Sony quietly lifts region locks on PC games—but not for everything

Sony just made a surprising move—without saying a word. Over 100 countries that were blocked from buying PlayStation games on PC are finally seeing those games return to their Steam storefronts.

There’s been no press release, no tweet, no blog post. But fans noticed. Games like Helldivers 2 are suddenly purchasable again in regions that had been locked out since 2023. SteamDB listings show the change happened on June 13, with the “PurchaseRestrictedCountries” flags disappearing in bulk.

What has changed?

Back in 2023, Sony started requiring PSN accounts to play even single-player titles like God of War and Spider-Man on PC. The backlash was swift, especially after Helldivers 2—a multiplayer favorite—was pulled from sale in many countries. Sony eventually walked back the PSN requirement, but the regional bans stuck around until now.

So why the sudden about-face?

A good guess: Stellar Blade. The Shift Up-developed action game recently launched on PC to huge success. It drew nearly 200,000 concurrent players on Steam and, notably, had its own region locks lifted just before release. That quiet change seems to have set off a domino effect.

While God of War Ragnarok, Spider-Man 2, and The Last of Us Part II Remastered are back on store shelves worldwide, Ghost of Tsushima remains locked out in several region. Why? No one really knows. Sony’s keeping quiet—for now.