UK-based PC gamers were caught off guard this week when two major Sony-published titles — Helldivers 2 and Horizon Forbidden West — vanished from the Steam storefront without warning. Players attempting to visit the games’ store pages were met with a blunt error message stating the items were “currently unavailable in your region,” effectively blocking any new purchases or DLC acquisitions in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.
The disappearance, which appears to have taken effect on September 16th, initially sparked concern that Sony was deliberately pulling its games from PC distribution. The company has, after all, signaled a strategic shift this year, with PlayStation executive Hermen Hulst confirming that the studio’s narrative-driven single-player titles would remain exclusive to the PS5 going forward. Against that backdrop, the sudden removal of two flagship titles from the UK’s largest PC gaming marketplace raised eyebrows across the community.
Sony moved quickly to quash speculation, issuing a statement to Eurogamer and other outlets clarifying that the delisting was not intentional. “We are aware of an issue affecting the availability of select titles on Steam in the UK,” a company spokesperson said. “We are working with Valve to address the issue. We apologise for the inconvenience.” The statement strongly suggests the removal was the result of a backend error rather than a deliberate business decision.
According to data tracked on SteamDB and highlighted by Rock Paper Shotgun, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, and the United Kingdom were added to the restricted regions list for both titles. One prevailing theory ties the mishap to Sony’s ongoing practice of restricting game availability to regions where its PlayStation Network service operates, a policy that has caused headaches for several PC releases in the past. Helldivers 2 itself was at the center of a significant PSN-related controversy back in 2024, and the more recent Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls faced similar regional limitations.
Fortunately for players who already own either game, their libraries remain unaffected — both Helldivers 2 and Horizon Forbidden West can still be launched and played as normal. The issue is confined to new purchases and DLC transactions. With Sony actively coordinating with Valve to resolve the matter, a fix is expected to arrive in relatively short order.
Still, the incident has underscored the unease many PC gamers feel about Sony’s evolving approach to the platform. Even if this particular episode turns out to be nothing more than an administrative glitch, it serves as a reminder of how dependent PC players are on publisher decisions made behind the scenes — and how quickly access to major titles can be disrupted without notice.