Now’s the time to dip your toes into online multiplayer, if you don’t like the idea of paying for it. According to Polygon, both PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold will be free this weekend for non-members looking to try out the multiplayer services.
In fact, Microsoft is already offering that free access right now, as its Multiplayer All-Access Event started just after midnight today and will run through Sunday, February 19th, on both the Xbox One and Xbox 360. They’re offering free trials of Rocket League (which is excellent, by the way)Â and NBA 2K17 as well, to sweeten the deal.
Not content with just matching Microsoft, Sony is offering a full week of free multiplayer, starting tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. and running until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, February 23rd. Unlike Microsoft, Sony is not offering any free game trials. Neither company is offering the freebies that Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus users get, either, including free game downloads. Once the clock expires, you’ll have to either pay up to keep playing online or wait until another trial weekend.
Xbox Live Gold members get access to online multiplayer and four “free” games per month – two for Xbox 360, and two for Xbox One. The Xbox 360 titles are yours to keep even if your membership lapses, while the Xbox One titles are only playable as long as you have an active subscription. The Xbox 360 titles are also backwards-compatible with Xbox One.
PlayStation Plus offers online multiplayer and “free” games to its paid users as well, with two games for PlayStation 4, two for PlayStation 3 and two for PS Vita each month. The PS3 games are not backwards-compatible with the PS4, and a lapsed membership will mean you lose access to all of the games you downloaded. Renewing your membership restores that access.
Both services cost $59.99 a year.
