It's ridiculously easy to use this Sony program to earn free PS5 games

Summary

PlayStation Stars is Sony’s free loyalty program for PS users that offers small rewards for playing.
Gamers can earn points from playing or buying titles that can be put towards future purchases.
Stars also offers digital collectibles that have no value but might be fun to look at.

There is a lot to like about PlayStation Plus, Sony’s subscription service that grants PlayStation users access to hundreds of free games, exclusive discounts, and trials for new titles. However, the company’s loyalty program, which is open to all and meant to enhance rewards for those who subscribe to PS Plus, has struggled to gain popularity.

PlayStation Stars officially launched over two years ago, though it seems like only recently has it started to gain some traction and round into form. There is a lot that’s unnecessary about the program, but there are some useful aspects, especially if you play a lot of video games. Here’s how PlayStation’s loyalty program works, and how to make it work for you.

Your changes have been saved

PlayStation Plus

Number of Accounts: 1
Price: $10-$18 monthly, depending on tier
Free trial: No

New LG TVs will be able to play Xbox games, no console required

Microsoft has announced the Xbox app is coming to new LG smart TVs later this year.

How does PlayStation Stars work?

The program is fun, simple, and mostly superfluous

PlayStation Stars is free to join, and users simply need a PSN account to enroll. Participants can get free digital items and points by completing so-called campaigns, which basically either involve playing a game or buying a game. When it asks you to play a game, there is no set time you must play it. Instead, you simply need to open the game and make it to the title screen in order to get credit; you don’t even actually need to play.

In order to get rewards from a campaign, you must ‘start’ the campaign. You cannot get credit if you don’t manually enlist in each individual campaign.

For rewards, you may earn digital collectibles, like cards or figurines. Collectibles will be on display in your digital gallery, and will have different colored borders depending on their rarity. Collectibles are somewhat fun but generally useless. Some campaigns offer points as a reward, and these points can be used as money to buy items from the PlayStation store. You want points.

You can accumulate points via these campaigns, but you’ll also gain them from buying games from the PS Store. Every game you purchase adds points to your name, and every time you hit a certain number of points, you move up a level (levels are also mostly useless). With enough points, you can start buying PlayStation money to put towards future purchases.

Just got a new PS5? Play these 5 games first

Did you get a new PlayStation 5 for the holidays? Here are the first games you should play

How to make PlayStation Stars work for you

There are good prizes to be had with patience

The rewards aren’t too high, but thankfully, neither is the investment, so there is a way to make the loyalty program benefit you, especially if you’re a frequent gamer. The best way to get the most out of the program without spending too much energy is to simply check your app once every week or two and enroll in any available campaigns. The digital collectibles are mostly meaningless, so I would advise skipping over those. Look for any campaigns that reward stars.

Points will eventually expire, so be sure to check your account every few months to see if any deadlines are approaching. Unless you are saving up for a big title, it’s best to use your points as soon as you earn them.

Once you start those campaigns, then check the requirements. Most games give you a handful of games you can play in order to fulfill the campaign. If you’re lucky, you may already have some games in your library, but some you may have to download. Take some time once a month to open up any applicable titles. However, avoid purchasing any games you weren’t planning to already in order to fulfill the campaign. The few stars you receive for purchase isn’t worth it.

The PS6 will look a lot like the PS5 because of one specific limitation

Former PlayStation chief Shawn Layden thinks PlayStation’s hardware innovation has plateaued and that content is the “real competition.”

PS Plus members have easy access to points

PlayStation will (sort of) pay you to play titles

One of the perks of being a PS Plus member is that, each month, PlayStation releases three titles exclusively to members for free. These titles tend to vary in genre, and there’s typically something for everyone, although some months are better than others. The games are free, and they will stay free for quite a bit of time provided you save them to your library (some titles disappear over time).

If you’re a regular gamer, and buy a few titles across the year, you’ll likely make some money back, possibly enough for a free game or two, depending on how diligent you are.

One of the monthly Stars campaigns is to play one of the free PS Plus titles. For your trouble, you’ll get 50 points, which isn’t that much, but it does add up over time. If you’re going to be playing the games anyway, it’s an easy way to amass points. And if you’ve some patience, you can simply download the title, open it up, and then delete it to get credit. One of this month’s titles is Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League; whether it’s worth a play or simply a download-and-delete is irrelevant if you’re keen on 50 points.

The rewards aren’t necessarily high, but you also don’t have to do much to save some money throughout the year. With PlayStation Stars, every little bit adds up, and if you’re a regular gamer, and buy a few titles across the year, you’ll likely make some money back, possibly enough for a free game or two, depending on how diligent you are.