If you just downloaded Apex Legends on your PlayStation 5 or 4 after seeing your friends rave about the latest legend’s kit, the first question popping into your head is probably do i need ps+ to play apex legends. I’ve been in that exact spot too, when I picked up the game a few years back after a break from competitive shooters, and I spent 10 minutes scrolling through old forum posts before I could even queue for my first match. This guide breaks down every scenario you might run into, from casual battle royale queues to private matches with friends, so you don’t waste time staring at menu screens when you could be dropping into World’s Edge.
Do I Need PS+ to Play Apex Legends Core Game Modes?
The short answer for 90% of players is no, you don’t need an active PS+ subscription to access the bulk of Apex Legends’ content. Apex Legends is classified as a free-to-play title on PlayStation, and Sony updated its platform rules several years ago to waive PS+ requirements for all free-to-play online games. That means you can jump into public battle royale lobbies, ranked queues, mixtape modes, and even crossplay matches with friends on Xbox, Switch, and PC without paying for a PS+ subscription at all.
I tested this firsthand last month when my annual PS+ subscription lapsed and I forgot to renew it for two weeks. I played ranked every other night during that stretch, and I never got a single paywall prompt when queuing for matches, even when I was playing with friends on other platforms. The only difference I noticed was that I couldn’t access the PS+ exclusive reward tab in the in-game store, which we’ll cover more later. This rule applies to both digital downloads of the game and the rare physical disc copies of Apex that were released a few years back, so you don’t have to worry about different rules based on how you installed the game.
Scenarios Where You Will Need PS+ for Apex Legends
While core gameplay is totally free for all PSN users, there are a small handful of edge cases where you will need an active PS+ subscription to access certain Apex Legends features. Most of these are optional for casual players, but they’re worth knowing if you want to get the most out of your time with the game. These include:
- Hosting or joining share play sessions for Apex Legends, where you stream your game to a friend and let them control your character or play co-op together remotely. Share play is a PS+ exclusive feature across all games, so it doesn’t get the free-to-play exception.
- Claiming exclusive PS Plus monthly Apex Legends rewards, which usually include free skin packs, crafting metals, and Apex coins that are only available to active subscribers. These rewards drop on the first Tuesday of every month, and they’re usually valued at $10 or more each time.
- Access to limited PlayStation-only community tournaments run through the PSN events platform, which require PS+ for entry eligibility. These tournaments usually have small prize pools of Apex coins or exclusive skins, and they’re targeted at more competitive players.
I ran into one of these restrictions last quarter when a limited edition Rampart skin dropped as a PS+ exclusive. My subscription was still lapsed at the time, and even though I had enough Apex coins to buy the skin separately, it was locked behind the subscription paywall until I renewed. If you only care about playing public matches, you can ignore all these restrictions completely, but they’re worth noting if you like collecting rare skins or playing with friends remotely.
Is Paying for PS+ Worth It for Regular Apex Players?
Even though you don’t need PS+ to play core Apex modes, it might still be a good investment if you play the game regularly. Free monthly Apex rewards usually add up to over $10 worth of in-game content every month, so if you play at least a few times a week, those rewards alone cover almost half the cost of a monthly PS+ subscription. You also get access to cloud saves for your console-specific settings, like custom controller layouts and sensitivity settings, which is a lifesaver if your PlayStation breaks or you upgrade to a new console.
That said, PS+ is not worth the cost for every Apex player. If you only play the game once every couple of weeks, and you don’t care about collecting exclusive skins or joining community tournaments, you’re not missing out on anything important by skipping the subscription. I have three friends who only play Apex on weekends, and none of them have had PS+ for over two years. They still climb ranked every split and play crossplay with the rest of our group with zero issues.
If you already subscribe to PS+ for other games, you don’t have to do anything extra to access the Apex-specific perks. Just log into the game and check the store’s PS+ tab every month to claim your free rewards. You don’t have to enable any special settings to use your subscription benefits for Apex, they’ll activate automatically as long as your subscription is active.
Common PS+ and Apex Legends Troubleshooting Tips
Even if you don’t have PS+, you might occasionally run into glitches that prompt you to subscribe to PS+ when you try to queue for a match. These glitches are almost always tied to PSN server outages or minor console bugs, and they’re really easy to fix. The first thing you should do is restart your PlayStation and check your internet connection, since most of these prompts pop up when your console can’t connect to PSN to verify that Apex is a free-to-play title.
If you have PS+ and you can’t access your exclusive rewards, the most common fix is to make sure your account is set as the primary account on your PlayStation. Primary account status is required to share PS+ benefits across other profiles on the same console, so if you’re using a secondary profile, you might not be able to access the exclusive rewards even if someone else on the console has an active subscription. You can check your primary account status in the user settings tab of your PlayStation dashboard.
If you’re traveling and using a friend’s PlayStation, you don’t need to have PS+ on that console to play Apex, as long as you’re logged into your own PSN account. The free-to-play exception applies to your account regardless of the console you’re using, so you can log in and play matches anywhere without paying extra. I did this last year when I was visiting my cousin for a week, and I was able to play ranked on his PS5 without any issues, even though he didn’t have an active PS+ subscription at the time.
At the end of the day, the answer to do i need ps+ to play apex legends is almost always no for anyone who just wants to jump into public matches and enjoy the core game for free. The only times you'll need a subscription are for the specific edge cases we covered earlier, most of which are optional for casual players. If you're on the fence about subscribing, test out the game first without PS+ to see how much you play, then decide if the extra rewards and features are worth the cost for your playstyle. You don't have to spend extra money to have a great time climbing ranked or messing around in mixtape modes with your friends.