Sony is finally removing its Steam region locks for several Playstation PC ports. These restrictions on dozens of countries and territories proved seriously controversial when they were applied to Helldivers 2 after it launched last year, and they affected several other PC ports for the likes of The Last of Us Part 2 and God of War Ragnarok. But now, those region restrictions are quietly disappearing from Steam, perhaps as a consequence of Stellar Blade's recent success on the platform.
Even if you've not played unavailable in over 100 territories due them not ing PSN.
Helldivers 2 single-player games included, with varying degrees of controversy.
In these other cases, it didn't necessarily mean you needed a PSN to play the games. Sometimes, it was only required for any multiplayer elements, but because it was still a potential requirement, the games in question were unavailable in those uned territories.
Now, as spotted by Wario64, it appears Sony is freeing some of its biggest Steam exports from region-restricted limbo. While Helldivers 2 is the most notable game due to its history on this subject, The Last of Us Part 2, God of War Ragnarok, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 have also seen regions removed from their 'restricted' lists.
The same region restrictions did Sony's biggest single-player port.
Given that this success was achieved without the need for a Playstation Network , and the associated region-locking, it's not a stretch to imagine it influenced Sony's decision to seemingly unshackle its other Steam ports.
It is also possible this is some kind of mistake or glitch and that the restrictions will be reimposed later, but we have our fingers crossed. If intentional, it's a win for Sony, but it has taken a long time and a lot of grumbles to achieve it. Sony has yet to publicly comment on the removal.
Looking for another smash to play? We've rounded up the best PC games.
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We've also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with of the team and fellow readers.