Several PlayStation users have noticed a potential new online policy that players will have to pay attention to when they purchase their games digitally via the PlayStation Store. There is a new “Valied Period” tag showing a Start and End date, as well as a countdown timer. Popular modder Lance McDonald noted that if players fail to online check-in every 30 days, the license will be revoked temporarily, restricting access to the game until a check-in has been made.

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

— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 25, 2026

This doesn’t just apply to PS5 games, but PS4 titles too. It is important to note that this new policy, if true, will only affect games purchased from March 2026 onward. Purchases made before March 2026 will not be affected.

Games you bought in the past seem to not have this issue, but any game you buy from now on will only work for 30 days without an online check-in. This can NOT be avoided by using “Activate console as primary”. All digital games now die after 30 days for all owners.

— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 25, 2026

Not surprisingly, many players are not a fan of the new policy. “It pisses me off the hypocrisy of Sony to use online DRM criticism against Xbox One, yet now following in their exact footsteps. We seriously need regulations against this if politicians actually got off their ass,” one user on Reddit wrote.

“This is the sort of thing that happens when Xbox isn’t offering strong enough competition. Sony gets complacent and anti-consumer,” another user commented. One Sony fan simply vented, “This should be illegal.”

Whether this new policy is real or not remains to be seen. There has not been an official word from Sony with the rumors and reports. Game preservation site Does it Play?, which was one of the many users who noticed the policy, now says that the DRM issue is an unintentional bug.

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.

— Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1) April 25, 2026

Does it Play? also shared that support responses about the DRM issue has been making the rounds. Whether or not this means this new policy is real or not remains to be seen.

Support responses to the Sony DRM issue making rounds. None fully address the issue. Yes, there is new DRM & there is a 30 day timer. But Support doesn’t fully acknowledge how bad of a screw up the situation is nor why the DRM was even necessary. Zero word about the CBOMB, e.g. pic.twitter.com/fuFPLySIFd

— Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1) April 28, 2026