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When Was For Honor Free on PS Plus?

For Honor first became free with PlayStation Plus back in February 2018 and has been offered for free a few times since for PS4 and PS5 players. As a multiplayer fighting game featuring knights, Vikings, and samurai warriors, For Honor provides intense and satisfying melee combat. So anytime it‘s included as part of the monthly PS Plus games lineup, it‘s an exciting chance for PlayStation owners to check out this brutal action title at no extra cost.

In this detailed guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about the times For Honor has been free with a PS Plus membership. I‘ll provide the exact dates, highlight what content was available, and explain what happens when the promotion ends. Whether you‘re a new PS Plus subscriber wondering how to take advantage of the deal or a lapsed player looking to get back into the game, this guide will get you up to speed!

A Quick Intro to For Honor for New Players

Before we dive into the PS Plus details, let me give you a quick overview of what For Honor is all about for anyone unfamiliar with the game. As a fellow gamer, I remember first being interested in the realistic melee combat For Honor offered when it was revealed back in 2015. It looked like a fresh take on multiplayer medieval warfare.

At its core, For Honor provides third-person action gameplay where you control warrior heroes from three factions: the Knights, Vikings, and Samurai. You can choose from 12 distinct character types across the factions like the Warden knight, Raider viking, and Orochi samurai. Each has their own unique weapons, abilities, and playstyles to master.

The main multiplayer component in For Honor features competitive team-based modes where groups battle to capture objectives on war-torn medieval maps. There are also several co-op modes to tackle with friends against AI opponents. For Honor originally launched with a Story Mode campaign too, which can be played solo or in online co-op.

Since its release in 2017, For Honor has seen constant updates, improvements, and new content added through 5 years of seasonal support. This includes new maps, heroes, cosmetic items, ranked modes, and in-game events. So while the core combat remains the same, there‘s a ton of variety and progression to keep players engaged.

Now let‘s get into the key details on when PS Plus members have been able to download and experience all this great content for free!

The First Time: February 2018

PlayStation Plus subscribers first got a chance to download For Honor at no cost in February 2018 as part of that month‘s PS Plus monthly games lineup.

This was almost exactly one year after For Honor first launched in February 2017. So offering it for free generated a lot of buzz and gave PS4 owners a great opportunity to check out the game after it had gone through a year‘s worth of tweaks and additions.

At this point, For Honor had seen the release of 6 new DLC heroes and several maps and modes added to the multiplayer since launch. The inclusion with PS Plus marked the release of a dedicated servers patch as well that improved connectivity and matchmaking issues.

So PS Plus members in February 2018 got the complete base game with the Story Mode campaign and all multiplayer content released up until that point. This allowed players to fully experience For Honor‘s selection of 12 launch heroes across the Knight, Viking, and Samurai factions.

All additional content would need to be purchased separately. But the PS Plus version gave you hundreds of hours of content for free including the rich Story Mode that really fleshes out the game‘s medieval fantasy setting and lore.

The Starter Edition: June 2019

The next time For Honor joined the monthly PS Plus free games selection was in June 2019. However, this time PS Plus members got the For Honor Starter Edition rather than the full base game.

The Starter Edition provides a more limited, streamlined version perfect for new players looking to try out For Honor‘s combat system. This edition allowed you to play as 3 fully unlocked heroes out of a starter pool of 6 playable characters.

So you could get a taste of different hero styles from the Vanguard, Heavy, Assassin, and Hybrid class types. But access to the other 6 original heroes as well as all post-release characters required purchasing the full game.

The Starter Edition did still provide unlimited access to For Honor‘s multiplayer modes including the large-scale Dominion mode. However,Story Mode and any co-op modes were not included.

So while not as robust as the full edition offered the previous year, this free Starter Edition in June 2019 was great for PS Plus members curious about the gameplay to try it out before committing to unlocking additional content. And any progression earned carried over if you decided later to upgrade to the complete version.

Back to the Full Edition: February 2021

In February 2021, For Honor once again joined PS Plus as one of the monthly free games, this time returning to the full-featured base version.

For Honor had just released its Year 5 update, so offering the complete edition free to PS Plus members was excellent timing. This update included a new battle pass system, UI improvements, and better progression for new players.

The full game included with PS Plus had all the original heroes, maps, modes, and the Story Mode campaign. Members could also experience additions made over the previous years like the Wu Lin hero faction.

Existing players on PS4 could upgrade to the Year 5 edition for free too and gain early access to the next new hero. So February 2021 was a great chance for both new and returning PlayStation players to jump back into For Honor and check out big changes like the new battle pass.

Most Recent: July 2022

The most recent promotion came just last year in July 2022 when the revised PlayStation Plus launched. To celebrate the new tiers, Sony offered the full edition of For Honor as one of the free monthly games for Essential tier subscribers.

This meant PS4 and PS5 owners could once again download the complete For Honor experience as part of their PlayStation Plus membership. And with cross-generation play enabled, the timing aligned perfectly with the release of new-generation console editions earlier that year.

For Honor received a dedicated next-gen upgrade on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in March 2022 that added 4K resolution, enhanced textures, better frame rates, and faster load times.

So PS Plus members in July 2022 got the best performing version yet on PlayStation 5. The free period also coincided with the launch of For Honor‘s Year 7 Season 2 content update that brought a new pirate hero and map.

What Happens When the Free Period Ends?

A common question is what happens if you download For Honor during a free PlayStation Plus period? The good news is that like any PS Plus monthly game, For Honor is yours to keep permanently once claimed. It remains tied to your PSN account just like purchased games.

You can play For Honor offline indefinitely and have unlimited access to all single player modes and content. However, an active PS Plus membership becomes required to play online and access any multiplayer functionality once the free promo ends.

So while you can enjoy For Honor‘s story campaign solo after downloading it for free, you will need an active PS Plus sub to battle against others online and progress.

But any progression you make during the free periods including hero levels, customization unlocks etc. will carry over if you do choose to subscribe to PS Plus later to keep playing online. You won‘t lose anything earned during the free promotions.

Will For Honor Be Free Again in The Future?

Given For Honor has now been offered for free four times over the past five years, what are the chances it could be a PS Plus monthly game again in the future?

Based on the previous trend, it does seem likely For Honor could be included again at some point. Often Sony adds popular titles every few years to give new members a chance to download them.

For example, other Ubisoft games like The Division 2 and Watch Dogs 2 have been PS Plus monthly titles multiple times. So whenever For Honor receives a major update or new content season, I would keep an eye out for it possibly joining PS Plus again.

For now, all we can do is speculate until Sony confirms the official PS Plus Monthly Games lineup each month. But based on the current pattern, For Honor returning as a free PS Plus game sometime in the next year or two seems like a strong possibility!

Key Takeaways:

  • For Honor has been offered for free with PS Plus four times now – in February 2018, June 2019, February 2021, and most recently July 2022.

  • The free periods have provided the full base game, a Starter Edition, and Year 5 updated versions over the years.

  • Players who claim For Honor via PS Plus keep it permanently but need an active subscription for online multiplayer access after promotion ends.

  • Given its inclusion every couple years so far, For Honor could likely be a PS Plus monthly game again soon when major updates release.

So for PlayStation fans interested in trying out For Honor‘s unique take on competitive medieval combat, be sure to add it to your library next time it‘s featured free with PS Plus! The free periods offer a great risk-free way to check out this brutal but satisfying multiplayer action title.

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Michael

Michael Reddy is a tech enthusiast, entertainment buff, and avid traveler who loves exploring Linux and sharing unique insights with readers.