PlayStation users will soon be able to play their owned premium games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, EA Sports FC 26, and many more, online without an active PS Plus subscription, but only for a limited time. While it is a necessity for PS4 and PS5 owners to be subscribed to PS Plus to jump into online multiplayer for any game that isn’t free-to-play, PlayStation has now announced that it will make the benefit available to everyone this weekend, even if they don’t currently have an active subscription.
PS Plus was first introduced in the latter half of the PlayStation 3’s life cycle, and has been a prominent service for the company ever since. While it has evolved massively in recent years, the current iteration is separated into three tiers: Essential, Extra, and Premium. The former of the bunch is the basic subscription, priced at $9.99 USD per month and granting players access to online multiplayer, cloud storage, and free games each month. Extra and Premium PS Plus subscribers also receive the same benefits, but with even more stacked on top. The standout feature for the higher tiers is the Game Catalog, which works similarly to Xbox Game Pass, giving users a wide variety of games to play without any additional purchases.
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As spotted by Push Square, PlayStation is running a free online multiplayer weekend from Saturday, December 6, until Sunday, December 7, giving those without an active PS Plus subscription the chance to play their premium games online. For those who are unaware, purchasing titles such as Call of Duty or EA Sports FC, among many others, does not entitle owners to play them online unless they have an active subscription to PlayStation Plus. This doesn’t apply to PC players, but it does work the same for Xbox users, too, as they are required to be subscribed to Xbox Game Pass. Free-to-play titles such as Apex Legends or Fortnite, for example, can be played online without a subscription.
Five PS4 and PS5 Multiplayer Games to Play This Weekend
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (PS4, PS5)
- EA Sports FC 26 (PS4, PS5)
- Grand Theft Auto Online (PS4, PS5)
- ARC Raiders (PS5)
- Elden Ring Nightreign (PS4, PS5)
For those who have a backlog of online multiplayer games but no subscription to PlayStation Plus, this weekend will be the perfect time to check them out. Of course, this limited-time offer still requires users to actually own the game they want to play online. But with some heavy hitters closing out the year, as well as some classics still going strong, there’s plenty to play. The latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 7, launched on November 14, with fans once again praising the fast-paced multiplayer. For those looking for something a little different, ARC Raiders has taken the world by storm over the last few weeks. Developed by The Finals studio Embark, this third-person extraction shooter is the perfect title to play with friends this weekend.
Those who have been PlayStation fans for a while now likely won’t be surprised by this limited-time promotion, as PS Plus hosts free weekends around the same time every year. Although the company has never stated how successful they are, it’s clear that the intention is to incentivise users to subscribe to the service once the weekend comes to a close. But one thing fans should be aware of is that this does not give them access to PS Plus in its entirety, meaning the game catalog, monthly free games, cloud storage, and other benefits are still locked behind the service.
Should users end up purchasing a subscription to PS Plus after this weekend’s free online multiplayer event, there’s plenty of other great perks available. December has been a huge month for the service, as PlayStation surprised fans with five free games for the month. While all subscribers usually receive three games per month (which can be kept forever as long as the user has an active PS Plus subscription), PlayStation opted to celebrate the holiday season with two extra titles. From now until January 6, PS Plus users can claim Killing Floor 3, LEGO Horizon Adventures, Neon White, Synduality: Echo of Ada, and The Outlast Trials.
