Free PlayStation online multiplayer weekend starts on Saturday

Call of Duty: Vanguard multiplayer
(Image credit: Activision)

A free PlayStation online multiplayer weekend means you won't need a subscription to face off against players around the world.

Sony announced its plans for the free online weekend on the official PlayStation Twitter account, revealing that players will have 48 hours to play online for free from Saturday, December 18 at 12:01 am to Sunday, December 19 at 11:59 pm local time. Free multiplayer access doesn't mean you'll be entitled to this month's free PS Plus games, so you'll need to bring your own stuff to play on PS5 and PS4.

If you've stuck with the Call of Duty: Vanguard campaign and free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone so far, this is your chance to dive into the good old fashioned competitive multiplayer. Or you could revisit your old farm in a new light with some Stardew Valley co-op.

Recent reports say Sony is due to merge PS Plus and PlayStation Now together in a new service codenamed Spartacus, which would function as a direct competitor to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. That will reportedly debut in spring, so we may not have to wait too long to see how else Sony plans to change up its online offerings.

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Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.