Sony is finally lifting regional restrictions on its biggest PlayStation games for PC, following the massive debut of Stellar Blade on Steam.
For the past year, PC players around the world have been frustrated by Sony’s approach to releasing its top PlayStation exclusives on Steam. When hits like God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered made the jump to PC, fans in dozens of countries found out they couldn’t even buy these games, just because of where they live.
Sony had quietly put region locks in place, blocking people in large parts of Africa, Asia, and South America from enjoying some of the biggest single-player games, even though these titles didn’t require any PlayStation Network account or online features. The backlash was huge. Players called the move unfair, especially since many of these games don’t need an internet connection or any special login.
Now, it seems Sony is finally making some of its top games available in more countries on Steam.
Sony Lifts Restrictions, More PlayStation PC Games Unlocked Globally
It looks like Sony is finally listening. As of June 13, SteamDB updates show that Sony has quietly removed region restrictions for a whole lineup of its biggest PC games. This is a huge move, since it means millions of new players now have official access to titles that were previously out of reach. These changes rolled out almost simultaneously across multiple PlayStation games on Steam.
In simple terms, you can now buy and play God of War Ragnarök, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us Part II Remastered, and Helldivers 2 on Steam in dozens of new countries. However, a few countries (like Russia, Syria, and more) still seem to be restricted.
Stellar Blade’s launch on PC earlier this month turned out to be a massive success. The game saw a huge spike in popularity, hitting a peak of over 183,000 concurrent players on Steam, which was an impressive number for a single-player title.
It’s worth noting that the region lock for Stellar Blade was lifted before launch, and seeing just how well the game performed may have played a big role in Sony’s decision to start unlocking more of its other games for players worldwide.
This update is a big win for PC gamers who’ve felt left out for too long. It shows Sony is opening up its PC library and making it easier for fans everywhere to play its biggest hits.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments!
