Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription model is facing aggressive industry competition this April. To keep players engaged, one of its headlining free games is fundamentally rewriting the rules of the punishing action RPG genre. Lords of the Fallen will hit the PlayStation Plus Essential tier on April 7, but developer CI Games has preemptively deployed a massive update that strips away years of restrictive multiplayer mechanics established by genre titans like Dark Souls and Elden Ring.
The update is live right now across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam. It lands just days before the game joins the PlayStation Plus April 2026 lineup alongside Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream and Tomb Raider I-III Remastered.
This patch grants co-op partners unprecedented freedom. Guest players can finally upgrade equipment, socket upgrade items, and interact directly with vendors without leaving the host’s session. They can use Chrysalis Rebirth. They can plant Vestige seeds. They can even initiate boss battles.
The host no longer controls every single action.
Developers added a new permissions toggle for hosts. Players can choose between granting allies Full Privileges or Limited Privileges. This solves a lingering friction point, according to a detailed report published ahead of the game’s subscription debut. Some players want total chaos. Others still want strict narrative control.
CI Games launched the title in October 2023. They have pushed over 70 updates since then. The team previously added full shared progression and a free friends pass in April 2025. This week’s update also squashes a notorious bug that caused character levels to multiply after a co-op respec. PC players using PS5 DualSense controllers will see immediate stability fixes too.
The PlayStation Plus April 2026 freebie lineup receives a timely bonus in the form of a game-changing update for one of its three titles. https://t.co/57ip5Peblz pic.twitter.com/QLgqJVkVEU
— GameRant (@GameRant) April 3, 2026
How CI Games is Dismantling the FromSoftware Multiplayer Formula
For over a decade, the action RPG multiplayer format has remained stubbornly rigid. Traditional titles treat guest players as temporary phantoms. They are summoned for a specific boss fight. They are immediately banished upon victory. Lords of the Fallen is actively rejecting that legacy.
By allowing guests to warp between Vestiges and upgrade their own gear while inside another player’s world, the game transitions from a host-tethered summon system into a true cooperative RPG. The timing is strategic. Exposing millions of new PlayStation Plus subscribers to a frictionless multiplayer experience creates a massive word-of-mouth marketing funnel.
Players will not drop out in frustration after a single death. They will stay in the session, upgrade their weapons, and try again as equal partners.