It appears that Sony has implemented a new feature requiring PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners to connect to the internet every 30 days to renew the license on digital games they’ve purchased. Players who have stumbled into this odd feature are saying all PlayStation Store purchases made after March 2026 now feature a 30-day timer showing how long players have until they must connect to the internet and renew the game’s license. Players who fail to do so within the time limit will lose the ability to play recent digital purchases until the game’s license is renewed via internet connection. Sony hasn’t made any official announcements about this–it’s possible it could be a bug–but GameStop is already capitalizing on the bad press surrounding Sony’s digital game license timers.
“Play really has no limits at GameStop,” the company shared in a recent X post referencing the PS5’s ‘Play Has No Limits’ tagline. “We believe that games should work for players, not against them. If you own it, you should be able to play it anytime, anywhere, whether you are online or offline.”
Urging players to “start a real collection you can play, share, and trade,” GameStop is offering a deal where customers can get a 10% discount when purchasing two to three preowned games, a 20% discount when purchasing four to five, or a whopping 30% when purchasing six or more preowned physical titles.
Interestingly, this deal appears to apply to everyone–no monthly GameStop membership required. But it’s only available for a short time. Per the fine print on the image shared in GameStop’s X post, this deal ends on May 5.
This isn’t the first time GameStop has taken advantage of a PS5-related controversy in recent months. Back in March, the gaming retailer offered special trade-in deals for users looking to upgrade to a PS5 Pro before Sony increased the price of all PS5 models on April 2.
As for Sony, it’s still unclear whether these digital license timers are a bug or a feature, but it’s possible they could be tied to Sony’s plans to rework the PlayStation Network. Earlier this month, the PS5 manufacturer also announced plans for a global age verification rollout, revealing that users who do not verify their age will be unable to access messaging and voice chat by the end of 2026.