Hey friend! If you‘re a PlayStation fan looking to enjoy online multiplayer and other benefits without paying for PS Plus, this guide will highlight some ways you can access PlayStation Plus for free depending on your country.
The only region where new users can currently try out a free PS Plus trial is the United Kingdom. UK PlayStation users have exclusive access to a 7-day free PS Plus trial as of November 2022.
For PlayStation fans in other countries, the options are more limited but you can still find opportunities to enjoy free PS Plus benefits through promotional offers, rewards programs, and free multiplayer events. Or if you have a PS5, you may unlock the PS Plus Collection perk in select regions.
Let me walk you through a detailed overview of PlayStation Plus, its membership tiers and pricing, followed by countries where you can find free access. I‘ll also share some tips on how to maximize your chances of getting PS Plus for free. Sound good? Then let‘s get started!
What is PlayStation Plus?
In case you‘re new to PlayStation, PS Plus is Sony‘s premium subscription service that unlocks a bunch of useful benefits, including:
- Online multiplayer access for 100+ popular games
- 2-3 free games to download each month
- Exclusive discounts on the PlayStation Store
- 100GB of cloud storage for saved games
- Share Play feature to remotely try friend‘s games
- Early access to new game demos and trials
It used to be that PS Plus was only needed for online multiplayer gaming on PlayStation. But over the years, Sony has expanded it into an all-encompassing membership program with free games, discounts and more as recurring perks.
PlayStation Plus has now been restructured into three membership tiers offering different benefits at varied pricing:
PlayStation Plus Essential
This base tier provides the core benefits like:
- Online multiplayer access
- Monthly free games
- Exclusive discounts
- Cloud storage
- Price: $9.99 monthly, $24.99 quarterly, or $59.99 annually
PlayStation Plus Extra
A middle tier with all Essential benefits plus:
- Game catalog of 400+ PS4 and PS5 game downloads
- Price: $14.99 monthly, $39.99 quarterly, $99.99 annually
PlayStation Plus Premium
The top tier has all Extra benefits plus:
- Game streaming access for original PlayStation, PS2, PSP and PS4 games
- 340+ additional classic games from the above consoles
- Game trials with timed demos of new releases
- Price: $17.99 monthly, $49.99 quarterly, $119.99 annually
So the more you pay, the more benefits you unlock! But PlayStation Plus Essential is sufficient for online multiplayer and monthly free games.
In which countries can you get PlayStation Plus for free?
Now that you know what PlayStation Plus offers across its membership tiers, let‘s talk about how to access these benefits for free depending on where you are located.
United Kingdom
As mentioned earlier, UK PlayStation users have exclusive access to a free 7-day PlayStation Plus trial as of November 2022. This allows new PS Plus subscribers in the UK to experience benefits like online multiplayer, free monthly games, exclusive discounts and more without paying anything for an entire week.
So if you are in the UK and haven‘t tried PS Plus before, take advantage of this free trial offer. Simply visit the PlayStation Store from your PS4 or PS5, go to the PS Plus section and select the free trial. You‘ll get full access for 7 days and can then decide whether to continue with a paid membership.
However, this free PS Plus trial is strictly limited to new members in the UK. Existing subscribers or players in other countries cannot access it. There‘s no word on if or when it might expand to other regions.
Promotional Offers
While the UK has an ongoing free trial, PlayStation fans in other countries need to depend on promotional offers to get free PS Plus access.
Sony occasionally provides targeted free PS Plus membership codes and vouchers via emails, social media giveaways, PSN messages or contests. The purpose is to encourage new signups or win back lapsed members.
For instance, if you are a former PS Plus subscriber who didn‘t renew, you may receive promo codes from Sony enticing you to rejoin with free months. Or if you buy a new PS5, you might find PS Plus trial codes included with the console as part of a holiday deal.
My advice is to regularly check your PSN notifications and social media channels for any free PS Plus offers targeted towards you. Act quickly to redeem them before the codes expire!
Asia Rewards Programs
Certain regions in Asia like Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong sometimes offer free PlayStation Plus membership as redemption options in their rewards programs.
For example, Sony Taiwan ran a promotion where buyers of Bravia TVs and other Sony products would receive points. These points could then be redeemed for free 1-month and 3-month PlayStation Plus gift cards.
So if you reside in Asia, look out for any similar rewards programs that allow earning and redeeming points for free PS Plus membership codes. This is an avenue rarely available in other countries.
PlayStation Plus Collection (Select Countries)
This is a special perk available exclusively for PS5 owners in 19 countries including Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. It provides access to a curated library of 20 popular PS4 games as part of PS Plus at no extra cost.
So PS5 owners in eligible regions get this instant game collection with just the base PS Plus Essential membership. It adds tremendous value without paying anything extra.
Free Multiplayer Events
Occasionally, Sony offers free access to online multiplayer in major games for a limited period, even for non-PS Plus members.
For example, they unlocked multiplayer in Call of Duty: Vanguard and FIFA 22 for free days or weekends to allow PlayStation gamers to try out the experiences. More recently, the UEFA Champions League Final had a free Apex Legends multiplayer weekend.
So watch the PlayStation Store for these free multiplayer events or trial weekends that don‘t require PS Plus. They are infrequent but let you enjoy online gaming with friends for free.
How can you maximize your chances of getting free PlayStation Plus?
While free PlayStation Plus access is limited for most countries, here are some tips to maximize your chances:
New UK users should definitely try the 7-day free PS Plus trial.
Set notifications ON for PlayStation promotional emails and PSN messages. Claim any free PS Plus codes sent to you ASAP.
Follow PlayStation social media for giveaways and contests with PS Plus membership as prizes.
Buy a PS5 in eligible regions to unlock the PlayStation Plus games collection.
Check PlayStation Store for occasional free multiplayer events open to everyone.
Buy discounted PS Plus membership cards on Amazon or other stores to lower the effective yearly cost.
Use credit card rewards like points or statement credits to purchase PS Plus membership.
Team up with friends and family to share a PS Plus family subscription plan and split the yearly costs.
With some luck and the right approach, you can definitely minimize the amount you spend on PS Plus!
Can you use free PlayStation Plus in another country?
Unfortunately, your PS Plus membership is region locked and tied to your local PlayStation Network account.
Sony restricts cross-region usage to block people using cheaper PS Plus codes from other countries.
But there are couple of workarounds you can try:
Create a new PSN account for that region and switch between them to access region-specific free trials or offers.
Use a VPN to mask your IP and location to another country, and then try redeeming their free PS Plus codes.
However, constantly juggling multiple accounts or turning VPNs ON/OFF can be cumbersome. Also, if Sony detects suspicious activity, they can ban such accounts for Terms of Service violations.
So while possible to try, I don‘t really recommend abusing region-hopping just to access free PS Plus from other countries. It‘s easier and safer to just take advantage of whatever free offers are available in your own country.
What are the key free games and perks that PlayStation Plus provides?
Let‘s do a quick rundown of some of the coolest freebies and savings that PS Plus provides across its membership tiers:
Monthly Free Games
- You get 2-3 free games each month across PS4 and PS5
- Sony tries to offer variety – big AAA games, indie hits, co-op titles etc.
- Recent giveaways include God of War, GTA V, NBA 2K22 and more
- Games are yours to keep forever even if membership expires
400+ Free Game Catalog
- Hundreds of PS4 and PS5 games free to download for Extra & Premium tiers
- Big hits like Spider-Man, Death Stranding Director‘s Cut, Demon‘s Souls etc.
- New titles added periodically to refresh the catalog
- Can play as long as your membership is active
Exclusive Discounts
- PS Plus members save extra with exclusive store discounts
- Average additional 10-20% savings on seasonal sales and games
- Higher membership tiers get better discount percentages
Free Online Multiplayer
- 100+ popular multiplayer games like Fortnite, Apex Legends etc. don‘t require PS Plus
- Limited free multiplayer access during trial weekends
Game Trials & Demos
- Timed access to new game demos before release to try out
- Upcoming hits like God of War: Ragnarok offered early trials
- Included as part of PlayStation Plus Premium catalog
Share Play
- Remotely share your games with PS Plus friends
- They can watch you play or even try it out with Share Play
- Play co-op multiplayer together despite owning only one copy
With smart usage, the savings from free monthly games, exclusive discounts and other perks basically pay for the PS Plus membership fee.
What are the limitations to keep in mind?
While it‘s great that occasional free access to PlayStation Plus is possible in some regions and scenarios, there are a few limitations to keep in mind:
Free trials are often limited to new members only, with varying durations across countries.
Promotional offers are unpredictable, restricted in number, and expire within days or weeks typically.
Free multiplayer weekend events only unlock a few major games for limited periods.
The free monthly games library is no longer accessible if your membership expires.
Ongoing access to most PS Plus benefits like game catalogs, better discounts, Share Play etc. needs an active paid subscription.
Trying to abuse VPNs or region-hopping just for free games could get your PSN account banned by Sony.
So while you can definitely enjoy free PS Plus benefits at times, a paid membership is recommended for reliable long-term access. Think of the free offers as a chance to trial PS Plus and taste some of the perks!
Conclusion
Hope this detailed guide gave you a good overview of how to access free PlayStation Plus in different countries! Here are some key takeaways:
New UK PlayStation users have access to an exclusive free PS Plus 7-day trial.
Limited time free PS Plus offers are available via promotions and rewards programs in Asia.
PlayStation 5 owners in select countries can unlock a collection of 20 free PS4 games.
Occasional free multiplayer weekends provide temporary access to online gaming.
Regularly check for emailed PS Plus promo codes and PSN notifications of free offers.
Discount cards and credit card rewards can help lower the effective yearly cost.
While short-term free access is possible in some scenarios, an active paid subscription is recommended to enjoy the full range of PlayStation Plus benefits.
So depending on your region, take advantage of the occasional free PlayStation Plus trials and offers. For uninterrupted access to great benefits like free monthly games, online multiplayer and exclusive discounts, the paid membership is totally worth it for serious PlayStation fans!
