Short answer: on a PlayStation, Sony says most games need PS Plus for online play. On an Xbox, online console multiplayer is a Game Pass perk, with free-to-play games carved out. And on both, the cheapest tier includes it. Before you buy a game for its multiplayer, skip the trailer and read one line on its store page.
Here's how the rules shake out, and where they trip people up.
The rule on each console
PlayStation. Sony's PlayStation Plus support page doesn't mince words: to play most PS4 and PS5 games in online multiplayer, you need a PlayStation Plus subscription. Then the bit everyone skims. Some games don't require one, and Sony says to check PlayStation Store to see whether PS Plus is needed for online play.
Which games? Sony's page doesn't name them. VGC's 2024 report sums up the PlayStation rule as PS Plus being needed for paid games online, but not free-to-play ones. Handy rule of thumb. Not a guarantee.
You don't need the fancy tier, either. Sony's support page lists online multiplayer in all three plans: Essential, Extra and Premium. Extra and Premium add game catalogues on top. Online access is already in Essential.
Xbox. Microsoft made the free-to-play rule official. On 21 April 2021, Xbox Wire announced that every Xbox player could play online at no charge in a library of more than 50 free-to-play games, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone and Fortnite among them. Before that, as VGC puts it, the membership was required for all online multiplayer games, free ones included.
Outside that carve-out, online play is something Xbox sells. Its Game Pass page lists "online console multiplayer" under Essential, Premium and Ultimate. Essential is the entry tier, and the name is newish: Game Informer reported in October 2025 that Game Pass Core became Game Pass Essential. Old articles that say "Core" mean the same plan.
The same game can play by different rules
Here's the curly one. Final Fantasy XIV isn't free-to-play: VGC describes it as a game that either costs money up front or is a free download that needs a paid subscription. In February 2024, VGC reported Square Enix's disclaimer that the full Xbox Series X|S version would need a Game Pass plan (Core or Ultimate, at the time) to play, while the free trial wouldn't. On PlayStation, the same report said, players don't need PS Plus to play it.
Same game. Two consoles. Two answers. That's why reasoning from the price tag only gets you so far, and why Sony points you to the store listing. If you play on both consoles, check both listings.
One membership, the whole household
The thing players commonly miss: on PlayStation, one membership can cover a shared console. Sony's support page says that while you're a subscriber, you can share selected PS Plus benefits with other players on your console. Turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play on a PS5, or activate a primary PS4. The page also notes that network functions such as online multiplayer can carry age restrictions, depending on the child's age and parental control settings, so check those for kids' accounts.
Note that "while you're a subscriber" wording. Sony's support page says, in so many words, "PlayStation Plus is tied to your account", and Xbox's page says you can cancel at any time to stop future charges. Neither page spells out exactly what happens to online play the day a membership ends, so check the platform's terms before you let one lapse mid-season.
Switch players have their own setup, which this guide doesn't cover.
How to decide
- Only playing free-to-play games? On Xbox, Microsoft says online play in free-to-play games is free. On PlayStation, VGC's rule of thumb says the same, but Sony tells you to check each game's store page, so do.
- Buying a paid game for its multiplayer? Budget for the entry tier: PS Plus Essential or Game Pass Essential. Prices vary by region and change, so check the store in your country.
- Sharing a PS5? Switch on Console Sharing and Offline Play and one membership covers the other players on that console.
- Playing on two consoles? Check each version's listing. Final Fantasy XIV shows they can differ.
Jax's take: Xbox has the better rule here, simply because you can remember it: Microsoft announced that free-to-play games are free to play online and published a list of them. Sony's "some games don't require one, check the store" leaves every player doing homework per game. I reckon Sony should publish its own list of exempt games. Until it does, that store-page line is the most important bit of fine print in PlayStation gaming.
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