PlayStation 30th Anniversary Reveals Free Multiplayer Weekend & Upcoming Freebies

Today marks not just the release of Astro Bot for Sony, it’s also the day PlayStation has revealed some of their plans for their upcoming 30th-anniversary celebration, and fans can net some freebies in the process.

As fans inch closer to its big Astro Bot launch tomorrow, the official Sony blog has published a statement on what’s to come after the big launch. This year marks the 30th anniversary of PlayStation, and to celebrate that the Vice President of Global Marketing at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Isabelle Tomatis has lifted the curtain a bit to show fans what they have in store to celebrate. First off, a small video has been launched by Sony to commemorate the launch of Astro Bot and to celebrate PlayStation’s Dirty 30, the video can be seen below.

While it’s still a few months until Sony celebrates the actual PlayStation 30th birthday, they’ve teased some of what they have in store, including freebies. First, they’ve announced this Holiday Season Gran Turismo 7 will launch a free trial version to give fans a look behind the wheel of PlayStation’s exclusive racing title. This free trial version will be called My First GT , and will “include some of the favourite cars, tracks, and race events that evoke the nostalgia and excitement of the very first GT experience.” More information surrounding the Gran Turismo 7 My First GT free trial version launch will be made available closer to the Holiday Season.

PlayStation 30th Anniversary Announcements

Digital Game Soundtracks – In collaboration with Sony Music, hit PlayStation game soundtracks will be launched on a monthly basis starting in October, all the way through January 2025. Popular streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music will host the soundtracks, and below are the games that will be featured.

• God of War​
• God of War II​
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta
• Twisted Metal​
• Starhawk​
• Unit 13

Shapes of Play – PlayStation will launch a new array of products called ‘Shapes of Play,’ which will allow fans to create fun with the iconic face shapes featured on the PS controller. Modes include: Battle, Create and Recharge. The battle mode will allow players to engage in a board game similar to Connect Four, but a PS variant where players will have to line up four different shapes of the same colour to win. Create and Recharge are cozy arrangement functions that will let players chill out in a cozier setting to create shapes, and recharge after a gruelling session. Shapes of Play launches December 2024, exclusively on PlayStation Direct.

Free Online Multiplayer & eSports Tournament Weekend – On the weekend of September 22 and 23, fans without a PS Plus membership will be able to use online multiplayer completely free of charge. On top of that, Sony will be hosting a series of PS5 esports tournaments featuring NBA 2K24, NBA 2K25, Madden NFL 24, MLB The Show 24, EA UFC 5, Tekken 8, and Guilty Gear Strive . Competing fans can earn a special 30th anniversary-themed avatar and other game-specific prizes, and Sony has offered competition site to keep fans up to date on how these tournaments will play out.

That concludes all of the announcements Sony has made today for the big 30th anniversary. It’s worth noting these announcements have happened before the PS 30th anniversary, so it’s safe to say PlayStation will have more to announce before their celebration kicks off later this year.