Always‑online + PS Plus lock on paid content and bot modes needs to be illegal
I paid real money for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War battle packs and DLC, and on PS5 I cannot see or use them if I’m not online, and often not even then without PS Plus. Same thing in Battlefield 6: you can play campaign, but almost everything else—bot modes, local‑style playlists, progression—still requires PS Plus and an always‑online check.
On PS3 and early PS4, that wasn’t a thing. You bought a disc or DLC, installed it, and it was yours to play offline. Now my purchases are treated like rented data streams, hidden behind subscriptions and server checks, with no clear warning on the PSN store page.
This isn’t some “necessary technical thing.” This is a business policy designed to keep you in PS Plus and online, even for modes that don’t need a server.
If that’s the way they want it to be, fine—but it should be honestly labeled and, ideally, regulated so paid content can’t be locked behind subscription‑only access.
If you ever bought a game, then discovered you needed PS Plus just to use what you paid for, this is your fight too.