Sony’s March 2026 firmware update introduced a 30-day license validation timer on PS4 and PS5 digital purchases. If the console stays offline, games lock. Here is everything we know.
Sony has introduced a 30-day license validation timer on PS4 and PS5 digital games purchased after the March 2026 firmware update. If a console stays offline for more than 30 days, newly purchased digital titles refuse to launch, displaying a “Can’t connect to the server to verify your license” error. The issue was first widely reported on 24 April by modding content creator Modded Hardware, before going viral the following day through a post by well-known developer Lance McDonald on X, which received millions of views.
What Is the 30-Day DRM Check-In?
Every digital game purchased from the PlayStation Store after the March 2026 system update now carries a 30-day validity window. On PS4, this timer is visible in the game’s information page under a “valid period” field showing a start and end date roughly 30 days apart. On PS5, the timer runs invisibly in the background and only surfaces as an error message when it expires. If the console does not connect to PSN within that period to validate the license, the game will not launch.
PlayStation Support responses shared by multiple users stated: “Affected content: Games purchased digitally after the March 2026 update. 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.” Support also confirmed that setting the console as “Primary” does not bypass this requirement.
Which Games Are Affected?
Only digital titles purchased after the March 2026 firmware update appear to be impacted. Older digital purchases from before that date continue to work normally even when the console is fully offline. Physical disc games have not shown the same restriction in any documented tests so far. This distinction is fuelling a renewed “physical vs digital” debate across the gaming community.
How Was This Confirmed Through Testing?
YouTuber Spawn Wave ran a definitive test on a PS5 by removing the console’s CMOS battery, which resets the internal clock and simulates a long offline period. Two games he purchased digitally in April 2026, Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege and Vampire Crawlers, both failed to launch with the error: “Can’t use this content. Can’t connect to the server to verify your license. Wait a while, and then try again.”
Separately, game preservation community DoesItPlay ran similar tests on PS4. Their playtester Destruction Games confirmed that removing the CMOS battery caused all digital games bought after March to become unplayable, even on a primary console, even for titles purchased outright and not claimed through PlayStation Plus. Games purchased before March worked without issue in the same test.
What Has Sony Actually Said?
As of 29 April 2026, Sony has not released any official statement. The company has not responded to requests for comment from outlets including Kotaku, Vice, TechRadar, and Tom’s Hardware. PlayStation Support has given contradictory answers to different users. One live agent told a user: “At this time, there is no requirement for players to re-authenticate their digital purchases every 30 days.” But other chat-based support responses explicitly acknowledged the 30-day timer as an intentional feature applied to all new purchases.
In an interview with Kotaku, DoesItPlay founder Clemens Istel shared insight from an anonymous internal source. According to Istel, an additional DRM layer was deliberately introduced to combat fraudulent user behaviour, possibly related to a refund scam or a recently discovered exploit surrounding the Star Wars Racer game. The first license is supposed to convert into a permanent, unlimited one, but it remains unclear whether this conversion happens automatically or requires another online check. Istel added: “Our info points to this being an under-the-hood thing that users should never see or feel.”
Why the CMOS Battery Problem Is Bigger Than It Sounds
The CMOS battery is a small cell inside every PS4 and PS5 that keeps the internal clock running when the console is powered off. These batteries inevitably die over time. When that happens and the console cannot connect to the internet, the new DRM system cannot validate any post-March license, effectively locking out entire digital libraries of newer purchases.
The preservation community calls this the “CBOMB” scenario. A similar CMOS-related lockout occurred in 2021, and Sony quietly patched it through a firmware update without any public acknowledgment. The fear now is that if Sony’s servers are eventually shut down, or if a future console generation leaves PS4 and PS5 behind, millions of digital games could become permanently inaccessible.
The Xbox One Comparison and Player Backlash
Players immediately drew parallels to Microsoft’s deeply unpopular “always-online” DRM policy announced for Xbox One in 2013. Microsoft reversed that decision before launch after massive public backlash. The irony that Sony itself mocked Microsoft’s DRM stance in a famous 2013 video about sharing physical games has not been lost on the community.
One Reddit user wrote: “It pisses me off the hypocrisy of Sony to use online DRM criticism against Xbox One, yet now following in their exact footsteps.” Another commented: “This is the sort of thing that happens when Xbox isn’t offering strong enough competition. Sony gets complacent and anti-consumer.” The frustration extends across social media platforms, gaming forums, and YouTube, where multiple videos on the topic have accumulated tens of millions of combined views.
Digital Ownership Under Legal Pressure in Europe
This DRM controversy arrives at a particularly sensitive moment for the games industry. The Stop Killing Games European Citizens’ Initiative surpassed the required threshold with 1,294,188 verified statements of support, forcing the European Commission to formally examine the issue. The initiative specifically aims to prevent publishers from making games unplayable after they have been sold or licensed within the EU.
Sony is also facing a major UK lawsuit over the PlayStation Store, reportedly worth nearly £2 billion (around $2.7 billion), arguing that Sony abused its dominant position in digital game sales. Reuters reported the case is brought on behalf of approximately 12 million UK consumers. A confirmed always-online DRM system would significantly strengthen the arguments of both the European initiative and the UK legal challenge.
With digital sales now accounting for roughly 83% of all game purchases, the potential reach of this policy is enormous.
What Players Are Asking
Do I need to be online all the time now?
No. Based on current evidence, your PS4 or PS5 only needs to connect to PSN once within each 30-day window. A brief connection resets the timer. The check-in appears to happen in the background when you are online, so most always-connected players will never notice it. The problem arises only when a console stays fully offline for the entire period.
Are my older digital games at risk?
No. All available tests confirm that digital games purchased before the March 2026 update are unaffected. They continue to launch normally even when the console is offline and the CMOS battery is removed.
Are physical disc games affected?
Not based on any testing conducted so far. Physical games have launched without issue in every offline scenario tested. However, many modern disc games still require day-one patches and online updates for their full experience.
Will Sony fix this?
Unknown. Sony has not acknowledged the issue publicly. According to DoesItPlay’s source, the DRM itself is intentional, but users were never supposed to see the timer or feel its effects. The 2021 CMOS fix suggests Sony could quietly patch the most visible symptoms, but whether they will remove the underlying DRM infrastructure remains an open question.
What about players with limited internet access?
This is one of the most serious concerns. Military personnel deployed overseas, travellers, residents of areas with poor infrastructure, and collectors who keep older consoles offline are all potentially affected. Even a brief mobile hotspot connection could satisfy the check-in, but that is not realistic in every situation.
Where This Stands Right Now
The facts as of 29 April 2026 are these: a DRM system with a 30-day validation timer is active on both PS4 and PS5 for digital games purchased after the March 2026 firmware update. Multiple independent testers have confirmed that affected games lock when the timer expires and the console is offline. PlayStation Support has given conflicting information. Sony has issued no official statement. An insider source suggests the DRM was deliberately added to fight fraud, but users were never meant to encounter it directly.
Sony’s silence is making the situation worse with each passing day. With European regulators, a billion-pound UK lawsuit, and millions of frustrated players watching closely, a clear public response is overdue. We will continue to track this story as it develops. For more PlayStation coverage, you can also read about Sony’s recent PS5 price increases across multiple regions.
