Surviving self-isolation could have you watching everything on Netflix or endlessly surfing the web, but if you have a PlayStation, you could just spend the time in a couple of free games.
With so many people at home lately, we wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve suddenly found the time to get through some of those movies or games you’ve considered for so long.
While self-isolation will see different people doing different things, we’ve certainly heard from friends that gaming is pretty much up there, allowing you to indulge in a digital world and escape from the pressures of the real world.
As fun as playing games is, it tends to arrive with a real world problem: buying them.
Buying games costs money, and with many of us trying to pinch and save lately, you may not be venturing your wallet forth into the world of games to spend, spend, spend.
Fortunately, gaming companies are coming up with solutions, and while the Xbox Gaming Pass and PlayStation Plus subscription services both provide a way to get your game on with a subscription model, neither are really free.
If you do want something properly free, Sony is joining in on the free content initiatives, similar to what Apple has decided to do recently with free TV shows and movies from its Apple TV+ subscription service.
Sony’s take on free isn’t movies or TV shows, however, with the home of PlayStation, Sony Interactive Entertainment, launching something it calls “Play At Home”, whereby it will release two games to PlayStation 4 owners for free from April 16 through to May 6.
The titles being released for free actually comprise of four games, with Sony’s Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection offering Uncharted,Uncharted 2, and Uncharted 3 in one set remastered for the PlayStation 4, while another game, Journey is released alongside. Both are digital downloads, so there’s no disc for you to get free here, and while Sony is releasing them for free from April through to near the end of May, once you claim the titles on your PlayStation account, they’re yours. No trial, no time limit; just yours.
You’ll need to claim the titles online from April 16 to May 6, as after that, the games will likely revert to costing money once more. However when you do, they’ll join your digital collection for you to use whenever you want.
That’s for Australia and New Zealand, as well as most of the world, while PS4 gamers in Germany and China will see Knack 2 replacing the Uncharted Collection, albeit for a shorter time, ending on May 5.
Sony’s release of free PlayStation 4 titles is just part of the “Play At Home” initiative, with Sony itself making a $100 million donation to a COVID-19 Global Relief Fund, plus another $10 million to independent game developers around the world to help get more games made during this time.
