PS5 Digital Games Reportedly Now Have 30-Day Online Check-In DRM
· Vice
A new report claims that Sony is going to be adding online DRM to all PS5 and PS4 digital games. If true, players will need their console to connect to the internet every 30 days or risk losing their license. However, is this rumor actually true?
online DRM Added to PS5 Digital Games According to rumor
Screenshot: PlayStationUpdate: Game Preservation Site Does it Play? Now claims the PS5 and PS4 Digital Games DRM is an unintentional bug.
“Received word from an anonymous insider. The Sony DRM issue is unintentional. From what we gathered, Sony accidentally broke something while fixing an exploit. They’ve known about the confusing UI for a while, but didn’t see it as urgent. Hoping for a clarifying statement now.”
Visit newssport.cv for more information.
Screenshot: X @DoesItPlay1Although the site is reporting this claim is from an “anonymous insider.” So we’ll have to wait and see if Sony confirms or denies this. For now, here is the original report below:
Original Article:
This latest report comes from popular modder Lance McDonald. In a series of posts on X, the developer claimed that Sony has started adding always-online DRM to PS5 and PS4 digital titles bought on the PlayStation Store. “Hugely terrible DRM has now been rolled out to all PS4 and PS5 digital games. Every digital game you buy now requires an online check-in every 30 days.”
What the PS5 DRM Report Says (Key Details Explained):
- Newly purchased digital games may require an online check-in every 30 days
- If the console isn’t connected within that period, the license could be revoked temporarily
- This reportedly does not affect older purchases
- The usual “primary console” setting allegedly does not bypass this requirement
- There has been no official confirmation from Sony, so this should be treated as a rumor for now
However, McDonald then claimed that players would lose their license if they failed to check in within that 30-day period. “If you buy a digital game and don’t connect your console to the internet for 30 days, your license will be removed.”
The modder provided a screenshot of a game apparently showing off the new DRM. In the image, it now shows a PS4 digital game having a “remaining time” category now added to its page. Strangely, it appears PS5 title’s don’t show the new DRM category, but will reportedly still time out after the 30-day period without connecting to an internet. Or, so it’s claimed.
Screenshot: X @manfightdragonInterestingly, the report then goes on to say this only impacts new PS5 and PS4 digital games that have been bought recently. So if you’ve paid for titles in the past, then this new online DRM won’t be added to them.
“Games you bought in the past seem to not have this issue. But any game you buy from now on will only work for 30 days without an online check-in. This can NOT be avoided by using ‘Activate console as primary.’ All digital games now die after 30 days for all owners.”
Does PS5 Digital Now Have DRM?
Screenshot: PlayStationWe haven’t been able to personally verify this PS5 DRM report’s accuracy. However, following Lance McDonald’s post, several other reports began to pop up that seemed to corroborate his claim. For example, popular game preservation site “Does It Play?” also reported the PS5 and PS4 digital DRM as being potentially real.
“What we know/don’t know about PlayStation’s DRM issue. Newly purchased PS4 games now have a 30-day valid license timer. Most likely introduced in March 2026 firmware. Could be a bug similar to an incident from 2022. PS5 is affected too, but only shows an error.”
Screenshot: X @DoesItPlay1They also explained that it could be a bug and not an intended feature. What’s noteworthy is that there was a similar incident that happened in 2022, according to the site. So until Sony PlayStation themselves confirm it or we get more tests, it’s not entirely clear if all PS5 and PS4 digital games will have DRM from here on out. Regardless, all of this is pretty concerning.
PlayStation Players Compare PS5 DRM to Xbox One “Always Online” Feature
Screenshot: PlayStationUnsurprisingly, many players reacted negatively to reports of the new PS5 DRM. The rumored 30-day online check-in, of course, drew many comparisons to Xbox One’s deeply unpopular “Always Online” feature that they tried to introduce back in 2013. However, the publisher removed the feature before launch due to the intense backlash.
Many PS5 players were frustrated at Sony possibly reviving the hated feature and sounded off on social media sites. “It pisses me off the hypocrisy of Sony to use online DRM criticism against Xbox One, yet now following in their exact footsteps. We seriously need regulations against this if politicians actually got off their ass,” one user on Reddit wrote, for example.
Screenshot: Microsoft“This is the sort of thing that happens when Xbox isn’t offering strong enough competition. Sony gets complacent and anti-consumer,” another user commented. One Sony fan simply vented, “This should be illegal.”
For now, though, we should take this latest rumor with a healthy grain of salt. The fact that only some PlayStation users are claiming to see it, makes me think it could be an error. If nothing else, this report is proof that online-DRM is still as unpopular as its ever been.
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