PS4 Multiplayer Goes Free For One Week

Rather than the free weekend events it's held in the past, Sony will soon allow all PS4 owners to play online without a PlayStation Plus membership for a full week.

In North America, this begins tomorrow, February 17. As with the free weekends, you'll be able to access any game's online mode that would ordinarily require a Plus subscription. You won't, however, receive any of the other benefits of Plus, like access to the month's free games.

Online multiplayer access in North America opens up at 12:01 AM PT/3 AM ET on February 17 and will remain available until 11:59 PM PT on February 23. For those in Europe, the event will be a bit shorter--it runs from 10 AM GMT on February 22 until 11:59 PM on February 26.

PS4 was Sony's first console to require a Plus membership to play online. Sony explained in 2013 that this was due to the "large investment of resources" it had put into its online services. Last year, Plus increased in price for the first time in the US and Canada, going from $50 to $60.

If you're looking for something new to play online in the next week, check out our roundup of this week's best retail deals and PSN offers. Best Buy also has some quality online shooters at a heavy discount for one day only. Those with an Xbox One can also play online without a subscription in the coming days.