All PlayStation Games You Can Play Online Without PS Plus

I recently discovered that you have to buy a PS Plus subscription to play many PlayStation games online. I have been a PC gamer all my life, so I didn’t know this was what PlayStation owners had to deal with. Fortunately, I found out there are many free online games that my friends and I could play online even without a PS Plus subscription.

This conundrum started when my friends and I decided to play some cross-platform games together. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a PS Plus subscription so they couldn’t play the game we originally planned. Even if they paid for the game, they would need a PS Plus subscription to play it online.

Table of Contents

Free games to play online without PS Plus?

These are the most downloaded free-to-play online games that can be played without a PS Plus subscription. You can also check out the complete list of all free-to-play games from the PlayStation website.

Apex Legends
Auto Chess
Brawlhalla
Call of Duty: Warzone
Dauntless
Destiny 2 (No matchmade activities)
DC Universe Online
Enlisted
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Final Fantasy XIV
FISHING PLANET
Fortnite
Genshin Impact
H1Z1 Battle Royale
Hawken
Hyperscape
MultiVersus
Neverwinter
Paladins
Path of Exile
Realm Royale Reforged
Rec Room
Rocket League
Rogue Company
Rumbleverse
Smite
Spellbreak
Splitgate
Star Trek Online
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt
Vigor
Warface
Warframe
War Thunder
World of Tanks

Why Does Sony Charge for Online Services?

The reason console manufacturers charge for online services is to maintain the technology needed to power the multiplayer side of the platform. However, it seemed odd to me as Sony was already taking around a 30% cut from developers for selling a game on PlayStation.

This 30% cut is called the platform royalty and should rightly include all services necessary for the proper functioning of the game. However, all it does is make sure that PlayStation users have no other than to buy a PS Plus subscription.

Considering Sony is also the only platform to charge for cross-play, it is pretty predatory for consumers. However, a few free-to-play games can be played without a PS Plus subscription. These games likely pay a sizable sum to Sony for their online services.

So make sure to check out these amazing games and support the developers if you can.