PlayStation appears to have added a new DRM for digital PS4 and PS5 games that requires the console to be connected to the internet to check in every 30 days or risk having the player’s license to that game temporarily revoked. While it isn’t clear if this is an intentional change or the result of a bug, many PlayStation players are concerned about the future ownership of their digital games. Sony has not yet commented on the implementation of this feature.
DRM, or digital rights management, has been a hot topic among gamers since digital downloads of games have become prevalent on storefronts like the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and Steam. Essentially, games with DRM mean that players are purchasing the right to play that game from the distributor, and the distributor can restrict access to the game if the purchaser breaks its terms of use. From the consumer’s perspective, DRM is seen as a way of limiting players from actually owning their games outright, since they could theoretically have access to the game revoked by the distributor at any time.
PlayStation Users May Have to Deal with an Online Check-in or Risk Losing their Digital Games
A post shared to X by modder and YouTuber Lance McDonald shows a screenshot of what looks like a new form of DRM that has been added to PlayStation games purchased digitally through the PlayStation Store. According to McDonald, Sony has added an online check-in requirement for digital PS4 and PS5 games that requires a console to connect to the internet every 30 days, or it will revoke the user’s access to that game. The screenshot shown in this post includes data for a Valid Period (Start) and Valid Period (End) time alongside a counter for days remaining until a check-in must be performed under the Information section of the PlayStation version of Don’t Starve Together: Console Edition.
Another poster on X, Does it play?, was able to corroborate this change, sharing a similar screenshot. Does it play? also mentions that they have heard rumors of Xbox consoles receiving a similar update as well, potentially making this new DRM a factor for players on both Sony and Microsoft platforms. However, there haven’t been any screenshots shared that confirm that this feature has been added to Xbox at this time.
In a separate post, Does it play? provides an update stating that they have been informed by an insider that the DRM update on PlayStation was unintentional and that “Sony accidentally broke something while fixing an exploit.” Without explicit confirmation from Sony, there is no way to verify the truth in this claim. However, some users have already voiced concerns that Sony may not have intended for this feature to go live at this time, but has been planning to add this type of DRM to PlayStation Store purchases in the future.
This new DRM seems to only affect new PS Store purchases; games that have already been purchased from the storefront appear to be unaffected. Moreover, setting a PlayStation as the Primary Console under the Account and Security settings doesn’t seem to remove or bypass this online check-in requirement.
