Sony Drops PSN Account Need for New PC Game

New evidence indicates that Lost Soul Aside, an upcoming Sony-published title, has eliminated the requirement for a PlayStation Network account on PC. This means PC players will not need to link a PSN account to play, and it also broadens the number of regions where Sony can sell the game when it launches in 2025.

Lost Soul Aside is one of the most eagerly awaited indie games emerging from PlayStation's China Hero Project initiative. Inspired by Devil May Cry and emphasizing dynamic combat, this hack-and-slash action RPG has been in development for nearly a decade by Shanghai-based UltiZeroGames. Sony, which is funding and publishing the game on PS5 and PC, introduced mandatory PSN account linking for its PC releases last year—a decision that faced considerable backlash from the PC community.

With PSN unavailable in over 100 countries, games enforcing this requirement cannot be sold in those markets, limiting commercial opportunities. Lost Soul Aside, however, seems to be an exception. Shortly after its gameplay trailer debuted in December 2024, its Steam page launched. While the page initially referenced a mandatory PSN account, subsequent SteamDB updates show the requirement was removed the very next day.

Lost Soul Aside Becomes the Second Sony-Published PC Game to Waive PSN Account Linking

This change will be welcome news for PC gamers in regions without PSN who are anticipating Lost Soul Aside. It also marks a notable development for PlayStation’s PC strategy, as the only prior instance of Sony reversing this policy occurred during the Helldivers 2 PSN controversy. That incident created the impression PSN linking was non-negotiable for PlayStation’s PC games, but Lost Soul Aside’s exemption suggests Sony may be adopting a more flexible stance.

The specific reasons for waiving the PSN requirement for Lost Soul Aside’s PC version are not yet clear. However, it is speculated that Sony aims to maximize the game’s player base. Following the mandatory PSN linking policy, PlayStation games on PC have seen diminished performance; for example, God of War Ragnarok attracted fewer than half the concurrent players on Steam compared to its predecessor.