{"id":550670,"date":"2026-04-25T22:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/550670\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T22:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T22:06:09","slug":"ps4-game-expiry-timer-sparks-drm-concerns-heres-what-we-know-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/550670\/","title":{"rendered":"PS4 Game Expiry Timer Sparks DRM Concerns, Here’s What We Know So Far"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PS4<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s been huge concern<\/a> among PS5 and PS4 owners today regarding an alleged form of DRM introduced by Sony which appears to suggest owned software will expire within a period of 30 days.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s important to caution that the reporting thus far is inconsistent, there\u2019s been no comment from the company itself, and there have even been some suggestions of the issue already being resolved.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we know so far:<\/p>\n

Some newly purchased PS4 games have started to display a validity period of 30 days.
\nBased on our testing, the issue only appears to be affecting PS4 games purchased within the last few weeks.
\nWe\u2019ve been unable to replicate the disclaimer on a PS5, although some on social media claim they\u2019ve seen the message there as well.<\/p>\n

Some reporting suggests this timer resets if you connect to the Internet after it expires; we\u2019ve been unable to confirm this for ourselves.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>\u2014 Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Other uncorroborated reporting claims your license will be entirely revoked<\/a> if you don\u2019t connect your console to the Internet before the expiration date; again, we\u2019ve been unable to confirm this is the case. (Although it sounds like grounds for a lawsuit if true.)<\/p>\n

The Issue First Emerged in Late March<\/p>\n

Reporting on this started to circulate<\/a> as far back as late March, although it\u2019s only picked up significant social media attention today.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth pointing out that a very similar issue occurred<\/a> with the PS3 and PS Vita back in 2022, which was resolved.<\/p>\n

One thing I\u2019m still wondering for myself, is whether or not the timer goes away once the 30 days are up, or if it just resets back to the start. I\u2019ll have to actually wait 30 days to see what happens tho.\u2014 Destruction Games\u3021DoesItPlay (@desgamesyt) April 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

One X<\/a> (or Twitter<\/a>) account dedicated to game preservation, Destruction Games<\/a>, claims that if the CMOS battery in your console dies or is removed, any games showing the validity window will no longer boot.<\/p>\n

You may recall there was a big hullabaloo around this in 2021, which Sony actually fixed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The CMOS battery effectively exists to retain date and time information, which allows the console to authenticate Trophy unlocks. Like any battery, it has a shelf life and will eventually stop working.<\/p>\n

But while it\u2019s an easy component to replace, an earlier version of the PS4 firmware required the console to connect to the PSN to verify the date and time upon being replaced.<\/p>\n

Many were concerned that in the faraway future, if the PSN should ever be taken offline, this handshake would become impossible, rendering all software unplayable.<\/p>\n

Sony actually patched this in v9.00, so it\u2019s interesting to see a new issue rear its ugly head some five years later.<\/p>\n

It Could Be a Bug<\/p>\n

One thing worth reporting is that some users on Reddit<\/a> claim the validity period was present on their games up until recently, and has since been removed.<\/p>\n

Received word from an anonymous insider. The Sony DRM issue is unintentional. From what we gathered, Sony accidentally broke something while fixing an exploit. They’ve known about the confusing UI for a while, but didn’t see it as urgent. Hoping for a clarifying statement now.\u2014 Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1) April 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Does It Play<\/a>, meanwhile \u2013 an account dedicated to testing whether software will run offline \u2013 claims to have heard from an \u201canonymous insider\u201d that the issue is \u201cunintentional\u201d.<\/p>\n

The account writes: \u201cFrom what we gathered, Sony accidentally broke something while fixing an exploit. They’ve known about the confusing UI for a while, but didn’t see it as urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wait for More Information from Sony<\/p>\n

Our view on this is that it\u2019s very likely an error.<\/p>\n

While we certainly understand the cynicism and concern around this, the reporting is far too inconsistent for this to be working as intended. As we\u2019ve outlined in this article, some are seeing the error and others aren\u2019t. It also only appears to be occurring with newly purchased software specifically on the PS4.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be the first to criticise the platform holder if this does turn out to be a new type of DRM, but with no communication from the company and a lot of misinformation flooding social media, we\u2019d urge everyone to stay calm until more details emerge.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, we\u2019ll contact Sony for comment and update if and when we hear back.<\/p>\n