PlayStation confirms 'disgraceful' policy change that could lock you out of a game after purchase

PlayStation fans aren't too happy with a recent change, as it could mean that you end up being 'locked out' of games you've spent money on if you're not active enough on the console.

The gaming industry has become increasingly digital ever since the start of the seventh console generation, and the number of players still picking up physical discs is growing smaller with every subsequent year.

There's good reason for this too, as not only do you have the convenience of being able to access your entire digital library in one place at any point in time, but it also gives a platform to a far wider range of developers that might not have the resources to print physical copies or attract the attention of retail stores.

This has led to the explosion of indie games that now regularly make an appearance in the list of each year's best selling titles, yet it comes at a cost to preservation and player freedom with unforeseen consequences now coming to light.

As revealed by YouTuber MBG on X, one of his viewers recently contacted PlayStation support about the company's 30-day DRM update for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, querying whether it would affect access to digital games.

If you're unaware, you're able to play digital games on your console because Sony has granted you a license which in turn gives you access to the game. If that license is revoked or cannot be authenticated, however, you'll lose access.

It's what allows developers and PlayStation at large to remove banned or closed games from your console, and also what prevents you from accessing titles purchased by someone else on the console that's not the primary user.

Responding to the question, PlayStation support outlined that the 30-day DRM timer is "meant to be a technical measure," adding that "if the console does not connect to the internet within 30 days, the license expires and the game may refuse to launch until a connection is restored."

One important detail noted by the Online Assistant is that it only appears to apply to digital games purchased after the March 2026 update, so anything you bought beforehand should be safe from this measure.

What this means, however, is that if you've not powered on your console for a 30-day window you run the risk of losing access to your games — at least until you reconnect to the internet.

Not only is this catastrophic for game preservation when servers are inevitably disconnected at some point in the future, but it also prevents people from playing titles that they've spent money on.

It's safe to say that many PlayStation owners are aggrieved by the change, with one noting that they're "never buying anything on that platform ever again," and another declaring that "it's crazy that we no longer own games anymore. Even if you buy a game, they want to do something to limit you."

While this could prove to be a perfect window for Xbox to gain ground in the console war once again – especially after a number of landmark changes made by new CEO Asha Sharma – some have urged people to practice caution as this might not be all that it seems.

'Does it play?' – a notable figure in the game preservation scene – has suggested that this claim made by the Online Assistant is 'false', writing: "From their side, they probably don't know what the DRM was for, nor how it actually works under the hood. So they can't properly address the situation anyway. PlayStation support is notoriously uninformed."

Another user in the replies argued that people should "wait for Sony to address this instead," illustrating that "something like this would have to be announced by them."

While these things can sometimes be hidden within new Terms of Service agreements or lodged in with a new patch, this is likely something that would require explicit communication from Sony or PlayStation directly and therefore it's unlikely that it works in the way that this particular support agent has outlined.