How to download free games on PS4

Have you literally consumed your PS4 games collection and now look for new interesting titles to try? Well, you are spoiled for choice: the videogame catalog of PlayStation 4 is so rich and varied that it is practically impossible not to find games of interest to you; there are even some that can be downloaded and used at no cost.

No, I’m not kidding! If you have a PS4 you can download free games completely legally and use them without having to make any changes to your console. All you need is a PSN account (also free) to access Sony’s online services and some free time to browse all the free-to-play games and demos available on the PlayStation Store: you’ll be surprised by the amount of interesting content that can be downloaded!

Alternatively, you can also subscribe to a PlayStation Plus plan and, in exchange for a small monthly fee of less than 10 euros, download numerous titles, even triple A, for free on your console. I repeat, I’m not kidding! If you do not believe it, take five minutes of free time and find out how to download free games on PS4 following the “tips” I’m about to give you: you have no idea how many interesting titles are waiting for you at no cost!

How to download free games on PS4 – Connect the PS4 to the Internet

As easily understood, How to download free games on PS4 you must first connect your PlayStation to the Internet. If you have not already done so, go to the Console Settings menu (the toolbox icon at the top right of the PS4 home screen) and select the Network item from the latter.

 

How to download free games on PS4

In the menu that opens, go to Configure Internet Connection and choose whether to connect the PS4 to the Internet via a Wi-Fi network or LAN cable (and then Ethernet cable) by selecting one of the two options available on the screen.

In the case of connection via Wi-Fi network, you need to select the Typical item, choose the Wi-Fi network to which you want to connect the console and type the corresponding access key. The PS4, within a few seconds, will verify the correctness of the network settings and will connect to the selected network.

In case of problems or special needs (eg the need to assign a static IP to the console), instead of selecting the Typical item, select the Custom and Manual items from the menu for the Wi-Fi connection and enter the following parameters manually.

• IP address: the IP address to be assigned to the console (eg 192.168.1.27), which obviously must be consistent with the addresses of the other devices in the network of your router.
• Subnet mask: the value of the Subnet Mask, which is usually 255.255.255.0 but can easily be found by issuing the command “ipconfig / all” in the Windows Command Prompt.
• Default gateway: the IP address of the router (eg 192.168.1.1). This value can also be found easily by giving the command “ipconfig / all” in the Windows Command Prompt.
• Primary DNS: as above.
• Secondary DNS: field to be left blank.

Once all the fields have been filled in, you have to go ahead, set up an automatic MTU and choose not to use proxy servers. In this way the PS4 should connect to the Wi-Fi network without any problem.

How to download free games on PS4

If, on the other hand, you prefer the connection via Ethernet cable (which generally guarantees greater fluidity in online gaming than Wi-Fi), select the Use a network cable (LAN) from the Settings> Network of PS4 menu and then go on Typical or Custom, depending on whether you want to use the default network settings or if you want to set custom settings (for example, to have a static IP). Obviously, for the Internet connection to be established correctly, the console must be physically connected to the router via an Ethernet cable.

In case of errors or problems with the Internet connection, try opening the PS4 ports in the router by following the instructions in my tutorial dedicated to the topic.

How to download free games on PS4 – Create a PlayStation Network account

After connecting your PS4 to the Internet, you must perform another fundamental operation, without which you can not access Sony’s online services and therefore you can not download games on the console: create a PlayStation Network account (often abbreviated with PSN).

The creation of a PlayStation Network account is totally free (unlike the PlayStation Plus subscription, which we will discuss better soon) and requires very few minutes. It is necessary as it serves to access the PlayStation Store, the Sony online storefront that allows you to purchase and download games (including free-to-play titles and demos) on the console. It also allows you to share screenshots and game trophies online, chat with your friends and access all the applications for PS4 (eg Spotify, VEVO, PlayStation Video Store and so on).

To create your PlayStation Network account, go to the Settings menu of PS4 (the toolbox icon located at the top right of the main console menu), select the Account Management item from the screen that opens and finally select the options Login to PlayStation Network and New User of PlayStation Network? Create an account.

How to download free games on PS4

At this point, press the Subscribe Now button and fill out all the forms that are proposed to you on the screen.

Indicate, therefore, your country of residence (presumably usa) in the field Country or region, your language (presumably englisch) in the Language field and your date of birth in the appropriate drop-down menus.

How to download free games on PS4

Next, click on Next, specify City, State / Province and Postal Code of your home and go further. Fill out the third form that is proposed to you by entering the login ID and Password you wish to use to access your PSN account and go forward again.

Leave the Yes box unchecked, I would like to receive information and personalized offers related to PlayStation and Sony for not receiving promotional emails.

How to download free games on PS4

Finally, type the nickname you want to use within the PlayStation Network in the field ID online and your real name and surname in the respective text fields, then press Next, choose who to show game activities, conquered trophies and requests for friendship and press on Accept to accept the conditions of use of the Sony Entertainment Network.

Now, log in to your inbox, open the message you received from Sony and visit the confirmation link in it to validate your account. When the operation is completed, press the already verified button, wait for the confirmation of the verification of the account and press on Continue. Then choose whether to connect your PlayStation Network account to Facebook, if you subscribe to PlayStation Plus (for now I suggest you skip the procedure and deepen the topic through the appropriate chapter of this tutorial) and set your PlayStation as a PS4 system main pressing on the appropriate voice. Congratulations: you have completed the registration procedure at the PSN!

How to download free games on PS4 – Download free-to-play games and demos on PS4

Now you have a PS4 connected to the Internet and a PlayStation Network account to access the Sony store: this means you can start downloading games for free on your console and have fun with them. Going into more detail, the titles that you can download are those free-to-play, which despite an online component do not require the subscription PlayStation Plus to be used (as they use their own servers), and demos, ie versions of proof of the games found in stores.

To download a free-to-play game on PlayStation 4, open the PlayStation Store (the shopping bag icon with the “PlayStation” logo on the PS4 main menu) and use the arrow keys or the left analog controller stick to highlight the Free item in the left sidebar.

How to download free games on PS4

At this point, press the X key on the controller, select the item Free to play that appears in the left sidebar and browse the list of free-to-play games available for download. Another way to view the list of all the free-to-play games available for download is to select the checkbox Find out the rest in the Free menu of the PlayStation Store.

Once you have identified the title of your interest, use the arrow keys or the left analog stick of the controller to highlight its cover image and press the X key. Then, in the screen that opens, highlight the Download button (located below left) and press the X key of the controller to command the download of the game.

At the end of the download, the game will be available in the PS4 start menu ready to be recalled and used. Easy, right?

How to download free games on PS4

Are you not interested in free-to-play games? Do you prefer to try out demos of the games that you can find in stores? No problem, the PlayStation Store offers a large selection of demos, which you can download and use at no cost without subscribing to a PlayStation Plus subscription.

To view the list of demos available on the PlayStation Store, access the latter (by selecting the shopping bag icon with the logo “PlayStation” located in the main menu of PS4), select the item Free from the left sidebar , go to the Demo pane (in the Free to Play games explorer section and press the X key on the controller.

How to download free games on PS4

Once you have identified the demo of your interest, use the arrow keys or the left analog stick of the controller to highlight its cover image and start the download by pressing the Free trial button located at the bottom left of the screen that opens.

At the end of the download, you will find the demos downloaded from the PlayStation Store on the PS4 home screen. To play with it, all you have to do is select their cover image and press X on the console controller.

How to download free games on PS4 – Download free games on PS4 with PlayStation Plus

The free-to-play titles on the PlayStation Store have not aroused your interest? Did the demos leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth because of their brevity? So, if you want to download free games on PS4, you just have to sign up for a PlayStation Plus subscription.

I know, it may seem a contradiction, but by subscribing to a PlayStation Plus subscription (which is paid), you can get the opportunity to download many free games every month and have them always available without any time limit (provided you keep the underwriting PS Plus, otherwise the securities stop working until the subscription is renewed). The games available are those that are normally found in stores, so even triple A titles (maybe older than a few months, do not expect games just released!) Suitable for every taste and every need.

To activate a PlayStation Plus subscription (or renew it, if you have already activated it and then expire it), open the PlayStation Store and select the PS Plus item from the left sidebar. Then press on the Subscribe or Renew your subscription and choose one of the available plans: 1 month to 7.99 euros; 3 months to 24.99 or 12 months to 59.99 euros. If this is your first time running PlayStation Plus, you should also find the 14-day option to activate a free 14-day trial of the service.

How to download free games on PS4

After choosing a PlayStation Plus plan, answer Yes to the request to associate a payment method with your account and enter a credit card information (also prepaid) or a PayPal account. Then go OK, press Accept and continue and you will officially become a PS Plus user!

Now you can move on to downloading the games. So go to the PlayStation Store, select the PS Plus item from the left sidebar and go to Select this month PlayStation Plus to view the list of free returns titles for the current month. Games must not be downloaded by force: you can add them to your personal library and then download them later; they will remain available for as long as you keep your PlayStation Plus subscription active (or renew it if it expires).

How to download free games on PS4

To add a title to your personal library, select its cover image and press the X button on the PS4 controller. Then choose the Add to collection option located at the bottom left and answer OK to the warning that appears on the screen.

To start downloading the game, however, presses the Download button located in its description, or select the title from your Library (accessible through the initial menu of PS4). When the download is complete, the PlayStation Plus games will be available on the PlayStation 4 home screen.

If you receive an email from Sony that thanks you for the purchase, do not worry: it is an automatic message that arrives for all downloads, even those free, made through the PlayStation Store: you will not be charged (excluding the subscription fee to PlayStation Plus of course).

How to download free games on PS4

Note: all PS Plus plans, including the test plans, provide for automatic renewal. To deactivate it, go to the menu Settings> Account Information> Service List> PlayStation Plus of PS4, select the entry for your PlayStation Plus subscription and presses the button to cancel the automatic renewal.

How to download free games on PS4 – Sharing of games

Another way to get free games (or almost) on PS4 is to take advantage of the sharing feature available for all content downloaded from the PlayStation Store. The procedure is a little articulated, but effective: here are all the steps you need to take.

First, you must set your PS4 as primary by going to the Settings> Account Management> Activate PS4 as the main console and selecting the Enable option. Then you need to access the PlayStation Store and purchase the game of interest normally.

How to download free games on PS4

When the purchase is complete, you must go to the PS4 on which you want to download the free games, create a new user account and associate the latter to the PSN account used on the primary console to buy games from the PlayStation Store.

Once logged in, you need to access the PS4 Library and start downloading the game purchased on the primary console. Then, you have to set up the primary console as a secondary PS4 (by going to the Settings> Account Management> Activate PS4 main menu and selecting the Disable option) and the game should be done. On the PS4 on which you have downloaded the free game, the title should be available in fact also logging out from the user account created previously and using the standard used up to then on the console.

It is almost useless to say that this “trick” should be exploited only with people of absolute trust, as it involves the sharing of access data to your PSN account (which is in turn connected to payment methods, such as credit cards or accounts PayPal).

How to download free games on PS4 – Manage games downloaded on PS4

How to download free games on PS4

After downloading a game on your PS4 have you had an afterthought but do not know how to delete it from the console’s memory? If you try to download a game from the PlayStation Store, you get an error message telling you that there is not enough free space on your PS4’s memory? Do not panic.

Going to the menu Settings> Storage memory> Applications of the PlayStation 4 you can manage the contents of the memory of your console by finding out how much each title occupies (and each app) and having the ability to delete unnecessary items in a few steps (pressing the button Options on the controller, checking the items to be deleted and selecting the option to delete them from the PS4 menu).

I recommend, before canceling a game, make sure you have a copy of the saves stored on the cloud of PlayStation Network (otherwise you will lose all your progress and you will not be able to recover them).

How to download free games on PS4