Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Update Makes PSN Account Linking Optional

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Recently, PlayStation made an interesting move with its PC releases. Right before Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was released, PlayStation released a blog post announcing they were getting rid of the required PlayStation Network (PSN) account linking to play their games but giving some benefits if you choose to link. This started with Spider-Man 2 when it was released, and now, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is following in its footsteps.

The 1.5 update, which was released today, officially makes the requirement for connecting a PlayStation Network account optional. So you will no longer have to link your account when playing the game. However, if you still choose to, you will get access to the Nova Valiant outfit. If you already have an account, it is free to link it, so why not get a free outfit from it? The store page still says an account is required, but that should hopefully update soon.

While the account is no longer required, it appears that the game is still banned in 130 countries. This is a little better than other PlayStation releases on PC, with Spider-Man being banned in 136 countries, but it still looks like countries that don't have PSN support are not able to purchase the game. There is no word on whether these bans will be lifted, and ultimately, I hope they are since this requirement is no longer something you need to do.

Regardless, I am happy this is optional. I personally still link accounts because I already have a PSN and link my accounts for other games already, but I can see why this being optional is important. This was a great move from PlayStation and I hope we see more of them, like allowing countries that can't make PSN accounts being able to purchase games from PlayStation again.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is available on Steam for $49.99, but if you want to save a little bit of money, you can get it for $42.49 on Fanatical by using the code FANATICAL15.

The game is rated Steam Deck Verified as well, but it isn't the best experience. It can hit 30 FPS most of the time, but there are drops to the 20s, so if you play on the go, be ready for some drops here and there.

The Fanatical links above are using an affiliate link, which gives us a little back from sales at no extra charge to you. All proceeds go back into SDHQ and its development.

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