Following reports of new digital rights management (DRM) checks on PlayStation 4 and 5 games, Sony has explained the change. Players noticed they were being asked to connect to the internet every 30 days. However, Sony stated to Game File that the new system only requires a single online check to grant a permanent license for digital game purchases.
Players won’t experience any disruption to their games. After buying a game, a simple one-time online verification will confirm the license, and then they can play without any further checks.
Last week, YouTuber Lance MacDonald brought attention to a potential issue: a 30-day timer appearing on PlayStation 4 and 5 games. This sparked a wave of testing by players, who tried things like disconnecting their consoles from power or playing offline to see if it would stop the timer. They also found that designating a PS4 or PS5 as the primary console for a PlayStation Network account didn’t affect the timer either.
A ResetEra user named Andshrew recently found that PlayStation 4 and 5 games purchased after mid-April have a 30-day activation period. Completing an online check-in within those 30 days appears to permanently license the game. This system is likely connected to Sony’s existing 14-day refund policy for digital game purchases.
Because Sony hadn’t commented, many players thought a recently appearing timer was a glitch, especially since a similar issue happened in 2022. It appears this system was added with the PS5’s March 2026 software update.
Recently, a report surfaced suggesting Sony is experimenting with fluctuating prices for digital game purchases. This was observed on the PlayStation Store with the game Stellar Blade, where different users were shown different discounts – one account saw a 70% discount, while another saw only 43%.
Okay, so PlayStation’s been doing these weird dynamic prices lately, and nobody really knows how they decide them. But a lot of us think how long you’ve had a PlayStation account is a big factor. It seems like they might also look at how much you actually play, and when you last logged in, to decide if they’re gonna give you a discount in the PlayStation Store. It’s all just speculation, but it makes sense, right?
Initial testing showed the new dynamic pricing system currently only affects games exclusive to the PlayStation 5. This suggests Sony is trying out the system and may later offer it to developers and publishers of other games as well.
Sony is probably already developing its next PlayStation console, the PS6. Reports suggest it could be significantly more powerful than the PS5, potentially offering ten times better ray tracing and more than three times the frame rate. While a new console and handheld device are anticipated, there’s currently no indication Sony plans to release a cheaper, “Lite” version of the PS6.
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2026-04-30 18:42