Sony has confirmed that digital PS4 and PS5 games will not need an online check every 30 days. A PlayStation spokesperson told Game File that a newly bought game needs one online check after purchase to confirm its license, and that no further check-ins are required after that.
The statement ends several days of confusion. Over the past week, players noticed that newly bought digital games on both consoles carried a 30-day timer, and many feared a game would stop working if the console stayed offline for longer than that. In one test reported by VGC, a YouTuber removed the console's clock battery to simulate the timer running out. Games bought after the reports surfaced refused to launch with an error about verifying the license, while an older digital purchase and a disc game kept running.
Recurring online checks have caused backlash before. Microsoft planned a once-a-day online check for the Xbox One in 2013 and dropped it before launch. Players also worried about the long term, when Sony might one day switch off the PS4 or PS5 servers. A one-time check should take pressure off people who mostly play offline. In practice, it means connecting the console to the internet at least once after buying a digital game.
Sony has not said why the timer exists. The most popular theory, from ResetEra user Andshrew, points at the refund system. Players can get an automatic refund on a digital game within 14 days of buying it, as long as it isn't installed. According to the theory, pirates used hacked PS4s to pull a permanent license from a game and then refunded it. In theory, a temporary license that only becomes permanent after the refund window would block that trick. Sony has not confirmed any of this.
Players' tests found the timer only on newly bought games, not on older digital purchases. Sony has also not said when the temporary license turns permanent. Game File has asked whether that can happen sooner than players' tests suggest and says it will update its post if Sony replies.
