Almost a year after its release, Sony region-locked the PC port of Horizon: Forbidden West. Then, just as suddenly and without a word, the company reversed its decision. The company hasn’t said a word about this region lock yet, but Sony has been clear that it doesn’t intend to do away with PlayStation Network account requirements — and that limits the players who can access any given game, since not all countries allow PSN accounts.
A user named Mocha Joe at Resetera first noticed the restriction on SteamDB, and his forum post sparked an outcry. One user wrote, “It’s been frankly baffling watching Sony choose to continually score own goals from the sidelines this gen.”
This isn’t the first time Sony has made a decision that adversely affected players after they had already purchased a game. In May 2024, Sony did the same with Helldivers 2, resulting in players review bombing the Steam page. Then only a few weeks after, the Ghost of Tsushima PC port also saw restrictions, followed by God of War: Ragnarok.
The company stands firm behind its decision to require PSN accounts. In certain aspects, that isn’t an unreasonable request; requiring a PSN account for playing live-service games is inconvenient, but understandable. The lack of viable explanation for why single player titles need an account has many players asking questions.
Some PlayStation PC ports do have PlayStation Network trophies, but many others simply track achievements through Steam. An account is required to unlock trophies, but some players insist the reason is to restrict purchases in countries where the global exchange rate might make games far less expensive than in the United States.
