- Sony has confirmed that players will not need constant internet access to play digital PlayStation games
- A 30-day license verification countdown has been introduced for new digital games.
- A one-time online verification will be required to validate the game license.
Sony has finally responded to the ongoing PlayStation licensing controversy, confirming that a constant internet connection will not be required to play digital games.
Earlier this week, a new ’30-day license check’ was spotted on digitally purchased PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 games, immediately raising concerns among users. It was initially thought that the system would revoke game licenses if players did not log into their PSN account or connect their console to the Internet.
This would apply to digital games purchased after the last March system update and would reportedly not affect previous purchases.
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“Possible major DRM issue implemented by PlayStation (and supposedly also Xbox). All new PSN purchases now have a 30-day validation countdown. We are already investigating for more details,” X/Twitter user ‘DoesItPlay’ discovered.
However, Sony has now addressed the issue while allaying concerns by confirming that users only need to be connected to the internet and complete a one-time license authentication. Beyond that, no further controls will be necessary.
“Players can continue to access and play purchased games as usual,” a Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson told GameSpot. “A one-time online verification is required to confirm the game license, after which no further registration is required.”
Fortunately, the new system shouldn’t cause too many problems for users, but any PS5 and PS4 digital games purchased from the PS Store in the future will need to be authenticated once.
The license verification is suspected to be aimed at preventing potential refund scams, specifically requesting a refund and then immediately disconnecting from the internet to continue playing.
In other news, Sony has started rolling out its new PlayStation age verification system in the UK and Ireland as part of the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA). The process is currently optional, but will be mandatory in June 2026.
Those who do not complete age verification will lose access to many PlayStation communication features, such as voice and text chat, messaging, Discord voice chat, streaming features, and more.
Users should receive an email asking them to complete the age verification steps. If you haven’t received yours yet, you can check out the official FAQ to get started.
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