Stellar Blade is set to arrive on PC via Steam on 11 June, but it won’t be accessible to players in more than 130 countries. This unexpected restriction has taken even the game’s developer, Shift Up, by surprise. The studio has received a flood of messages on social platforms from fans sharing screenshots showing that the game is unavailable for purchase in their locations.
Regions such as Europe and the United States remain unaffected, but other countries including Bangladesh, Botswana, and Fiji are among those where the game is blocked.
Possible Link to PlayStation Integration?
There’s no confirmed explanation yet for the widespread regional restriction. However, it might be connected to a situation similar to what occurred with Helldivers 2. In that case, PC players were required to link their accounts to PlayStation Network in order to continue playing. The move sparked a major backlash and eventually led to the game being delisted in many territories—until the requirement was reversed.
While Stellar Blade itself doesn’t demand a PSN account to play on PC, one of the new in-game outfits will only become available when a user’s Steam account is connected to Sony’s services. Curiously, PSN support is not available in the regions affected by the game’s PC restriction.
Full Game Still Coming with Major Enhancements
Despite the regional lockouts, Stellar Blade is still launching globally for supported areas with various improvements. The PC edition boasts cutting-edge visual features, including support for Nvidia’s DLSS 4 and AMD’s FSR 3 technologies.
Additionally, the game is expanding its content offerings. Players can expect 25 new Nano Suits to customise their experience, along with a Boss Challenge mode where they’ll face off against Xionn’s powerful guardian, Mann.
PlayStation 5 users won’t be left out either. All this new content will also be delivered to the console version in a free update soon after the PC launch.
A Frustrating Wait for Many Fans
For now, those residing in the over 130 blocked regions must wait for clarification or a possible reversal of the restrictions. With neither Sony nor Shift Up offering an official explanation just yet, the situation leaves a significant portion of the global gaming community in limbo—unable to access one of this year’s anticipated action titles.