PlayStation triggers game preservation alarm bells as users find new PS5 and PS4 digital purchases have a 30-day lockout timer: "This can screw customers now AND in the future"

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PlayStation fans are up in arms as Sony appears to have introduced new licensing restrictions on digital PS4 and PS5 games, stopping users from accessing recent purchases without connecting to the internet every 30 days, with concerns raised about what this could mean for game preservation.

A few days ago, game preservation-advocating Twitter account Does It Play shared a "potential major DRM issue," noting that "all new PSN purchases now have a 30 day validation countdown." To be clear, they're not referring to PlayStation Plus games claimed from Sony's subscription service – we're talking about digital games purchased on the PlayStation storefront.

After some investigation, Does It Play reported that "newly purchased PS4 games now have 30 day valid license timer," and "PS5 is affected too, but only shows an error when starting a game." On PS4, it appears you can actually see this timer in action, as demonstrated in this video from Modded Warfare, where you can see Don't Starve Together has "Valid Period (End)" and "Remaining Time" shown.

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Potential major DRM issue rolled out by PlayStation (and Xbox as well, allegedly). All new PSN purchases now have a 30 day validation countdown. Already investigating to find out more details. pic.twitter.com/4hqMdWfJ2TApril 25, 2026

Other users have been investigating this on PS5, too, where the change isn't immediately so obvious. YouTube creator Spawn Wave demonstrated the issue on the newer console, testing two newly purchased digital games, one physical game, and another game purchased less recently (Crimson Desert). Disconnecting from the internet doesn't immediately pose an issue, presumably because the games were within the apparent 30-day license timer period, but things change after he removes the console's CMOS battery to desynchronize the system clock.

With the CMOS battery removed (in theory simulating what things could look like out of the 30-day period) and the console disconnected from the internet, Spawn Wave found that attempting to launch the two new digital games presented a message: "Can't use this content. Can't connect to the server to verify your license. Wait a while, and then try again." Spawn Wave's other two games were unaffected by this, and while the other two which didn't load were fine again once he reconnected to the internet, this obviously isn't quelling concerns about how game ownership could be affected by things like server shutdowns, outages, and more.

Putting The PS5 DRM Claims To The Test - YouTube Watch On

As Does It Play puts it, "It's not about the internet. It's about the server you need to connect to. That one won't be there forever. That's why people are worried too. We are an account concerned with preservation after all. This can screw customers now AND in the future."

For what it's worth, Spawn Wave's findings all match those from Hikikomori Media, too, who notes that "you will be locked out of FULLY purchased (not PS+) games that were purchased after March 2026 if you cannot connect to Sony's servers to restore the licenses," but that "this is not retroactive, meaning you CAN launch games that were purchased pre-March 2026." Whether that "will remain true post 30 days offline" is another matter that "needs further testing," though.

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As for why this change has been made in the first place, there are mixed reports over whether it was even intentional. Does It Play claims to have "received word from an anonymous insider" stating that "Sony accidentally broke something while fixing an exploit," and has "known about the confusing UI for a while, but didn't see it as urgent" – presumably referring to the display on PS4. This doesn't seem to fully explain things, though, as the testing suggests this isn't just an UI error if you actually can get locked out of games.

Interestingly, one ResetEra user claims that on PS4, they've seen a 'temporary' license on a recent purchase replaced by an indefinite one automatically, 16 days after purchase. With this notably being outside of the 14-day refund window, they speculate that perhaps the change could have been made because some users were "exploiting the fact that you could purchase a game, grab the indefinite license file for the thing off of an exploitable PS4 and then refund the purchase."

Meanwhile, content creator MBG has shared screenshots one of their viewers allegedly took of a chat with PlayStation support, in which the AI Online Assistant apparently informs them that "the 30-day DRM timer is meant to be a technical feature." Personally, I'd take this with a pinch of salt, too – not only is this from an interaction with, again, PlayStation's AI chatbot, which tells you when you start a conversation with it that it "may make mistakes," but another Twitter user in the replies shares a screenshot of their own, in which they're simply told that "I cannot provide information on rumors or speculation regarding game policies or timers." So, it's not exactly consistent, either.

One of my viewers contacted PlayStation support about the 30 day DRM update for PS4/PS5 games. The response they got makes it sound like this is not a mistake or "bug" and is intentional. They describe it as a "technical feature".Sony still hasn't officially responded yet. pic.twitter.com/27fcjAXNRSApril 27, 2026

We've reached out to Sony directly for comment on this situation and asked if the implementation of the so-called DRM timer was intentional, and will update this story if we receive a response. For now, this change isn't likely to greatly affect most users, but the concern is future-proofing our game libraries for years to come, and knowing that titles you've purchased will remain accessible regardless of whether you have an internet connection or not.

There's a "TV apocalypse" in video game preservation as CRTs go extinct, expert says, and that's just the tip of the iceberg as work continues to save retro hardware.

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Catherine LewisDeputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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