Play PlayStation Without PlayStation Plus? (PS4, PS5 check)


Most gaming companies require you to have an online account or pay for a subscription to get the best experience from your gaming console. Therefore, whether you can play PlayStation without PlayStation Plus or not, I understand it is a matter of concern that requires your attention.

So, can you play PlayStation without PlayStation Plus? It is possible to play single-player games without PlayStation plus. However, for you to play online and multiplayer games, you will need a PS Plus account. A PS Plus account enables you to get the most out of your account by enhancing what you can access on your free account. You can purchase this subscription if you live in a country with access to the PS store.

Most gamers do not like paying for the PlayStation Plus subscription, as it may not be affordable for some in the long run. This explains why manufacturers develop different packages to suit their clients’ varying needs. For instance, to maintain their clients, Sony ensures they can access certain games on PlayStation at different levels of subscription.

You can play some games without the PlayStation Plus subscription, but you will have some limitations. Generally, the games you can freely access are single-player games, but, even then, you might not access single-player games whose multiplayer feature is dominant. You will also access your downloaded games and play offline.

The limited access to multiplayer games implies that you will not play with friends or family members. However, you will still access games for free on other platforms that you can play online without this subscription.

Among the games you can access and play without the PS Plus subscription include Call of Duty, Fortnite, Warzone, and Apex Legends, among others. These games are accessible as long as you have a stable internet connection. Without this subscription, you will be able to access your PlayStation account and buy and download games from the PlayStation Store. You can then play these games while offline.

Alternatively, you may opt to pay for games and access them without a subscription. This option will work best if you want specific games. Among the games you can access with this option include Final Fantasy XIV, which costs $59.99. You will also access its full online content and play with your friends or family. However, you may still experience some limitations regarding the features you can access for this game without a subscription.

While you may want to use your PlayStation without paying the subscription fee, it is worth understanding the benefits of this subscription before making up your mind. First, with a PS Plus subscription, you can play any multiplayer game that you want. The subscription offers you up to two free games monthly and online multiplayer games.

As a member, you will also access up to 100GB in storage and enjoy several discounts on the games you play. Finally, you will also access member benefits regardless of the PS4 system you sign into, and other users that use your primary PS4 console can also access multiplayer games online.

If you live outside Germany and are between seven and eighteen years old, then you will also enjoy the benefits of a PS subscription. However, before you can do this, you will need consent from your guardian. Also, you should note that the auto funding option will not work in your account.

This means that to continue with your subscriptions, your guardian will fund your wallet, and you should operate within the limits they set for you. You will also access services and content depending on your age, and you will be free to cancel your subscription if you wish to at any time you deem convenient.

In order to cater to the needs of individuals that are yet to make up their minds concerning the PS Plus subscription, Sony offers a free 14days trial for all its new members. During this period, you will have access to all the games in the subscription, enabling you to know whether this is a worthwhile investment. After the expiry of this period, the subscription will roll automatically, but you can cancel it before the fourteen days expire to prevent deductions from your wallet.

During the initial sign up into the 14-day free trial, you will provide your payment details and switch on the Fund wallet option. This ensures that when your subscription falls due, and there is not enough money in your wallet, the system can utilize the payment method in your account to boost your wallet and ensure payment of the subscription. The system will also save these details, but you can delete them if you wish to.

You can also turn off the automatic funding by going to your Wallet settings in your account. If you are an old member, you are not eligible for the free trial as it is a one-time opportunity. However, if you are a new member but cannot access the free trial, you should check your transaction history and if there are no membership records, then contact the support team for assistance.

After the expiry of the 14-day free trial, you have an option of quitting or continuing with the subscription. If you choose to continue, you do not need to adjust any settings on your account, as the system will automatically bill you. On the other hand, if you choose a different plan other than monthly, say annually or quarterly, visit your PS store and make your purchase.

This purchase should be within 24hours or less before the expiry of your free trial. Afterward, your free trial will roll into either an annual or monthly plan and bill appropriately. If you are tired of the subscription and want to cancel, you can do so within 24hours before the end of your trial, and you will not receive extra charges.

Can You Buy and Download Games on PS4 Without PlayStation Plus?

The gaming industry is slowly shifting from physical to digital game releases. To access and play digital games, you need to download them first; hence, you need to understand how your PS4 works and whether you need a subscription or not to do this.

If you want to download games on your PS4, it is possible to do this without a PlayStation Plus subscription. In this case, all you will need is a free PSN account, a PSN card, and your credit card. However, a PS Plus subscription is a plus as you will get free downloads every month. However, you should note that once your subscription expires, you will not play these games.

To download a game from your PlayStation Store, you will first log in to your account, and on your home screen, scroll to the app and open it. Next, select the game you are interested in and press X. This action will open a window with the game information and its price where applicable. You will then select Add to Cart and press X.

If the game is free or you have already settled the payment, you will see Download instead of Add to Cart. You should select the appropriate option and check out. From here, you will enter your payment details if you had not saved them earlier and confirm the purchase. On the window that pops up, select Download and press X.

If you purchase a game and do not install it, it will appear in the library, and you will need to download it from here to play. To do this, go to your home screen and scroll to the library app, then press X to open. Next, navigate to the purchased tab and press X. Afterward, go through the list and select the game you want to download, and the download will automatically start.

While downloading the games from the store or library, wait until the download and installation are over before you can play the game. The duration of the download and installation will vary depending on your internet speed and the size of the game. A big game will take a longer time to download than a smaller one. This explains why you should also have enough space in your SSD card before downloading a game.

Can You Buy and Download Games on PS5 Without PlayStation Plus?

The PS5, which is the latest Sony console, comes with various games and improvements, not to mention its advanced hardware aimed at taking your gaming to the next level. Therefore, whether you can buy or download games on your PS5 without PlayStation plus is a concern that most gamers want to be addressed.

Like in PS4, you will only need a PlayStation Network account to buy and download games on your PS5. This implies that a PlayStation Plus account will be necessary to get extra games and access to multiplayer games on your PS5. Besides your PSN account, other things you will need are your credit card and PSN card, useful in purchasing the games you are interested in.

Creating a PSN account enables you to access the PlayStation Store, which has free to play games. By free to play, I mean that you can download the game from the store for free, though there may be some micropayments. To download these games, start by powering on your PS5 and log in to your PSN account.

On your Main Menu, access the Store and navigate to the Free Section. You will see a list of games displayed in a window. You can filter this list in alphabetical order and download the games you want. Among the games you will see in this list include Warzone, Fortnite and Apex Legends.

In addition to downloading games from the PS Store, you can enjoy the Gameshare feature on your PS5. This feature, like in PS4, enables you to play digital games with your friends and family on your console. You can also share your PS Plus subscription with this feature. To set up Gameshare, you will need to sign in to your PSN account. From here, go to Settings and select Accounts and Users. You will see a list of options, and you should select Offline Play and Console Sharing. If you see a text saying you don’t have an enabled PS5, you are good to go. In the next step, you will link to a different account to allow Gamesharing.

Start by signing in to your secondary PSN account, which contains the digital games you want to access. To do this, click on your profile picture and hit the Switch User tab. On the menu that opens, click Add User and then get started.

You will need the secondary account email and password to complete these steps. In the secondary account, go to the settings, and on the Offline Play and Console Sharing, select Enable when it says you do not have a PS5 enabled. This action will turn on the Gameshare, and you can access the games from the main account.

In order to access games from the secondary account, you will need to sign in first and download them. Thereafter, you can switch to the main account and play the games. To do this, you need an internet connection. Also, you will get additional benefits, including access to the PS Plus benefits such as free games.

Despite being advanced than PS4, the PS5 download speed seems to be more or less the same. This is a problem to most players given the current criticism on Sony’s console’s download speeds. The slowness is attributed to the PSF inheriting some technologies from PS4, but this is subject to confirmation.

Finally

Sony endeavors that all its clients can enjoy variety even without a PS Plus subscription. This implies that gamers can buy and download games from the PS Store using their PSN account. However, this option is limiting as gamers can only play and access single-player games. This means that they will not play multiplayer games with their friends and families until they pay their subscription.

Finally, while you can access certain games without a PS Plus subscription, this feature is worth considering given its benefits such as discounts, free games, and Gamesharing. The good news is that if you are tired of the subscription, you can cancel it anytime, and Sony will stop auto-billing your wallet.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is a technology expert based in the UK, with experience across a number of technology areas from phones, tablets, computers to gaming.

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