Three empires, one continent, thousands of players fighting over it at once — no lobbies, no matchmaking, just one persistent war.
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PlanetSide 2 is a free shooter game released under Free to play. It runs on Windows, needs about 20.5 GB of disk space, and requires no account, payment or trial. On a computer, the fastest route is the PlayBound Launcher. On a phone or tablet, use the official store or site instead.
Choose how to install
Install with PlayBound or download from the official source without the launcher.
Windows
PlanetSide 2 is free. Press Install in PlayBound: it downloads the game through its managed anonymous SteamCMD runtime — no Steam purchase or login is needed. Leave 20 GB free (the developer's published requirement).
Windows
Alternatively install it from Steam (app 218230, https://store.steampowered.com/app/218230/PlanetSide_2/) or the Daybreak launcher from planetside2.com; PlayBound detects either install.
Windows
Launch it. On first run you create a free Daybreak account — the game requires it for login — then pick a server and create a character for one of the three empires.
Windows
Do the in-game training and the Warpgate tutorial before your first real battle; the game gives an early gear loadout for free.
Recommended first-time setup and configuration steps when launching PlanetSide 2.
Pick an empire (Terran Republic, New Conglomerate or Vanu Sovereignty); you can create a character on each, so the first choice is not a lock-in.
Join a squad from the in-game finder or an outfit; coordinated play is what makes the large battles click.
Spend your first certs on the infantry loadout you actually play, then branch out to vehicles and aircraft.
How to join and navigate multiplayer lobbies and servers in PlanetSide 2.
PlanetSide 2 is a persistent MMO shooter on Daybreak's servers. Everyone connects to the same worlds, so friends join the same server and empire.
PlayBound does not host this game; use a PlayBound party to plan which server, empire and outfit you land on together.
Minimum
64-bit Windows 7 or later (the Steam client itself now needs Windows 10+) · Intel Core i5-4460 or better · NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 or better · 6 GB RAM · DirectX 11.0 · DirectX-compatible sound card · broadband internet · 20 GB free disk space. Windows only.
Recommended
64-bit Windows 7 or later · Intel Core i5-6600K or higher / AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or higher · NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or higher / AMD R9 280X or higher · 8 GB RAM · DirectX 11.0 · broadband · 20 GB free disk space.
Yes — it's free to play with an optional cosmetic/convenience cash shop. No subscription or purchase is required to play the full game.
Yes — at contested bases and major alerts it's common to see well over 100 players from multiple factions fighting over the same objective simultaneously.
The learning curve is real — classes, vehicles, and base mechanics take time to learn — but new players can contribute quickly by following squad orders while they learn the systems.
Partial support exists, but it's designed around mouse and keyboard; a controller is workable but not the intended input method.
Yes. PlanetSide 2 has multiplayer. Its multiplayer runs through the game's own online service or menus, so PlayBound Connect parties and PlayBound dedicated servers are not available for it. It also supports co-op play. The game can run its own dedicated servers. There is no subscription and no paid multiplayer tier.
Steam lists 20 GB of required storage on both the minimum and recommended tiers, so leave at least 20 GB free plus room for patches.
Minimum: 64-bit Windows 7 or later, Core i5-4460, GTX 480, 6 GB RAM and DirectX 11. Recommended: Core i5-6600K or Ryzen 5 1600, GTX 960 or R9 280X, 8 GB RAM. It is Windows only.
Yes: a free Daybreak account, which the Steam page lists as a third-party requirement. You create it the first time you launch the game.
Steam lists Rogue Planet Games as the developer and Daybreak Game Company as the publisher. It launched in November 2012 and is free to play.