How to fix ‘PS Plus required’ error in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone have arguably been the most successful CoD pairing of this generation. And rightfully so since they’re both objectively the best games in the series this generation. And, while Modern Warfare will be going away soon with Activision shifting focus towards Black Ops Cold War, the game might live on.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has gathered a healthy fanbase much like the old days with the originals. Those games have continued to live on to this day and it might just turn out to be the case here too. Warzone, on the other hand, will continue to evolve and change as it gets integrated into the next installment in the series.

However, despite the popularity of the games, their journey hasn’t been the smoothest so far. Apart from the ridiculously large installation sizes, Warzone and Modern Warfare have suffered from some pretty bad game-breaking glitches and bugs. Usually, these show up after every big update and it takes a while for Infinity Ward to patch them away.

PS Plus is required error in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

While most of the core bugs are fixed, some can linger around for months. One of these bugs is the ‘PS Plus is required‘ error that has been running rampant in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone.

The error, as its description suggests, asks players to subscribe to PlayStation Plus in order to play multiplayer. Seems fair enough, right? You need PS Plus to play multiplayer. However, the issue is that this error pops up for players who are already subscribed to PS Plus.

Not only that, but the error has also been popping up for players who are just trying to jump into a game of Warzone which is bizarre since free-to-play games don’t require a PS Plus subscription at all.

Thankfully, this is not a new error with the game and it has popped up before so we do have some precedented knowledge on different ways to fix it. So, if you want to fix the ‘PS Plus is Required’ error in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone, try using one of the methods below.

1. Relog into your PSN Account:

While logging in and out of your PSN account may seem like a useless and cliched solution, it is not that simple. Yes, it is essentially the old turn it off and then on again trick but there’s more to it. When you first start up your game while logged into your PSN account, it detects your subscription and gives the green signal over to the servers. However, due to inconsistencies with PSN, it can fail to recognize that you’re subscribed to PlayStation Plus and bring back a negative result.

And, while logging out using the quick menu by holding the PS button would be fine in most cases, we advise using the longer and more extensive method of fully logging out of your PS4 and adding your account back into it. This has produced a much higher success rate for most players who have faced this issue.

In order to properly log out of your PS Plus account, just follow these steps:

1. Go into Settings and head into the Account Management options.
2. At the top, you’ll see the Sign Out option. Just click that and wait.
3. Once you’ve been logged out, log back in with your credentials and you should be good to go.

If this method didn’t fix the ‘PS Plus is required’ error in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for you, try one of the other methods given below.

2. Make sure you’re logged out of all other accounts:

A lot of people use multiple accounts on their PS4 consoles. It offers flexibility especially if you’re trying to get better regional pricing. And, while one of your accounts may have PS Plus on it, it isn’t necessarily going to be the primary PS4 account. Furthermore, if you switch back and forth between accounts frequently, those accounts might still be active in the background.

First things first though, you need to make sure that your main PS Plus account is actually also set as the Primary PS4 account. In order to set it as a primary account, follow these steps:

1. Log into your main PSN Account that is also subscribed to PlayStation Plus.
2. Open the Settings and select Account Management.
3. You’ll see the ‘Activate as Primary PS4’ option at number three on the list. Select that.
4. Confirm and head back into the dashboard. This PS4 is now your Primary console.

Once you’ve performed these steps, it is time to log out of other lingering accounts. Just hold the PS button on your controller and select the Switch Accounts option. You’ll see a list of accounts with an indication of whether they’re logged in or not. However, just to be sure, log into each of them and log back out again using the method described in Solution 1.

When you’ve logged out all of the other accounts, log back into your main PS Plus account and try booting into the game. Hopefully, it won’t come up with the ‘PS Plus is required’ error this time around.

3. Restore all licenses for your PS Plus Account:

If you’re still getting the ‘PS Plus is required’ error in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone, it could be an issue with the game itself. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare comes with a lot of additional downloadable data. This data is required in order to access multiplayer. And, while this is not a part of the game download itself, it gets downloaded separately when you install the game.

How to fix the Missing Multiplayer DLC error in Warzone

However, with every new update, the licenses for this additional content can start behaving weirdly. This means that you simply won’t be able to access any multiplayer modes. So, to make sure that everything is fine and in its place, you need to restore licenses for this additional content.

Thankfully, there isn’t much hassle involved with this process as the PlayStation 4 just allows you to automatically scan through all of your game libraries and fix any missing or corrupted licenses that may be present there. So, in order to restore all licenses for your PS Plus account, just follow these steps:

1. Head over to your PS4 Settings and open Account Management.
2. At the bottom, you’ll find the Restore Licenses option. Select that and the process will begin.
3. Wait for a few minutes until all of your licenses are scanned and restored.

After the process is fully complete, restart your game and you should be able to get in without any issues.

4. Restart your Console and Router:

If nothing else is working, the last thing that you can try is resetting everything. Turn off your console and unplug it. After that, turn off your internet router and wait for at least 10 seconds before turning it on. Now, turn on your PS4 and try logging into the game. If that doesn’t work either then you might have to delete and reinstall your game.

However, considering the humungous size of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone install, it isn’t easy. So, only do it if you have fast internet or you could be sitting there for ages. Instead, we’d suggest you contact official support. You can either contact Activision or PSN. Hopefully, they’ll be able to fix your issue.

If not, then you’re sadly out of luck and may have to wait for an official patch that fixes the issue.

For more Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone content, check out our other coverage!

Check for Updates: Ensure that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Warzone is fully updated. Developers often release patches and updates to fix bugs and improve game performance.