PlayStation FINALLY removes frustrating PC requirement...

THE fight between PlayStation and PC gamers over the unnecessary PSN requirement has been going on for almost a year. PlayStation-exclusive games often come to PC sometime after launch, but since May 2024, Sony has been asking PC players to sign up for a PlayStation account. Players were immediately furious for several reasons, the main one being that PSN is not available in many regions. This means people who had enjoyed PlayStation games on PC in the past, were no longer able to purchase and play new PlayStation games on their computers.

Image Credit: The Sun [Atreus holding Ratatoskr, a squirrel in armor, in God of War Ragnarök.]

It began with Helldivers 2, but Sony pulled back on the decision as thousands had already purchased and were enjoying the game. Ghost of Tsushima had begun accepting pre-orders before the PSN requirement was announced, and Sony had to refund a number of customers. Despite early missteps, PlayStation continued requiring a PSN account for its PC games, and it was implemented in games like Until Dawn, God of War Ragnarök, and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

Image Credit: The Sun [a spider man and venom are fighting in front of a scoreboard]

After almost a year of complaints from PC players, Sony has finally decided to remove the PSN requirement for PC games with new changes. The change currently affects Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, God of War Ragnarӧk, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which will be released on April 3. A blog post from PlayStation reads: “An account for PlayStation Network will become optional for these titles on PC.

Image Credit: The Sun [Horizon Zero Dawn™ Remastered_20241029135945]

“Players who still opt to sign into a PlayStation Network account will also enjoy added benefits like trophies and friend management.”. Instead of locking potential players without a PSN account out of playing, PlayStation has decided to include in-game rewards for those who choose to sign up. This includes costumes in Spider-Man 2, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Last of Us Part 2, and armour, resources and XP for God of War Ragnarӧk.

Players are hoping that the same policy will also affect PlayStation games going forward, and be enacted retroactively to already released PlayStation titles. Further changes have not been confirmed but would help bridge the gap between PlayStation and its PC playerbase. If you want to read more about PlayStation, check out how Forza Horizon 5 is now on PS5. PS5 hardware and game reviews from our team of expert reviewers.