I Want To Buy Ghost of Tsushima, But Sony is Forcing Me Towards Piracy

As a gamer in the Philippines, it was disheartening to learn that Ghost of Tsushima won't be available on Steam, ripped away just days before release due to the same PSN changes that were previously affecting Helldivers 2. With the Steam Deck now my primary way to play AAA games, I was fully prepared to cash in on the game’s long-awaited PC port, but Sony has taken that option away from me.

With PSN restrictions taking games away from over 170 countries that were set to buy and enjoy PlayStation games on PC, we’re left with no legal option to play Sony titles on Steam Deck. Instead, PlayStation is forcing myself, and millions of other gamers, towards piracy as our only way to play, and that stinks.

For the record, I take no pride in pirating games like Ghost of Tsushima on my Steam Deck. Even outside of being unable to support devs, the process is long, potentially virus-filled, and inconvenient. Trying to find a site that even has the game is a risk, since these often aren’t safe for my Deck or computer. Download speeds are also much slower when not officially downloading through Steam, making the wait to play this ridiculously long.

I’ve legally purchased every game in my Steam library, from cheaper indie titles like Flynn: Son of Crimson to AAA open-worlds like Batman: Arkham Knight. In the past, I’ve purchased PlayStation releases such as Marvel’s Spider-Man and Miles Morales all to play on my Steam Deck. Legally playing games on my Steam Deck isn’t just ethically better, it’s far more convenient and makes piracy more of a burden than anything else. Buying my games on Steam means it’s easier to get updates, purchase DLC, and have the convenience of redownloading at the press of a button.

Unfortunately, because I’m in the Philippines, some developers have decided not to bring their games to our shores for no reason. Konami is a prime example of this, as the publisher hasn’t made Castlevania: Lords of Shadow or Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance available for purchase in this country. Certain third-party websites also can’t sell games from Bandai Namco to the Philippines, though most of that company’s games are available directly through Steam.

For the most part, PlayStation has made all of their PC ports readily available on Steam and they’re all fantastic to play on Steam Deck. I have both of the Marvel’s Spider-Man games and they’re awesome on Steam Deck, though they still need some tinkering. Sackboy: A Big Adventure is also a really lovely platformer on the Deck, as is Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

The delisting of Helldivers 2 was a major red flag, and it was heartbreaking to see my friends who spent countless hours on the shooter lose access to the game they paid for. But now it seems the majority of future PlayStation games won’t be available in a legal capacity in my region, despite being a non-issue in the past.

Don’t get me wrong, there are legal ways to play these games in the Philippines. Buying a PS5 has become a viable option now that it’s no longer a rarity in any part of the world, even if regional pricing makes it very expensive. As for a title like Ghost of Tsushima, that game can be played on the cheaper and easily available PS4, which is still a great console.

But I don’t want to play Ghost of Tsushima on my PS4, I want the same option as everyone else. This open-world game was confirmed to have Steam Deck compatibility, despite not having the “verified” rating, and that sounded exciting. As someone who wasn’t planning to play the game’s multiplayer mode anyway - the whole reason the game has been delisted in my country, Ghost of Tsushima has been unfairly taken away,

If the folks at PlayStation ever come to their senses and relist the game here in the Philippines, I will buy Ghost of Tsushima (maybe wait for a sale). Unless that happens, I might not have any choice but to pirate this game and that sucks. This will suck even more if I have to do this for all PlayStation PC games from here on out.