Sony has issued an official response about the DRM check-in for PlayStation games that had some up in arms over what was perceived to be a requirement to connect your console to the internet every 30. If you somehow missed all the drama, over the past weekend and throughout the next few days, people discovered that Sony had added a DRM check to newly purchased games on PS5 and PS4. This check-in was only applied to games purchased after March 2026. At first glance, it looked like Sony was requiring people to connect their console to the internet every month to validate the game license.
Naturally, this did not go over well with gamers. The issue was made even more confusing without an official statement or blog post from Sony, alongside responses from PlayStation support that seemed to given conflicting answers. Both from live agents and the PS Support AI chatbot.
We reported earlier this week that a plausible scenario based on information from Kotaku and Does It Play, was that this was a means for Sony to combat people exploiting a refund scam where they would get to keep their games after submitting a refund request, and that the check-in would turn temporary license into a permanent license. That seems to be the exact reason for this check-in.
Sony’s response on the PlayStation DRM check-in clarifies it’s a one-time thing
While Sony has yet to issue an official response through a blog post or on its own PlayStation social accounts, a Sony PlayStation representative has responded to Gamespot. As it turns out, the DRM check-in is in place to stop people from exploiting a refund scam. Sony doesn’t explicitly say this about the refund scam, but it seems pretty clear this is the reason for the check-in.
What Sony does clarify is that when you buy a game, it comes with a temporary 30-day license. The game refund window is 14 days. So, if you buy a game, you’ll need to connect your console after 30 days to turn that temporary license into a permanent one. “Players can continue to access and play their purchased games as usual. A one-time online check is required to confirm the game’s license, after which no further check-ins are required,” Sony says.
So, there you have it. You will be able to keep your games and you won’t need to buy them again. Sony isn’t admitting to the refund scam being the reason for this change. But there’s no other plausible reason for it to add it other than to stop people from exploiting it.
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