Free PS5 game was stealthily removed from the PS Store

No information is available as to why The Great Fleece, a free PS5 game, has been removed from the PS Store. We've also lost out on some easy trophies too.

Free PS5 game was stealthily removed from the PS Store
Sean Lawson

Sean Lawson

Published

It's unclear why, but The Great Fleece, a free PS5 game, has been removed from the PS Store. With The Great Fleece trophies being incredibly easy, it's a shame to lose out on the title. While the game wouldn't be winding up on our best free-to-play PS5 games list, you've got to appreciate that the title was given to us for free.

Free PS5 game, The Great Fleece, removed from the PS Store

  • The Great Fleece released on August 16, 2024
  • The game was free to download on PS5 through the PS Store
  • For unknown reasons, the game has been pulled from the PS Store
The Great Fleece was a free game that you could download on your PS5 and saw you playing as a thief who had to navigate his way from one side of the room to the other to reach a vault. You'd avoid guards that were patrolling and throw coins to distract them. It was a very simple and quick game to finish.
By all means, the game was nothing groundbreaking or impressive and honestly feels like a rejected idea for a mini-game in a Mario Party title. However, it was given to us for free and for that I think we have to show it some respect. After all, it functions how it was intended to, and all the trophies unlocked without issue — something even AAA games struggle to pull off successfully at times.

While there was no platinum to earn and only five trophies on offer, The Great Fleece was a quick and easy trophy list to work through. Unfortunately, you can no longer download and add them to the collection. However, if you did add the game to your library when you first saw it pop up on the PS Store back on August 16, 2024, then you can still access it and earn the trophies.

You'll need to rummage through your Game Library to find The Great Fleece if you don't currently have it installed. Sadly, everyone else is out of luck as the game won't appear if you search for it on the PS Store (as seen in the images embedded below).

The Great Fleece

It looks like the game was removed sometime in September 2024, meaning it didn't last more than a month on the PS Store. The reason for the game's removal is unknown. Rummaging around online I have found some speculation as to why the game was removed. Firstly, it could be because the game contained stolen assets, which would have resulted in Sony stepping in and booting the game off the PS Store.

The other theory is that the developer was embarrassed by the poor reception the game received. The game currently sits with a user score of 1.61 out of 5 stars here on TrueTrophies. So, this is also a likely candidate for the game's removal. However, until the developer steps forward and says exactly why, all we can do is speculate.

It does get me wondering about what other games could have potentially left the PS Store without any of us ever noticing. Hopefully, this isn't a common occurrence and The Great Fleece is just a one-off situation. But, I will be keeping a closer eye on all the things that land on the PS Store, just in case this happens again.

The Great Fleece
The Great Fleece

Regardless, it's a shame to see something that was given to us for free being yanked away, unless of course it was warranted. However, while I really appreciate the game being given away and the simple trophies I earned along the way, I can safely say that anybody who has missed out on this game isn't missing much.

Did you guys notice the disappearance of this game? Or have you only just found out now? Are you happy to see it gone? No matter how you felt, you can't deny that if it had come with a platinum, The Great Fleece would have been on our easiest PlayStation platinums list. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Written by Sean Lawson
Staff Writer Sean focuses on the geekiest Sony news. He specializes in PlayStation trophies, the best PS Plus games, RPGs, and fighting games. Sean uses his years of experience to cover Dragon Age The Veilguard for PS5, all while he dives into his favorite game series like Mass Effect, Tomb Raider, and Persona.
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