While PlayStation Plus is typically required to play online multiplayer, with few notable exceptions, most free-to-play titles allow players to participate in online multiplayer matches without being a PlayStation Plus member. If you’re not sure which titles fall under this category, we’ve compiled a list of some of the finest online games you can play without having a PS Plus subscription. If you want to browse the full list of free-to-play titles available on the PS4 and PS5, Sony offers a section dedicated to it in its shop.
Though a PS5 version is in the works, backward compatibility allows Genshin Impact to be played on Sony’s latest machine. This fantasy role-playing game transports players to Teyvat, where elemental gods are revered. You wander the kingdom searching for answers after being separated from your twin by a mysterious god. On your quest, you’ll face a slew of exotic foes and uncover several mysteries.
Genshin Impact is an open-world game where you can explore seven different places, each based on an elemental god. Players can control up to four characters in a party, adding depth and dimension to the fight. The more tasks you complete, the higher your Adventure Rank rises, allowing you to access new quests and items. The creator employs a cache mechanism to monetize it if you want to try your luck at getting a rare character or resources.
Rocket League, a multiplayer combination of auto racing and soccer, debuted on PlayStation Plus six years ago and is still going strong, thanks in part to its transition to a free-to-play title. Rocket League is a fast-paced game that is fun to play with friends, and it is a mix of soccer and automobile action. What’s more, it enables cross-play between consoles and PC, so you may play with your pals regardless of the system they use. It also offers cross-platform progression if you decide to switch to PlayStation.
From Neo Tokyo to Salty Shores and the AquaDome, over a dozen arenas to choose from, each distinct appearance. Every hall is packed with boost pads, which provide players a short speed boost and potentially turn the game’s tide. It’s all about quick thinking and reflexes, and your car needs to keep up.
It’ll be difficult to find another battle royale with such flawless gunplay. Infinity Ward takes pride in this, having created many of the Modern Warfare entries. Unlike most battle royale games, Warzone allows for 150-player matches, with limited-time variants allowing for 200-player matches. As your map shrinks, you’ll have to fight to be the last person standing. Players who die can revive if they can take out another opponent in one-on-one combat, which is an interesting twist.
Give Call of Duty: Warzone a try if you’re looking for something different from the standard cartoony battle royales like Apex Legends and Fortnite. To play it on PS4 or PS5, you don’t even need a PS Plus subscription, which is a great bonus of the system with most free-to-play titles.
Monster Hunter meets Dauntless in this game. After a cataclysmic catastrophe destroys much of the Shattered Isles, players take on the role of Slayers, tasked with tracking down and killing Behemoths. These gigantic creatures have appeared as a result of the disaster. You’ll take on these enormous elemental animals with your comically large weapons to level up and gain new gear. Because some Behemoths are weak or resistant to specific factors, choosing the correct equipment for the right Behemoth is essential.
You can play it with friends, but you can also go on a solo trip if you want to play with others. Dauntless is also compatible with PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. You can’t go wrong with Dauntless if you like the feel of Monster Hunter coupled with the appearance of Fortnite.
Apex Legends is a battle royale set in the Titanfall universe to give Fortnite a run for its money. Whereas Fortnite pits you against 99 other players in a one-on-one battle, Apex Legends stresses teamwork. Teams of two to three players work together to eliminate the other groups, with the last team standing after the round winning. The hero characters in Apex Legends have different skills and gameplay principles, making for significantly more exciting match-ups than in other battle royale games.
There are tens of millions of players in Apex Legends, and you can join them right now. Since its introduction, it’s had numerous seasons of content, and developer Respawn has pledged to support it for the foreseeable future. So, if you’re not normally a fan of battle royale games, give Apex Legends a try, and you could be pleasantly surprised.
At this point, Fortnite should require little explanation. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular games in the world, and it has dominated most of the gaming news cycle for years since its release. Epic continues to provide new seasons of content, even though the game’s microtransactions are raking in cash.
Because of its cultural significance, Hollywood has taken notice. Cross-overs with major brands like The Avengers and Star Wars are common in Fortnite – remember when Palpatine’s transmission from The Rise of Skywalker was first heard in the game? Not only that, but the game also featured a movie directed by Christopher Nolan and a concert by rapper Travis Scott. If you don’t play Fortnite, you’re missing out on a lot.
Final Fantasy 14 is an unusual game. It’s not free to play, and at a certain level, you’ll need to pay a monthly subscription to continue playing. However, it is still an online multiplayer game that does not require PS Plus, which benefits those who don’t want to spend even more money on it. The iconic Final Fantasy MMO wasn’t universally liked when it originally started. Still, it’s come a long way since then and is much, much better now, with a major addition due to release soon that will take players to the moon.
In this epic narrative, you may expect a lot of Final Fantasy’s trademark oddities. Given that most of the games on our list are free-to-play, it’s acceptable if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, but we’d be negligent if we didn’t include it. Final Fantasy 14 is a fantastic game that you should play, and with the huge Endwalker addition set to release next week, there’s never been a better time to do so. Endwalker, like other features of Final Fantasy 14, will not be a free upgrade; instead, it will be a one-time payment that will give you access to the whole expansion.
