PS5, PS4 Game Expiry DRM Concerns Escalate as Sony Remains Silent on Issue

by

Update [Mon 27th Apr 2026, 1:15pm]:

We’re updating this article on Monday afternoon and are still awaiting a response from Sony regarding the reported DRM issue with the PS5 and PS4.

We already explained the issues at the beginning of the weekend, and there haven’t been any significant updates since. We’ve reached out to Sony for a statement, but haven’t heard back from them yet.

But a new video from Modded Warfare does provide a pretty good summary of the problem.

Currently, this problem seems to only impact brand new PS4 games. It’s still unclear if PS5 games are affected too.

The video demonstrates that new software needs to connect to PlayStation Network (PSN) every 30 days to confirm it’s legitimate. Removing the console’s CMOS battery causes these games to become unplayable.

Connecting your console to the internet will reset the timer, but this creates a worry: if Sony stops running its servers one day, the game’s preservation could be at risk.

We don’t yet know if this is a mistake or a deliberate attempt to control access, and we’ll need a statement from the platform owner to be sure.

We’ll continue to push the company for a statement and will update when we get word back.

Many PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 owners are worried today because of claims that Sony has added a type of DRM. This DRM seems to suggest that games you buy might stop working after 30 days.

It’s worth noting that the information we have so far isn’t consistent, the company hasn’t officially responded, and some reports indicate the problem may have already been fixed.

Here’s what we know so far:

  • Some newly purchased PS4 games have started to display a validity period of 30 days.
  • Based on our testing, the issue only appears to be affecting PS4 games purchased within the last few weeks.
  • We’ve been unable to replicate the disclaimer on a PS5, although some on social media claim they’ve seen the message there as well.

We’ve seen reports that the timer restarts if you go online after it runs out, but we haven’t been able to verify this ourselves.

We’ve also seen reports saying your console license will be completely cancelled if you don’t connect it to the internet before it expires, but we haven’t been able to verify this claim. If it’s true, it could be the basis for legal action.

The Issue First Emerged in Late March

People began discussing this in late March, but it’s only recently gained traction on social media.

A comparable problem happened with the PS3 and PS Vita in 2022, but it was successfully fixed.

According to the game preservation account Destruction Games on X (formerly Twitter), console games that check for a valid date won’t start if the console’s CMOS battery is dead or removed.

You may recall there was a big hullabaloo around this in 2021, which Sony actually fixed.

The CMOS battery keeps track of the date and time, and it’s also used to verify when you earn trophies in the console. As with all batteries, it doesn’t last forever and will eventually need to be replaced.

Replacing this part is simple, but older PS4 software used to require a connection to PlayStation Network to confirm the correct date and time after the replacement.

People worried that if the PlayStation Network ever shut down in the future, this verification process would no longer work, making all games unplayable.

Sony fixed this problem in update 9.00, so it’s surprising to see it reappear after five years.

It Could Be a Bug

Some Reddit users have noticed that a display showing how long their games were valid used to appear, but it’s now gone.

The website Does It Play, which tests if software works without an internet connection, reports that a source familiar with the situation says the problem is not intentional.

According to reports, Sony unintentionally caused a problem while trying to fix a security flaw. They were aware of the confusing user interface, but didn’t consider it a high priority issue.

Wait for More Information from Sony

Our view on this is that it’s very likely an error.

Look, I get why people are frustrated and worried about this issue, but honestly, the reports are all over the place. Some people are getting this error message, and others aren’t seeing anything at all. From what I’ve gathered, it seems to only be happening with brand new software, and specifically on the PS4. It doesn’t seem like whatever’s causing it is working consistently, which is really strange.

If it turns out this is a new form of digital rights management, we’ll be the first to point it out. However, because the company hasn’t said anything and there’s a lot of inaccurate information spreading online, we ask everyone to remain calm and wait for more official details.

In the meantime, we’ll contact Sony for comment and update if and when we hear back.

Read More

2026-04-27 15:07