Steam users in multiple countries can now purchase and launch somePlayStationtitles without any restrictions. Following months of backlash from fans, thePlayStationgamesHelldivers 2,God of War Ragnarok,The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, andMarvel’s Spider-Man 2are once again available for Steam users to purchase and play in several countries.
The change came over a year afterHelldivers 2was de-listed on Steam in 177 nations following its global launch. This was due to PlayStation forcing players to link their PlayStation Network (PSN) accounts with Steam, though the service is not offered in every nation that Steam supports. As a result of the de-listing, fans harshly criticized and review-bombed several PlayStation games. The backlash forced PlayStation and Arrowhead Game Studios torescindHelldivers 2’s PSN requirements. AlthoughThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredinitially required a PSN account for multiplayer services on Steam, Sony has likewise rendered it optional following fan feedback.
Now, months after Sony backed down from its PSN requirement stance, fans across the world can purchase four PlayStation games on Steam once more.According to SteamDB(and corroborated by Wario64 on social media), the restrictions for purchasingHelldivers 2,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,God of War Ragnarok, andThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredon Steam have been removed from several countries as of 1:54 PM Eastern on Friday, June 13.
Sony Removing Regional Restrictions on Four Steam Games
Regions that lost access toHelldivers 2in May 2024, like Venezuela, Haiti, and Serbia, can now log back in and purchase these games without any further issues. Although PSN remains unavailable in parts of the world, tying a PSN and Steam account together grants various perks across supported titles. However, the change is not absolute across Sony’s Steam catalog, asGhost of Tsushimastill requires PSN for online multiplayer and PlayStation overlay support.
The change to Sony’s regional restriction policies came amid a busy week for PlayStation fans on Steam. Following its June 11 Steam launch,Stellar Bladebecame an overwhelming success, as Shift Up’s hit title garnered over 100,000 concurrent PC players in its first 24 hours. In response to Sony’s restriction removal, fans expressed their approval, while some noted how the announcement’s timing lined up withStellar Blade’s success on the popular PC storefront.
Although PlayStation has backed down on requiring most of its Steam games to utilize PSN, the gaming giant will continuedoubling down on live-service titles likeMarathon. It remains to be seen how the change will affect Steam sales of Sony’s games moving forward.
