Free-to-play games are great for people on a budget. but not every video game can be free. Sometimes you have to put money in so that developers can keep the lights on. The next best thing after that is games that have an expanded free trial. Hour-long demos or other systems are OK, but if you can play a ton of the game for free before you buy in, that’s much more consumer-friendly. Knockout City is one such game.
Obviously, you can play for free on PC, but Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation each have their own paid multiplayer services. Some are more open than others, and some games require a paid membership to play online.
Currently, the game uses a Block Party Trial, and will for the month of May 2021. But starting tomorrow, it’s going to a more restricted trial. According to general manager David Nathanielsz of Knockout City’s developer, Velan Studio, the game is going for a different approach to online gaming. Some platforms are a bit more likely to not require paid subscriptions to play online.
Switch players do not require a Switch Online membership to play online. Those on PlayStation and Xbox require subscriptions to play online, in contrast. That means that if you want to game with your pals on these platforms, you need to pony up the cash. And yes, that applies for both Xbox One and Series X/S and PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners, too.
EA says that there are ways around this cost. You can get free access to the full game via the monthly subscription service, EA Play. Though it’s more expensive, you also get regular access to a variety of different games as well, not just the one.
So while you need to pay into Knockout City to get the full experience, it’s pretty well worth it. This new sports multiplayer title has a tumultuous but hilarious gameplay loop. Dodging the balls thrown by other players as you leap and zip around maps is a lot of fun. Knockout City Block Party Edition, retails for $19.99, and the Knockout City Deluxe Block Party Edition retails for $29.99.
