Do You Actually Own The Digital Games You Buy On PlayStation 5?

With all the recent news that PlayStation games will no longer have physical discs, including an ongoing California lawsuit that questions as much, it has gamers wondering if they actually own the games they’ve purchased on the PlayStation 5. Sadly, the short answer is no; you don’t own the digital PlayStation games that you buy. What you are buying is a license — the right to play those games. At the end of the day, Sony not only controls how long you can access the content, but it can also revoke said access. Think of it like renting, but instead of having to bring back the copy, Sony lets you conditionally play your games as long as the game is still hosted on the servers and you use the correct account to play. Plus, you can no longer loan and resell your copy.

Paying for a license does not mean you are buying the game — Sony even words this confusingly by using the words “Confirm Purchase” in the storefront. California law AB 2426 requires companies to be clearer and more transparent about what consumers are actually purchasing. In Sony’s case, it isn’t clear whether you are buying the full game digitally or just the license. While Sony does outline what is being purchased in the Software Product License Agreement, users can still skip the agreement entirely during the transaction process, since it isn’t mandatory to confirm and read the agreement when making a purchase in the PlayStation Store.

What does buying a license mean for PlayStation 5 gaming?

Here’s the one clause that’s critical to remember. All digital games are tied to your PlayStation Network account, so if anything happens to your account, such as a permanent account ban, you lose access to it for whatever reason, or you haven’t logged into your account in over 36 months, you won’t ever be able to play those games again. There’s typically no leniency for recovering your account and those digital titles. That’s very different from popping in a disc, installing the game on another account, and starting a new save file (yes, downloads and updates are still required to play, but you aren’t account locked).

For new PlayStation digital purchases, users also have to undergo a one-time online license check to keep playing. When Sony showed the display timer, it warranted concern that users would have to check in every 30 days to access their digital library, but a representative clarified that it was a one-time check. Still, this policy shift puts people on edge about future changes and questions their actual ownership, since DRM is another way to tightly control user access – it’s like a company being able to put a master lock whenever they please and not giving you the key unless you fulfill their conditions).

Building a digital library on your gaming system is about trust

Since you essentially don’t own the digital games you buy, you are placing trust in the company not to revoke the license or shut down its servers. Sony has a history of making anti-consumer policies, like in2021 when Sony announced that it had close down the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita stores. Yes, Sony isn’t revoking access to those titles for the “foreseeable future,” but this can create trust issues. However, the impact might not be as big compared to the future, since the silver lining demonstrates that physical media can still preserve those games, meaning even after Sony closes the door, people can still keep playing those titles until the hardware gives out. There’s no fear in a deadline because users actually own those games.

With the new era Sony wants to create with a digital-only future for the PlayStation 5 and beyond, ownership is no longer in the cards. The company is creating its own walled garden by tying games to its digital storefront (including buying a digital code from a retailer, as the copy is still subject to the same practices), and once Sony decides to close shop, that’s it for all your purchases. Even retired gamers who have built up their library for years may want to pass it down to their family, but might not be able to because the company decided to shut down a portion of those titles.