's always a good time, even if it might leave you wanting more. Sniper Elite 5 is arguably the best the series has ever been, reintroducing a lot of elements that were cut from Sniper Elite 4, like weapon customization, while also delivering some of the best and most detailed stealth sandboxes the series had seen up to the point of its release. The Complete Edition of the game, which includes an almost absurd amount of DLC, is down to just $27 from $110, making now the best time to grab it if you've ever been curious about the Sniper Elite series. You can't go wrong with Sniper Elite 5 as a jumping-on point.

• Release Date — October 26, 2018 (RDR2); August 17, 2023 (RDR)
• Developer — Rockstar Games
• Publisher — Rockstar Games
• Genre — Action, Open-World
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% - Red Dead Redemption (Generally Favorable); 97% - Red Dead Redemption II (Universal Acclaim)
• Price — $44.99 (Normally $99.99, 55% off)

Rockstar Games is definitely charging too much for the remaster/re-release of Red Dead Redemption, but being able to get it as part of a bundle with the even-better Red Dead Redemption II at least helps soften the blow. You can currently grab Rockstar's entire open-world Wild West saga for just $45, meaning each title is effectively $20. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better "dollar-per-minute" gameplay value than getting both Red Dead Redemption titles for just under $50.

• Release Date — October 19, 2018
• Developer — Bandai Namco Studios
• Publisher — Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Genre — Fighting
• Review Aggregate Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)
• Price — $9.59 (Normally $59.99, 84% off)

Even if you don't necessarily like fighting games, it's practically a requirement for you to have at least one in your library for either dalliance or the occasional local multiplayer match. One of the best fighting games for casual fans, SoulCalibur VI, is down to just $10, and it retains the same great 3D, weapon-centric fighting that's the series' trademark while delivering some jaw-dropping visual spectacle. Almost all of Bandai Namco's fighting games are currently on sale, but SoulCalibur VI is a great middle ground for hardcore fighting game fans and casuals alike that offers a surprising amount of single-player content.