PS5 and PS4: free multiplayer on the weekend without PlayStation Plus to celebrate Valentine's Day

PS5 and PS4: free multiplayer on the weekend without PlayStation Plus to celebrate Valentine's Day

PS5 and PS4

On the occasion of Valentine's Day, Sony announced that this weekend PS5 and PS4 players will be able to play multiplayer online for free, therefore without a PlayStation Plus subscription.

The new "Free Online Multiplayer Weekend" will be active from Saturday 12 February until Monday 14 February included, in practice for 72 hours.

The news was announced on Twitter from the profile official PlayStation. Basically during this free multiplayer weekend, you'll be able to access multiplayer modes and all the online features of PS4 and PS5 games that would normally require a PS Plus membership, such as FIFA 22, Call of Duty: Vanguard and Back 4 Blood. >

If at the end of the free period you want to continue playing multiplayer on PS5 and PS4, obviously you will need to subscribe to PlayStation Plus. The service allows you to access the online multiplayer functions, free monthly games (here the line -up of February 2022) and exclusive discounts.

However, we specify that the subscription to the service is not necessary for all the online functions of PS5 and PS4, for free-to-play games such as Apex Legends and Fortnite, or for specific titles, such as Final Fantasy 14 which has a separate monthly fee.

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Sony updates Horizon Forbidden West’s PS4 page, confirming its free PS5 update

Sony has updated the PlayStation Store page for the PS4 version of Horizon Forbidden West to make it clearer that it’s a cheaper way to get the PS5 version.


With around a week until the Guerrilla sequel’s February 18 release, many PS5 users will have pre-ordered the game via the console’s built-in store.


However, as we reported earlier this week, it’s not the cheapest place to buy the game.


When purchased through a PS5 console, users were only given the option to purchase the PS5 version of the game for £69.99 / $69.99 or the Digital Deluxe Edition for £79.99 / $79.99.

Horizon Forbidden West - story trailer

However, by visiting the PlayStation store on either a PS4 console or a web browser, players could access the PS4 version, which only costs £59.99 / $69.99.


Sony had previously said the PS4 version would come with a free upgrade to the PS5 version, but this wasn’t listed in the store page for the PS4 version.


This has now changed, and the PS4 version now explicitly states that it comes with a free upgrade to the PS5 version.


As such, PS5 owners should buy the PS4 game through the PlayStation Store website and use that to upgrade to the PS5 version for free, saving £10 / $10.

Sony updates Horizon Forbidden West’s PS4 page, confirming its free PS5 upgradeThe updated page on the web browser version of the PlayStation Store clearly states that the PS4 version comes with a free upgrade to the PS5 version

The reason for this anomaly is likely due to Sony’s original plan to make it impossible to upgrade from the PS4 version to the PS5 version.


Previously, players who purchased the £59.99 / $59.99 PS4 version would only receive that version, and players who purchased the £69.99 / $69.99 PS5 version would only get that one.


However, this resulted in backlash from players who cited Sony’s pledge to offer free upgrades for its launch window cross-gen games, including Horizon Forbidden West, a pledge which was made before the game was delayed to beyond the launch window.


A few days after stating that there would be no free upgrade from the PS4 to the PS5 version, Sony performed a U-turn, with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan stating that Horizon would indeed include a free upgrade.


Since the PS4 and PS5 versions had already been added to the PlayStation Store, this has resulted in a strange situation with a $60 product and a $70 product both offering the same thing.


Going forward, all cross-gen first-party games, including God of War’s sequel and Gran Turismo 7, will carry a $10 upgrade fee, Ryan said.

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