{"id":925226,"date":"2026-04-29T01:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T01:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/925226\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T01:02:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T01:02:19","slug":"ps5-game-expiry-drm-potentially-explained-sony-still-yet-to-comment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/925226\/","title":{"rendered":"PS5 Game Expiry DRM Potentially Explained, Sony Still Yet to Comment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PS4<\/a><\/p>\n

Update #4 [Wed 29th Apr 2026, 12am]:<\/strong> A credible theory shared by user Andshrew on ResetEra<\/a> is beginning to circulate potentially making sense of Sony\u2019s alleged DRM issue.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that while the research seems logical, and has been corroborated by preservation account Does It Play<\/a>, we\u2019re still waiting on an official statement from the manufacturer. So don\u2019t take any of this as confirmation.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the theory: it\u2019s a type of temporary DRM designed to combat a potential loophole being exploited by some consumers.<\/p>\n

According to Andshrew\u2019s research, purchasing a digital game issues a temporary 30 day offline license usage.<\/p>\n

This license transitions to a permanent license when you connect to the PSN 14 days after making your purchase. From that point onwards, your game will be permanently playable offline.<\/p>\n

The idea is that this exceeds Sony\u2019s two week refund window<\/a>. The manufacturer issues refunds on digital software that\u2019s been purchased but never booted.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s therefore speculated that some people have been downloading games, immediately taking their consoles offline, requesting a refund, and then retaining ownership of the software. This new licensing system, it\u2019s argued, is designed to combat that.<\/p>\n

It certainly explains a lot, like why some people have seen the 30 day expiry timer suddenly disappear.<\/p>\n

But we can\u2019t help but wonder how many people were actually taking advantage of this loophole, and if it\u2019s truly worth all of the hassle to Sony.<\/p>\n

Assuming this is the case, then it should be fairly easy to prove over the coming weeks. But what would be more straightforward is if the manufacturer came out and made a comment.<\/p>\n

So, to summarise: newly purchased digital games have a 30 day offline license attached. If you connect to the PSN at any point after the 14th day of purchase, the license will become permanent and you\u2019ll be able to play your game offline in perpetuity.<\/p>\n

Update #3 [Tue 28th Apr 2026, 12:30pm]:<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re deep into Tuesday now and still no comment from Sony on its reported DRM issues.<\/p>\n

We now have confirmation that the 30 day expiry timer is affecting software purchased within the past few weeks on both the PS5 and PS4. But we still don\u2019t know if it\u2019s intentional or an error.<\/p>\n

However, a slew of statements from customer support have started circulating on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Any PlayStation game purchased digitally after March’s sytem update will reportedly now require an internet connection once every 30 days to validate the license \ud83c\udfae<\/p>\n

If the console stays offline longer than that, the games will not launch until you reconnect<\/p>\n

(via\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/yN6ZPzEN3L<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Culture Crave \ud83c\udf7f (@CultureCrave) April 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some of these appear to imply that the 30 day check-in is intentional and was incorporated after the March 2026 update. Others are less conclusive.<\/p>\n

As always, we\u2019d recommend approaching statements from customer support like this with a degree of scepticism. While the information does appear clear cut, some of these so-called agents are chat bots; others simply aren\u2019t equipped to field topics like this.<\/p>\n

Once again, we\u2019ll push for a statement from the platform holder and will update when we hear back.<\/p>\n

Update #2 [Tue 28th Apr 2026, 12am]:<\/strong><\/p>\n

There had been confusion about whether the PS5 was affected by Sony\u2019s alleged new DRM, which requires you to connect to the Internet every 30 days in order to verify your game licenses.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because, unlike the PS4, there\u2019s no disclaimer in the Game Information which states when your software will expire.<\/p>\n

But Spawn Wave<\/a> has put together a brilliant video, confirming this issue also applies to the PS5.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In it, he tests four games: Saint Slayer<\/a> (purchased digitally today), Vampire Crawlers<\/a> (purchased digitally today), Crimson Desert<\/a> (purchased digitally around a month ago), and Pragmata<\/a> (purchased physically).<\/p>\n

All four games boot normally when the console is connected to the Internet. They also boot just fine when taken offline.<\/p>\n

But in order to confuse the console\u2019s time verifier, he removes the CMOS battery from his PS5 Pro. In these conditions, Saint Slayer and Vampire Crawlers no longer load at all. Crimson Desert does boot (despite showing a lock symbol), while Pragmata works as usual.<\/p>\n

The error message that displays is as follows: \u201cCan\u2019t use this content. Can\u2019t connect to the server to verify your license. Wait a while, then try again.\u201d<\/p>\n

All four games operate as usual when he reconnects to the Internet.<\/p>\n

There are multiple concerns here, with the most worrying being that Sony has implemented a new form of DRM. We\u2019ve contacted the company and are still waiting for a response.<\/p>\n

At best, this is a bug which will need to be fixed because if it remains like this there\u2019s a very real worry about preservation. In the current scenario, if your CMOS battery were to fail and Sony had taken its servers offline, your purchases would be rendered worthless.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth reiterating here that there\u2019s no evidence whatsoever of your licenses being revoked if you fail the check-in; this is also only affecting newly purchased games.<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s enough evidence mounting now to demand a comment from the company.<\/p>\n

Update #1 [Mon 27th Apr 2026, 1:15pm]:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s early on Monday afternoon as we update this article, but we\u2019re still waiting for comment from Sony on the PS5 and PS4\u2019s alleged DRM issue.<\/p>\n

We outlined all of the problems earlier in the weekend, and the story has barely moved since then. We have contacted Sony for comment and we\u2019ve yet to receive word back.<\/p>\n

But a new video from Modded Warfare<\/a> does provide a pretty good summary of the problem.<\/p>\n

As noted previously, this issue only appears to affect newly purchased PS4 software for now. There\u2019s still uncertainty around whether PS5 is impacted as well.<\/p>\n

As he shows in the video, newly purchased software requires a PSN handshake every 30 days in order to be verified. When he takes the CMOS battery out of his console, those games get locked and are no longer playable.<\/p>\n

The timer does restart if you connect your console to the Internet, but this obviously raises huge preservation concerns should Sony ever take its servers offline in the future.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still unclear whether this is an unintended bug or a new form of DRM, and we\u2019re not going to know for certain until the platform holder comments.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll continue to push the company for a statement and will update when we get word back.<\/p>\n

Original Story:<\/strong> There\u2019s been huge concern<\/a> among PS5 and PS4 owners today regarding an alleged form of DRM introduced by Sony which appears to suggest owned software will expire within a period of 30 days.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s important to caution that the reporting thus far is inconsistent, there\u2019s been no comment from the company itself, and there have even been some suggestions of the issue already being resolved.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we know so far:<\/p>\n