Helldivers 2 and other Sony hits get over 100 Steam region restrictions lifted

Sony is finally removing its Steam region locks for several Playstation PC ports. These restrictions on dozens of countries and territories proved seriously controversial when they were applied to Helldivers 2 after it launched last year, and they affected several other PC ports for the likes of The Last of Us Part 2 and God of War Ragnarok. But now, those region restrictions are quietly disappearing from Steam, perhaps as a consequence of Stellar Blade's recent success on the platform.

Even if you've not played Helldivers 2, chances are you've heard of the furore surrounding the multiplayer game. Over the last couple of years, Sony has attempted to force players to create or sign in with a Playstation Network account on Steam to access its PC ports. Not only was this requirement a little baffling and loathed by players, it also meant that the game became unavailable in over 100 territories due them not supporting PSN.

Helldivers 2 was heavily review bombed for this, and Sony eventually walked back this mandatory requirement, but that didn't stop the game from being inaccessible in many destinations. PSN integration has also been added to other titles, single-player games included, with varying degrees of controversy.

In these other cases, it didn't necessarily mean you needed a PSN account to play the games. Sometimes, it was only required for any multiplayer elements, but because it was still a potential requirement, the games in question were unavailable in those unsupported territories.

Now, as spotted by Wario64, it appears Sony is freeing some of its biggest Steam exports from region-restricted limbo. While Helldivers 2 is the most notable game due to its history on this subject,  The Last of Us Part 2, God of War Ragnarok, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 have also seen regions removed from their 'restricted' lists.

The same region restrictions did apply to action slash-em-up Stellar Blade when its Steam release date was first revealed, to the surprise of the game's developer. However, these restrictions were removed before launch and Stellar Blade has gone on to become Sony's biggest single-player port.

Given that this success was achieved without the need for a Playstation Network account, and the associated region-locking, it's not a stretch to imagine it influenced Sony's decision to seemingly unshackle its other Steam ports.

It is also possible this is some kind of mistake or glitch and that the restrictions will be reimposed later, but we have our fingers crossed. If intentional, it's a win for Sony, but it has taken a long time and a lot of grumbles to achieve it. Sony has yet to publicly comment on the removal.

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