GAMING
PS Plus free game debuts as third biggest ever
It was hardly a surprise when Grand Theft Auto 5 had an impressive debut in December, but April’s success has raised a few eyebrows.
Do you remember back in the summer of 2022 when PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium were launched? Right away there was a massive success story, with Stray proving to be an immediate hit, still to this day the biggest debut game. It took a year and a half for its record to be at risk, being pushed closest in last December by the iconic Grand Theft Auto 5, although it was still some way off. And now, just a few month after, we’ve seen another solid release, one that goes by the name of Dave the Diver.
Dave the Diver proves surprisingly popular
Announced that it would be launching back in January’s PlayStation State of Play event, Dave has been loved by gamers of all ages. Full of surprises, jumping from underwater fishing adventures to restaurant management in its glorious pixelated world, fans have been lining up to tell others about their best bits. And that attraction has seen Dave the Diver rocket up the April charts.
As a freebie from Playstation Plus, along with over a dozen others, this sea-based offering appears to have shot ahead of any others this year – Sea of Stars and Horizon Forbidden West coming next – and all but the two mentioned above since 2022. According to Game Insights, it fell around 24% short of GTA5 and some 97% behind Stray, the latter obviously coming with the entire launch fanfare.
In terms of the main game, sales have already passed the three million mark, and given its engaging and playful interactions, plus all the mini-games, this isn’t likely to slow down too much going forward. It’s not one to miss.