The PlayStation Store app”PS Plus Exclusive” tag to select games, but it is unclear what this actually means. Fan theories on the nomenclature vary widely.
What is a PS Plus exclusive?
As Reddit user HelpfulApple22, who appears to be an additional PS Plus subscriber, pointed out, Outer Wilds is one of the games listed as a PS Plus exclusive, but it certainly isn’t.
Games included in the PS Plus Extra and Premium catalogs will usually have a message like “Included with the catalog of games in your PlayStation Plus subscription” for members. The Reddit user pointed out that other games in their Extra catalog don’t carry the “exclusive” label (Outer Wilds is currently part of the Extra and Premium catalogs).
So what does “exclusive” mean in this context? Some users say it probably means a certain game is not available on Xbox Game Pass or any other subscription service. Others say it likely means a specific version of a game is exclusive to members.
The latter makes sense given that it’s not unusual for PS Plus to get special releases of games. However, no one knows why the standard editions of certain games are listed as exclusive to subscribers.