Summary
- The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on PC will require a PlayStation Network (PSN) account, causing frustration among some prospective players.
- The game is set to be released on April 3, 2025.
When The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered makes its way to PC later this year, players will still need to have a PlayStation Network account. Sony has faced some controversy over the past few years regarding its PC ports of previously exclusive titles. Although the company is bringing beloved games like The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered to Steam, the requirement to connect or create a PSN account has stirred up discontent among the gaming community.
The original The Last of Us was remastered and released on PC as The Last of Us Part 1 back in 2022, receiving positive feedback. Now, Sony is set to launch The Last of Us Part 2 on PC on April 3, 2025. This move is exciting as the critically acclaimed sequel was previously exclusive to PlayStation users, and the remaster required a PS5. However, the announcement that a PSN account is necessary might dampen the excitement for some.
The Steam page for The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered explicitly states that a PSN account is required to play the game and offers the option to link existing PSN accounts to Steam profiles. This detail can easily be overlooked, but it has the potential to be contentious. Fans have expressed dissatisfaction with similar requirements for other PlayStation games ported to PC. Just last year, the backlash against the PSN requirement for Helldivers 2 was so intense that Sony decided to remove it before it could be implemented.
Sony's Strategy to Boost PSN Account Creation
Sony's insistence on requiring a PSN account for PC ports seems aimed at increasing the user base of its services. While this makes sense for games like Ghost of Tsushima, which require a PSN profile for multiplayer features and the PlayStation overlay, The Last of Us Part 2 is primarily a single-player experience. The necessity of a PSN account here appears unusual, especially since network features and cross-play are not central to the game. From a business standpoint, it's an understandable tactic to encourage non-PlayStation owners to engage with Sony's ecosystem, but it's a risky move given the past reactions from the gaming community.
Creating or linking a PSN account is free, but it can be an inconvenience for gamers eager to jump straight into the game. Additionally, the PlayStation Network is not accessible in all countries, which means this requirement could render the PC port unplayable for some fans. Given The Last of Us series' reputation for championing gaming accessibility, such restrictions may be particularly frustrating for players.
