PlayStation makes Unreal Engine 5 game free to all, no PS Plus required

A brand new multiplayer online battle arena game just went fully free-to-play on PlayStation, without the need to even have an active PlayStation Plus subscription.

Smite 2, the sequel to the wildly successful 2014 MOBA Smite, is finally free for all PlayStation players worldwide following the end of its closed alpha tests.

Access to the game was previously locked behind the Deluxe Founder's Edition and the Ultimate Founder's Edition purchases, which allowed players to play the closed alpha tests for the game ahead of time.

Thankfully, if you didn’t fancy dropping £80 on a game that would eventually become free anyway, you can now access the open beta test regardless of whether or not you owned any of the special editions beforehand.

However, if you were keen enough to purchase the game in early access, you’ll likely be pleased to hear that isn’t the only new change coming to Smite 2.

The latest update for the title went live yesterday, which added five brand-new playable characters to the roster.

ICYMI: God of War Ragnarök lands on PS Plus' extra tier next week.

One of the newly added characters, Aladdin, is also completely unique to Smite 2 (unlike the other new additions, who were previously playable in the OG Smite).

He even got a new trailer to celebrate his arrival and yes, before you ask, the genie does help you out in combat.

The new update also added a brand new mode called “Joust”, which turns the MOBA into a 3v3 slug fest.

There’s currently no word on exactly when Smite 2 will leave its open beta and release fully, but I wouldn’t expect said full release to be too far into the future considering how polished the game currently looks.

And don’t worry non-PlayStation folks, as Smite 2 is also available on PC and Xbox Series S/X. Sorry Nintendo Switch owners, but hey - at least you lot still have Pokémon Unite.