As a free-to-play game, do you need to pay for Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus to play Call of Duty: Warzone?
Since its release back in March of 2020, Call of Duty’s Warzone has been completely free for all players regardless of platform. However, its status as an online game means that there has been some confusion over whether a paid subscription is necessary to play it.
Here, we’ll break down everything you need to know in order to play Warzone, regardless of whether you’re on Xbox or PlayStation. Needless to say, PC players can download Warzone and dive in without worrying about any of this stuff.
Do you need PS Plus to play Warzone?
We’ll tackle Playstation first, because it’s the more simple of the two. Warzone players playing on PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 do not need an active PS Plus subscription.
The subscription costs £50/$60 for a 12-month period, but is not necessary for free to play titles. For example, players wanting to play Black Ops Cold War or Modern Warfare multiplayer will require an active subscription. Players who only want to play Warzone will not need to pay this annual fee.
Do you need Xbox Live Gold to play Warzone?
Unfortunately, for the time being, the opposite is true of Xbox Live Gold. The subscription service, Microsoft’s version of PS Plus, is needed to play free to play titles. It also costs £50/$60, but changes are coming.
On January 22, Xbox announced that they would be doubling the cost of Xbox Live Gold. While a $60 payment would previously get you 12 months access, this was cut in half to 6 months. Understandably, considerable backlash followed as Xbox players protested the price hike.
In response, Xbox immediately reversed their decision, stating that the cost of Xbox Live Gold will remain the same. They also announced that, “in the coming months”, it will no longer be necessary to have a Live Gold subscription to play free to play titles online.
To bring Xbox Live more in line with how we see the player at the center of their experience we will be removing Gold requirements for free-to-play games.
We're starting work on that immediately and will have updates in the coming months. Details: https://t.co/tWomNAwmp9
— Xbox (@Xbox) January 23, 2021
In short, as of the publication of this article, Xbox players need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play Warzone. PlayStation players do not need a PS Plus subscription.
Xbox players can look forward to Microsoft implementing the changes they have promised, which should be in place by the Summer of 2021. We’ll update you when they’re finalized.
