Unlike with PS3, most PS4 and PS5 games require PlayStation Plus if users want to play online multiplayer. Many players wonder whether free-to-play games require PS Plus as well. After all, if they do, they’re not very free to play, are they?
Do free-to-play games require a PS Plus subscription on PS4 and PS5?
Most free-to-play games on PS4 and PS5 don’t require users to have a PlayStation Plus account to play online multiplayer. This isn’t necessarily a universal rule, though, so those who want to play free-to-play games online on Sony consoles should double-check that they can do so without PS Plus. On the flip side, almost every paid game requires a PS Plus membership to play multiplayer online. But, again, this isn’t a hard rule.
Here’s a list of some of the free-to-play games users can play online multiplayer in without a PlayStation Plus subscription:
- Apex Legends
- Brawlhalla
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Dauntless
- DC Universe Online
- Fortnite
- Genshin Impact
- Hawken
- Hyperscape
- Neverwinter
- Paladins
- Rocket League
- Rogue Company
- Smite
- Spellbreak
- Star Trek Online
- Star Wars: The Old Republic
- Warframe
Alternatively, at least one paid game, Final Fantasy XIV, can be played online without a PS Plus membership.
Sony charges for its online services because it does cost money to maintain the technology and hardware needed to power multiplayer over the internet. Those wanting to play multiplayer online have had to have a PS Plus membership to do so since the launch of the PS4 in 2013.
However, that’s not the case with the PS3. Players can still access online multiplayer for free on PS3 regardless of the game. One of the big advantages of that console over the Xbox 360, and one that was used in marketing, was that Microsoft required Xbox Live Gold for multiplayer. Unfortunately, that changed, and now even Nintendo charges for multiplayer.
