PlayStation introduces 30-day online license checks for digital PS4 and PS5 games
Updated
Updated · OpenCritic · Apr 25
PlayStation introduces 30-day online license checks for digital PS4 and PS5 games
4 articles · Updated · OpenCritic · Apr 25
A new DRM update now requires users to verify digital game licenses online every 30 days, with PS4 games displaying a visible timer and PS5 games issuing an error if verification lapses.
Failure to check in within the 30-day period locks users out of their purchased digital games, regardless of primary console settings, and the update was quietly added in March's firmware.
Sony has not commented on the change, and some reports suggest the timer and license system may have been activated unintentionally, raising concerns among game preservation advocates.
Is Sony turning game purchases into 30-day rentals with its new DRM?
Will this online check render countless digital PlayStation games unplayable in the future?
Is PlayStation repeating the biggest public relations mistake of the Xbox One?
How does this online check affect players with unreliable internet access?
Could this push gamers toward Web3 alternatives that promise real digital ownership?