There's a free PlayStation Plus online multiplayer trial happening this weekend
For PlayStation 4 and PS5.
If you're curious about PlayStation Plus but haven't yet become a member - or have no intention of ever becoming a member, but have a sudden urge to play some online multiplayer games all the same - Sony is giving players two days to trial the subscription service this weekend.
PlayStation Plus, should you be unfamiliar, is required to play the vast majority of PlayStation 4 and PS5 multiplayer games online (although free-to-play titles such as Fortnite are excluded), and, as an extra incentive to subscribe, offers a monthly selection of games to add to your library for the duration of a membership at no extra cost.
The online multiplayer bit of the package will be free for everyone to try out this weekend - on Saturday, 18th December and Sunday, 19th December - even without a subscription. A PSN account and (obviously) an internet connection is required to participate, and you'll have to provide your own multiplayer games to actually use the trial.
"Dive into the online multiplayer modes of your favourite PS4 and PS5 games without a PlayStation Plus membership during our Online Multiplayer Weekend from Dec 18 @ 12:01AM to Dec 19 11:59PM (local time)", is how Sony puts it.
Should you feel compelled to subscribe to PlayStation Plus once the weekend is over, it'll cost you £6.99 a month, £19.99 every three months, or £49.99 a year. And December's included games are Lego DC Super Villains, Mortal Shell, and Godfall: Challenger Edition.
It does, however, remain to be seen how long PlayStation Plus will stick around in its current guise. Reports suggest Sony is currently working on an expanded three-tier subscription service more in line with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, planned to launch in spring next year.
The first subscription tier is said to be functionally identical to PlayStation Plus, while the second would give subscribers access to a large catalogue of PS4 and, eventually, PS5 games. However, PlayStation Now's streaming functionality will reportedly be reserved for tier three, which will also offer extended demos and a library of classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games.