A free PS5 and PS4 online multiplayer session is happening this weekend

Battlefield 2042
(Image credit: EA)

For PS4 and PS5 games with a heavy emphasis on online multiplayer, such as Battlefield 2042 and Call of Duty, there's almost no point playing them without a PS Plus subscription, which is required to access the online multiplayer. For this weekend, however, that won't be the case.

Perhaps as an early Christmas present, Sony is holding a free online multiplayer weekend from December 18 at 12:01am to December 19 at 12:69pm local time allowing players without a PS Plus membership to jump into online games for a limited time.

Sony hasn't confirmed f any games will be omitted from the free weekend, so it's safe to assume that it will apply to all of them. Some examples Sony itself shares are Call of Duty: Vanguard, Grand Theft Auto 5, and NBA 2K22.

The benefits of PS Plus

Obviously, the intention here is to encourage new users to invest in a PS Plus subscription once the free weekend ends. But online multiplayer isn't the only thing a PS Plus membership offers to PlayStation owners.

Aside from exclusive discounts on select games, one of PS Plus's biggest draws is that it lets subscribers download a selection of free games every month. For December, the line-up includes action-RPG Mortal Shell, Lego DC Super-Villains, and Godfall: Challenger Edition.

Possibly the best part is specifically for PS5 owners and that's the PS Plus Collection. This is a bundle containing some of the PS4's greatest titles, such as Uncharted 4, God of War, and Persona 5.

PS Plus is well worth getting, then, but if you're still unsure then this free weekend is the perfect opportunity to get a taste of what Sony's subscription service has to offer.

Michael Beckwith

Michael is a freelance writer with bylines at the Metro, TechRaptor, and Game Rant. A Computer Games Design and Creative Writing graduate, he's been passionate about video games since the Game Boy Color, particularly Nintendo games, with Xenoblade Chronicles being his favorite game ever. Despite everything, he's still a Sonic the Hedgehog fan.