Best answer: No, you do not need an active PlayStation Plus membership to play Apex Legends on PlayStation 4. Because it is a free-to-play game, you can play it regardless if you have a premium online subscription or not. The same applies to Fortnite.

Why does my friend on Xbox need an Xbox Live Gold membership to play then?

Microsoft and Sony run their services a bit differently from one another. Unless a free weekend is being hosted, all online multiplayer games on Xbox require you to have an active Xbox Live Gold membership to play them, no matter if they are free-to-play games or not. In contrast, Sony usually allows players to access online multiplayer in free-to-play games without a PlayStation Plus membership.

Does having PS Plus offer me any benefits in Apex Legends?

PlayStation Plus members don't get any advantages in-game that could sway a match in their favor, but they can download an exclusive PS Plus Play Pack that contains several cosmetic items:

• 2 character skins (Lifeline and Mirage)
• 2 weapon skins (Eva-8 & R-99)
• 2 banners (Lifeline and Mirage)

At this point there are not any special deals that allow PS Plus members to grab packs of Apex Coins for a discounted price. This could change in the future should they ever go on sale. PS Plus members usually get an extra 10% or so off of whatever the sale price is for everyone else whenever the store has add-on content discounted.

Is it worth picking up a PS Plus membership for?

In regards to Apex Legends specifically, it's not worth picking up a PlayStation Plus membership. I would still recommend getting a membership though because PlayStation Plus offers a ton of benefits for its members.

Apex Legends

Fortnite competition
Respawn Entertainment dropped Apex Legends out of the blue and it quickly became a hit in the battle royale scene. Get in on the action and see for yourself just how fun it can be.

PlayStation Plus 1-month

Added benefits on PS4
PlayStation Plus may not offer a lot of benefits in the way of Apex Legends, but it's certainly a membership you'll want to pick up nonetheless, if only for the free games you'll receive each month.