Dataminers seem to have found new explanations for the PS4/PS5 DRM issue, but they only raise new questions.
PlayStation gamers now need to check in online to be allowed to play games published after March 2026. Users who asked PlayStation Support received conflicting answers about the issue.
ResetERA user andshrew claims he saw one of his games revert, so that after a few days he no longer needs to check in online. In summary, he believes Sony added a 30 day online check in requirement to discourage users from exploiting the 14 day window to refund games.
BigGoji on Twitter claims that they were able to replicate this, and their game no longer checks in online after only 2 weeks. (EDIT: Hikikomori clarified that BigGoji’s game Resident Evil Requiem was published before March 2026, and so was not affected by Sony’s new DRM.)
While there are fans already celebrating these findings, Sony has yet to respond to this issue at all. In principle, they have curtailed their customers’ digital ownership rights. Aside from that, these dataminers may still be missing information that could once again flip the situation even later.
PlayStation gamers still need to demand an explanation from Sony, for the obvious reason that they could do it again. At the very least, Sony needs to lay out their disclosure policy.
