Is DCUO 100% Free To Play?

I was wondering if DCUO is actually 100% "FREE" to play.

The reason I ask is that a friend recently signed up and downloaded the game on their Xbox One X based on my recommendation and they have to pay Xbox in order to play DCUO on their Xbox One X. I just checked my own copy of DCUO on my Xbox One X and sure enough I have to buy an Xbox game pass if I were to play DCUO on my Xbox One X (I got DCUO on my Xbox a couple of years ago but never really played it since I am hardcore PC - so I never knew that my Xbox game pass was allowing me to play DCUO if in fact that is what was happening.)

I would just like to know if an Xbox game pass IS required to play DCUO on Xbox. And if it is, how exactly is DCUO "FREE" to play for Xbox players? This is mostly JUST a curiosity for me since I never really played DCUO on Xbox and I quit playing DCUO on PC a year ago (I just couldn't take ALL the Batman content being added with every content patch.) Oh, and if an Xbox game pass is NOT required to play DCUO on Xbox please provide the workaround if you're so kind.

Thank you.

Its free to play, you can wander around and have fun for a bit. You cant do anything worth doing without paying

Yes. This is true for PC players. But I cannot access the game at all on my Xbox One X without buying an Xbox game pass. Which makes it seem like it is NOT "FREE" to play. Every time I try to launch DCUO on my Xbox One X I get a prompt telling me that I need to buy an Xbox game pass to even get TO DCUO. Would like to know what if anything I am missing that makes DCUO actually "FREE" to play and what that workaround is.

I am thoroughly familiar with DCUO on PC having been here at launch all the way through The Hack and the first episode and then on and off through the years. My question is specific to Xbox.

Thank you.

Ah yeah, you might want to repost specific to the xbox ppl. Ask for xbox players help, the devs only respond to crush the hopes of players and unveil new 2 new instances and 50,000 new items to buy.

This problem has nothing to do with DCUO or DBG. The game is free to play, absolutely. What is not free to play is Xbox Live, the network that allows a Xbox to connect to game servers. This is true for any and all online games you can play in Xbox, including no-free games that you already own, as Destiny, CoD, Halo...

DCUO is not 100% free to play.

On Xbox and Switch specifically(This isn't DCUO's fault) their memberships(Xbox Live Gold on Xbox.) And (Nintendo Switch online for Switch) are required to play online for every available game they have. Where as on Playstation 4 and PC, the game can be played online without any fee.



As for the free to play aspect of the game, I'd strongly recommend you treat it as a trial mode of the game as you can progress all the way up until Tier 5. At around Tier 5, that's where you'll either need to make a choice of buying episodes or becoming a member to get the newest content that pops up to continue to progress.


So by definition, it is still technically "Free to play" but you will eventually hit a wall where you'll need to pay to continue progress.

The Free to Play Model should honestly be called DCUO lite at this point, because that's what it really is.

Well, you can go premium. Less pressure than having to play as not to waste your subscription, you can do it at your own pace, and every single thing you buy is permanently yours.

Not really.
I hate when people say the game is free to play.
Membership is pretty much required. The only alternative to even have a little fun in the game is to buy each episode and unlimited escrow. Either way you'll have to spend money or your toon will miss out on most feats, styles, cr, artifacts, etc.

I do not understand why Xbox requires purchasing their membership to play DCUO when Playstation does not. It is why there are more players on the PS4/PC server than on the Xbox in my opinion; you would think that Microsoft would have copied Sony to be competitive with console sales at least.

The Free to Play version is more like "DCUO Demo", because that is what it really is, albeit extended. I say "extended" because unlike other free trial offerings from other games, you can level up to end game without paying anything (The Event version of new content makes this possible). It just takes longer to get there.

Free to Play for this game is only a sample of the game, "...an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato..." (couldn't help the Ebeneezer Scrooge reference there, sorry).

95% of the content requires a subscription, without it you don't have enough inventory (and not even with it in fact), free money (there isn't even a minimum to repair all your armor if you fall) Trinkets (very important in the game) augments and artifacts (today they rules the game), use of the daily vault (3k nth metal stones) TC keys, apart from that, in the free you get a char of cr 100 with some 120sp and the game today offers cr close to 310 and more of 540 sp divided into more than 30 dlc's of which you will not be able to play anyone
So...
Do you consider it free?

You would think that, but then again: we're talking about Microsoft here. The same Microsoft who had to roll back an entire anti-consumer DRM just to save their current gen hardware from a very bad launch.


And as far as playstation goes: They're not exactly perfect on online either, there's still plenty of titles that require PS Plus just to play online. DCUO just happens to be an exception. That's in stark contrast to the PS3 days when online didn't require PS Plus in any shape or form.

Even Nintendo's Failed WII U had free online play, now the switch demands a monthly service for it.

So honestly, I don't get all 3 of these companies at all when it comes to online other than "We want to make profit off of this".

This is why the feat system is a terrible idea for a progression system...locks out the majority of players and only caters to a handful of soulless players who gain 24/7 help from people to complete feats...and then those same players turn around and blame players for not knowing how to play the game...Do the devs even care to explain the feats properly? Nope. That just gives people more reason for find better mmos. Game would've been much better if they just made a system where players grind content and gain certain item drops from bosses and enemies so they can craft armor sets to become stronger...Sure beats having to wait for hours trying to find people to complete feats that most vets already finished and do not even want to deal with again...

No dcuo is not a free game neither are you forced to make micro transactions to continue playing , all episode dlc micro transaction begin at level 30 and continue with a combat rating requirement which replaces story leveling , dcuo is a shareware aka trialware title you can player story once per character , Replay badges require real money to aquire , the event content how ever is free to all regardless account status.

You can buy unilimited escrow and permanently remove your money limit?

No, you can't.
This feature releases your scrow for a few days and that's it.
After that you have the money blocked again.
As the amount charged for this is kind of high I don't see why anyone would pay this option instead of paying the subscription month

Are you really saying this to someone who has 500sp?

actually thats not a bad idea, thats the point, forcing you to sub.

I think (someone can probably correct me if I'm wrong) that's something to do with whether a game uses Sony's servers or not? DCUO uses its' own servers, so doesn't incur the PS Plus charge, while games that rely on Sony's servers to run incur it - but I could be wrong.

From the what i read on the support site of Playstation: The reason DCUO, Fortnite, PlanetSide 2, COD: Warzone and other F2P games don't require PS+ is simply because they're Free To Play and Sony at least for now respects that by letting you play without paying.
https://support.playstation.com/s/article/PS4-Online-Multiplayer-Requirements?language=en_US

To answer your question more specifically here's this interview from 2013 (this was before the PS4 was released iirc) https://www.dualshockers.com/e3-201...tion-plus-requirement-for-multiplayer-on-ps4/ in that article it's said that if a game requires PS+ or not it's on the devs of each game to decide.

Also here's the definition of Free To Play in case any of you need a reminder:

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/27039/free-to-play-f2p

That X-Box Live, or PlayStation Network membership is required for that console to go online. It is not specific to DCUO; it is a console thing. You will need the same thing if you are going to play Friday the 13th online, or Call of Duty, or Fortnite.

Blaming DCUO that your console requires a membership to connect to the internet is like saying the game isn't free to play because you have to buy an internet connection, or because your X-Box cost you money, or because the whole thing uses electricity.

When Daybreak says it's "free" they mean that they aren't charging you anything. And they aren't. If your friend has an X-Box One X, and you have an X-Box One X, then surely the two of you have noticed before this that, without the X-Box Live pass, you have never, ever been able to play a game together online. And now, with that pass, you will be able to. Not just DCUO, but literally every single game X-Box makes that has online functionality.