Summary in 10 Seconds: With the new regulation introduced by Sony, internet verification will be required every 30 days for digital games purchased after March 2026. At the end of 30 days without an internet connection, game licenses will become inactive and games will not be opened until the console is online. This new DRM restriction will not affect physical discs and older digital purchases made before March 2026.
While the concept of digital ownership in the gaming world has been a matter of debate for a long time, the latest news from Sony has taken this discussion to a whole new level. This development, which is of great concern to users who collect digital games on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 platforms, once again reminds us of the fact that the games may not be yours forever. According to information from reliable sources in the industry and user tests, Sony is introducing a periodic online control mechanism for digital game licenses.
This new system poses a serious obstacle, especially for players who use their console without connecting it to the internet or who want to keep their old games offline for a long time. This application, which covers new purchases made through the PlayStation Store, brings to mind similar policies that Microsoft tried years ago at the Xbox One launch and received great reactions. However, this time, the situation is not an error, but a conscious system update.
30-day period in digital game ownership According to reports, Sony has activated a timer system for all digital content purchased as of March 2026. According to this system, the license of a game you purchase is only valid for offline use for 30 days. If you do not connect your console to the internet and communicate with the PlayStation Network servers at least once during this period, the license of the game you own will be temporarily suspended.
Users cannot start their games until they connect the console to the internet again and verify the license. Hugely terrible DRM has now been rolled out to all PS4 and PS5 digital games. Every digital game you buy now requires an online check-in every 30 days. If you buy a digital game and don’t connect your console to the internet for 30 days, your license will be removed. pic.twitter.com/23gU16CIkx— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 25, 2026 This can be a big problem, especially for players who live in areas with poor internet infrastructure or who carry their console with them while traveling.
Responses from Sony’s support units confirm that this is not a software error, but rather is designed as part of the system. Moreover, even setting the console as the main system is not enough to disable this 30-day control mechanism. User tests and technical details Tests conducted by Spawn Wave, one of the popular technology channels, revealed how strict this restriction is. During the testing phase, the CMOS battery of a console loaded with games purchased after March 2026 was removed, the date was reset and the internet connection was disconnected.
The result was quite striking. While newly purchased digital games did not open with a license error, games played on physical discs and digital content purchased at older dates continued to work without any problems. This shows that Sony has planned its new DRM policy not retroactively, but only to cover new purchases. What has changed since the Xbox One fiasco? When the calendar showed the year 2013, Microsoft announced that it would require an internet connection every 24 hours for its new console, Xbox One.
At that time, Sony harshly criticized its rival’s move and won the hearts of the players by publishing an iconic video showing how easy it was to share games on PS4. It is considered a great irony in the industry that, after many years, Sony has implemented a similar restriction, albeit by increasing the period to 30 days. The terms of use of the digital store already included the statement that games are not a property, but only a usage license.
However, with this new application, the ephemerality of digital content has gone beyond an item on paper and turned into a concrete restriction. Players will now become more dependent on the PlayStation ecosystem to ensure the security of their digital libraries. Editor’s note This move by Sony may create a breach of trust in the digital gaming world. Especially for retro gaming enthusiasts and game preservation communities, such DRM restrictions pose a huge threat.
The risk of thousands of games purchased after March 2026 becoming inaccessible if the servers are shut down in the future will increase the importance of physical media again.
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