PS5 gamers can get all sorts of discounts this week with the Black Friday PS5 sale, but my favorite PS5 offer right now is one that won't cost you a penny if you're already a PlayStation Plus premium member

PlayStation Plus premium members can take advantage of a free two-hour trial of Baldur's Gate 3 This limited trial allows you to play the critically acclaimed RPG for 120 minutes, and if you like it, you can transfer it to the full game (sadly, the full game is not included in the PlayStation Store's Black Friday sale)

"Baldur's Gate 3," released on Windows in August and a month later on PlayStation in September, is a leading contender for Game of the Year at the upcoming Game Awards 2023 and one of the most critically acclaimed games released in 2023 It is one of the most critically acclaimed games released in 2023 It has a score of 96 on Metacritic (the highest of the year) and a 99% recommendation rate on OpenCritic

This epic RPG allows players to control a diverse party of characters as they explore a vast fantasy land Baldur's Gate 3 has been praised for its deep tactical combat and rich, decision-based storytelling

It should be noted, however, that the two hours presented in the free trial are only a drop in the ocean of the overall adventure; Baldur's Gate 3 offers over 100 hours of gameplay for the thorough player This trial should be considered just a taster, and one should not expect to make significant progress before the two-hour window is over

"Baldur's Gate 3" is not the only PlayStation Plus trial to be launched Gollum" from "The Lord of the Rings" is also now available for a one-hour trial However, as I mentioned in my review of Lord of the Rings Gollum, this game is one of the worst games available on the PS5 right now, and after just a few minutes of play, I could see why I had labeled it "an unwelcome throwback to the days when licensed games were synonymous with low quality I am sure you can understand why I labeled it as "an unwelcome throwback to the days when licensed games were synonymous with low quality" It is hard to understand why the publishers of this game decided to allow players to try out a game with such a bad reputation

These trials are only available to PlayStation Plus premium plan subscribers However, if you are an Essential/Extra subscriber, Sony is currently running a Black Friday promotion that allows you to upgrade to a higher plan at a discounted rate for the remainder of your subscription While I wouldn't recommend upgrading just for this new "Baldur's Gate 3" demo, it's a great benefit for those who have been considering it for some time or are already on Premium