Technologies

PlayStation Plus Subscribers Are In for a Scary Fun October With These Great Games

All subscribers can play Alan Wake 2, while Extra and Premium subscribers can play The Last of Us Part 2.

There’s a chill in the air, the days are getting shorter and Halloween is only a few weeks away. Sony announced at its PlayStation State of Play event on Wednesday that it was treating PlayStation Plus subscribers to Alan Wake 2 and The Last of Us Part 2 this October.

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass and it offers subscribers a large, constantly expanding library of games. Subscribers can choose from the Essential, Extra and Premium tiers, which each have unique perks and benefits. The plans start at $10 a month, and each tier gives subscribers access to monthly games and rewards.

Here are the games PS Plus subscribers can play in October for spooky season. You can also check out the games Sony added to the PS Plus Game Catalog in September, including WWE 2K25.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

The Last of Us Part 2

This award-winning action adventure game drops you right back into an apocalyptic world filled with cordyceps-infected zombies, violence and a whole lot of pain — so much pain. You play as both Ellie from the original game, as well as the person she’s hunting, Abby. You’ll see grief and trauma from both of their perspectives and how those things can heighten our emotions like a funhouse mirror. It’s a heavy game that forces the air from your lungs and won’t let you breathe until the credits roll.

Only PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game starting Sept. 26.

Alan Wake 2

This sequel picks up years after the first game but Alan Wake 2 drops us back into the haunted world of the original. An FBI agent has been murdered by a cult in the town of Bright Falls, the town from the original Alan Wake game. Agents Saga Anderson and Alex Casey are sent to investigate. As you help these characters in their investigation, you’ll also assist the titular Alan Wake as he tries to write his way out of an alternate dimension. You’ll have to explore your environments, solve puzzles and keep enemies at bay in this mind-bending survival horror game.

All PS Plus subscribers can access this game in October starting Oct. 7.

Goat Simulator 3

Despite what Game of Thrones might have you think, chaos is not a ladder. Chaos is a goat and your goal in this game is to cause as much havoc as you can while on four hooves. For the first time in the series, this game features a story mode where you attempt to rise through the ranks of the Illuminati. Otherwise, this entry maintains the goofy and absurd humor as well as the sandbox setting of past games, giving you free rein to do whatever you want.

All PS Plus subscribers can access this game in October starting Oct. 7.

Cocoon

Get ready to go on an adventure across worlds within worlds in this puzzle game. You play as an insect-like creature who wakes up in a barren wasteland. You soon find an orb that contains an entire world within it that you can dive into, explore and solve puzzles in. As you progress, you’ll find more orbs, and each one will help you unravel a cosmic mystery.

All PS Plus subscribers can access this game in October starting Oct. 7.

For more on PlayStation Plus, here’s what to know about the service and a rundown of PS Plus Extra and Premium games added in September. You can also check out the latest and upcoming games on Xbox Game Pass and Apple Arcade.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 16, #889

Here are some hints — and the answers — for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 16, #889.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is a fun one. As a pop-culture junkie and game lover, I enjoyed the purple category. If you need help sorting the answers into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Different strokes for different folks.

Green group hint: Ho-hum.

Blue group hint: Flags often qualify.

Purple group hint: Do not pass Go.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Technique.

Green group: Run-of-the-mill.

Blue group: Stripy things.

Purple group: Words on Monopoly squares.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is technique. The four answers are approach, method, philosophy and school.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is run-of-the-mill. The four answers are banal, everday, humdrum and pedestrian.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is stripy things.The four answers are barcode, IBM logo, rugby shirt and zebra.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is words on Monopoly squares. The four answers are avenue, parking, railroad and tax.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 16 #623

Here are hints — and answers — for the NYT Strands puzzle for Nov. 16, No. 623.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is tough. It’s a weird theme, and some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Around it goes.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: They’re often on a roll.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

CARE, SCARE, CRASS, SWAT, PELL, HELL, SCAR, HALT, STENT, HALTS, TENT, POLL, LOTS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

FOIL, SCARF, SHAWL, STOLE, FLATBREAD, CELLOPHANE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is THATSAWRAP. To find it, start with the T that’s three letters up from the bottom of the far-left row, and wind down, over and then up.