PSN Account To Be "Optional" For Some PlayStation Games Available On PC

2024 was a challenging year for Sony as a few exclusive games were released on PC via Epic Games Store and Steam; however, they generated controversy over their PlayStation Network (PSN) requirement. Helldivers 2 was one such game that ruffled the feathers of many players, which saw the game being review-bombed over the requirement, while Ghost of Tsushima's multiplayer component asked for a PSN account as a requirement.

Sony has now addressed the PSN requirement situation in a PlayStation Blog post published this week, which saw them roll back on its rigid requirement. As such, they outlined this requirement for two upcoming PS5 games slated to launch on PC this year, along with some incentives for those who sign up for a PSN account.

Sony Interactive Entertainment's (SIE) SVP Head of Publishing, Asad Qizilbash, fully stated Sony's position on the PSN requirement for PS5 games coming to PC this year. The games in question are Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and The Last of Us Part II Remastered, for which Qizilbash confirmed that the PSN account requirement will be "optional" upon their release.

Additionally, two other PS5 games available on PC via Epic Games Store and Steam, God of War Ragnarök and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, will also have that "optional" PSN requirement Qizilbash confirmed. "An account for PlayStation Network will become optional for these titles on PC," but those "who still opt to sign into a PlayStation Network account will also enjoy added benefits like trophies and friend management."

However, there are additional benefits that players can unlock by signing up and linking their PSN account to either the Epic Games Store or Steam in-game. Players can gain access early to the Armor of the Black Bear set for Kratos available through the "first Lost Items chest in the Realm Between Realms" and a "resource bundle" rewarding them with 500 Hacksilver and 250 XP in God of War Ragnarök and early access to the Nora Valiant outfit in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

Likewise, they can receive "+50 points to activate bonus features and unlock extras" and be rewarded with a new skin, "Jordan’s Jacket from Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet," for Ellie in The Last of Us Part II Remastered. Lastly, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, available on PC on 30th January 2025, unlocks the "Spider-Man 2099 Black Suit and the Miles Morales 2099 Suit" fairly early in-game.