PS5 Game Expiry DRM Potentially Explained, Sony Still Yet to Comment

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A possible explanation for Sony’s reported DRM problem is gaining traction online. The theory, originally posted by ResetEra user Andshrew, seems plausible and is starting to spread.

Although the research appears sound and has been supported by the preservation group Does It Play, we haven’t received official confirmation from the manufacturer yet. Therefore, don’t consider this confirmed information.

So, here’s what I’m hearing: it seems like this is a short-term fix to stop people from finding a way around the system – a kind of temporary digital rights management thing. Basically, they’re trying to close a loophole some fans figured out.

Andshrew’s research shows that when you buy a digital game, it grants you access to play offline for a limited time – specifically, 30 days.

As a fan, I was really happy to learn that once you connect to PlayStation Network about two weeks after buying the game, your license becomes permanent! That means I can keep playing, even when I’m offline – which is awesome!

The concern is that this request falls outside of Sony’s 14-day refund period. Sony typically offers refunds for digital software only if it hasn’t been used.

Some people are thought to be downloading games, disconnecting their consoles, and then getting refunds while still keeping the software. This new licensing system is believed to be a way to prevent this practice.

This clarifies a lot of things, such as why some users have recently stopped seeing the 30-day expiration timer.

We’re curious how many people were actually using this workaround, and whether the effort it caused Sony was really worth it.

If this is true, we should be able to confirm it in the next few weeks. However, it would be much simpler if the company just released a statement.

Here’s how it works with digital game licenses: when you buy a new game, it’s initially licensed for offline play for 30 days. If you connect to PlayStation Network anytime after the first 14 days, your license becomes permanent, meaning you can continue playing the game offline forever.

Update #3 [Tue 28th Apr 2026, 12:30pm]:

We’re deep into Tuesday now and still no comment from Sony on its reported DRM issues.

We’ve confirmed that recently purchased software on both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 is incorrectly showing a 30-day expiry. It’s currently unclear whether this is a bug or an intended feature.

However, a slew of statements from customer support have started circulating on social media.

Some evidence suggests the 30-day check-in was deliberately added after an update in March 2026, while other findings aren’t as clear.

It’s always a good idea to be a little cautious when reading responses from customer support. While the information might seem straightforward, remember that you could be interacting with a chatbot, or an agent who isn’t knowledgeable about this specific issue.

Once again, we’ll push for a statement from the platform holder and will update when we hear back.

Update #2 [Tue 28th Apr 2026, 12am]:

As a PlayStation fan, I was really worried when I heard about this new DRM thing Sony might be implementing. Apparently, there was some uncertainty about whether it would affect the PS5, but the rumor is that you’d have to connect to the internet every 30 days just to prove you actually own your games. It was causing a lot of stress for those of us who don’t always have a stable connection!

This is different from the PS4 because the game details don’t tell you when the software will stop working.

But Spawn Wave has put together a brilliant video, confirming this issue also applies to the PS5.

He reviewed four games: Saint Slayer and Vampire Crawlers, both bought digitally today, Crimson Desert (purchased digitally about a month ago), and Pragmata, which he bought as a physical copy.

The four games launch without issues whether the console is connected to the internet or playing offline.

To trick the console’s system clock, he takes out the CMOS battery from his PS5 Pro. After doing this, the games Saint Slayer and Vampire Crawlers won’t start. Crimson Desert does launch, although it displays a lock icon, and Pragmata runs normally.

You’re seeing an error message that says, “Can’t use this content. We couldn’t connect to our server to check your subscription. Please try again later.”

All four games operate as usual when he reconnects to the Internet.

We have several concerns, but the biggest one is that Sony appears to have added a new type of digital rights management (DRM) technology. We’ve reached out to Sony for clarification, but haven’t heard back yet.

This is likely a software error that needs to be corrected to ensure long-term data protection. Currently, if your device’s CMOS battery fails and Sony’s servers are unavailable, any games or content you’ve purchased could become unusable.

Just wanted to quickly clarify something – don’t worry, failing the check-in won’t get your game licenses taken away! And this whole thing only applies to games you’ve bought recently, so if you’ve had a game for a while, you’re good to go.

However, there’s enough evidence mounting now to demand a comment from the company.

Update #1 [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 earlier this 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 affect brand new PS4 games. It’s still unclear if it’s also happening with PS5 games.

According to the video, new software needs to connect to PlayStation Network (PSN) every 30 days to prove it’s legitimate. Removing the console’s CMOS battery causes any games requiring this check to become unplayable.

Connecting your console to the internet will reset the timer, but this creates a problem for long-term access: if Sony stops running its servers, the console might become unusable in the future.

We don’t know yet if this is a mistake or a deliberate attempt to restrict access, and we’ll need a statement from the platform owner to find out for 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 allegedly causes purchased games to 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 might already be 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 finishes, but we haven’t been able to verify this ourselves.

We’ve also seen reports saying your console license will be completely canceled if you don’t connect it to the internet before it expires, but we haven’t been able to verify this. If true, it would likely be a legal issue.

The Issue First Emerged in Late March

Rumors about this began appearing as early as late March, but they’ve only recently gained traction on social media.

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

So, I was reading this account dedicated to saving old games, Destruction Games, on X (formerly Twitter), and they said something pretty worrying. Apparently, if the little battery in your console – the CMOS battery – dies or you take it out, any games that check if they’re allowed to run won’t boot up anymore. It’s like they’re checking a date, and without the battery, that check fails!

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, which is necessary for verifying earned trophies. However, like all batteries, it doesn’t last forever and will eventually need replacing.

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

People worried that if the PlayStation Network ever shut down in the future, a necessary connection process would become impossible, 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 a game could be played for recently disappeared from their accounts. They say it was visible until recently.

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 addressing a security flaw. They were aware of the confusing user interface, but didn’t consider it a priority to fix.

Wait for More Information from Sony

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

We know some people are worried about this issue, but the reports we’re getting are all over the place, suggesting it’s not a deliberate problem. As we explained, some users are seeing an error message, while others aren’t. It seems to only be happening with recently purchased software on PlayStation 4.

If it turns out this is a new form of digital rights management, we’ll be sure to point it out. However, since 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.

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2026-04-29 01:39