PS Plus July 2026 Predictions: Rise of Ronin Leads, Marathon Unlikely

Community forecasters have picked Rise of Ronin as the leading candidate for PS Plus Essential in July 2026. Meanwhile, speculation about including Marathon is growing, even though Bungie’s extraction shooter is having a tough time retaining players and dealing with executive changes.

Rise of Ronin, Team Ninja’s open-world action RPG that launched in March 2024, fits the PS Plus profile perfectly. It’s a first-party Sony title with a solid, engaged audience and a price point that makes it appealing for subscribers. Historically, Sony has added its exclusives to PS Plus Essential within a year to a year and a half after release, and Rise of Ronin falls right into that timeframe.

Marathon presents a more complex case. Bungie’s extraction shooter debuted in early 2026 and currently holds an 80% positive rating on Steam from 47,059 reviews. That number looks good at first glance, but recent community sentiment has turned mostly negative. The game’s player count has dropped to about 6,989 concurrent users, indicating trouble in keeping its early fans around.

The broader situation with Marathon makes a PS Plus inclusion both an appealing and risky move for Sony. Bungie’s CEO left in late June 2026 as the game struggled to gain traction. Additionally, a Season 2 loot system faced backlash that Bungie hasn’t properly addressed. Adding Marathon to PS Plus could attract a surge of new players, but only if the overall game experience has improved enough to keep them engaged. After the failure of Concord, Sony can’t afford another high-profile live-service misstep.

Marathon needs to tackle its onboarding issues. One Steam reviewer with documented playtime noted they “like the visuals and really like the world the game’s set in,” but the game fails to help new players understand its mechanics, especially for those new to the extraction genre. This problem is deep-rooted, not just surface-level. PS Plus usually brings in many casual players who might hit that same wall.

By The Numbers

Marathon Steam Review Score	80% positive
Total Steam Reviews	47,059
Current Steam Concurrent Players	6,989
Marathon Price on Steam	$27.99
Community Sentiment (recent signals)	Mostly negative (10 signals)

Community reactions to the PS Plus speculation have been mixed. One Steam reviewer captured a common sentiment: they want to enjoy Marathon — the art direction and world-building pull them in. However, the game often doesn’t meet newcomers halfway when it comes to extraction shooters. This gap between visual appeal and gameplay accessibility is the main hurdle Sony would face if it decides to include the title in July’s lineup.

What To Watch

• Sony’s official July 2026 PS Plus announcement, usually made in the last week of June, will reveal whether Marathon gets the player boost it desperately needs.
• Marathon’s onboarding and tutorial updates — Bungie must implement structural improvements before a PS Plus influx occurs; otherwise, retention will plummet, no matter how many new players download the game.
• PlayStation’s live-service strategy in the wake of the Concord shutdown and ongoing issues with Marathon; another major setback would increase scrutiny over Sony’s broader portfolio decisions as we head into 2027.