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How to Play PS5 Digital Games Offline

Enable Console Sharing and Offline Play on the PS5 you’ll use, install your digital games before disconnecting, and troubleshoot lock icons with these steps.
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To play a digital PS5 game offline, download it while connected to the internet, then enable Console Sharing and Offline Play on the PS5 you’ll use. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play and select Enable. PlayStation says this lets users of that console play purchased and downloaded games while it’s offline.

Set up your PS5 before disconnecting

  1. Sign in to the account that owns the game. While online, make sure the purchase is complete and download and install the game. Check that it appears in your Game Library and is ready to launch. If a purchase is missing, check the account’s transaction history. PlayStation’s transaction-history instructions explain how.
  2. Enable offline play on the console you’ll take offline. On that PS5, open Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play, then choose Enable. The first PS5 you use to sign in may already have the feature enabled. PlayStation Support describes the feature as allowing you to “Play your games and media even when the console is offline.”
  3. Test the game while you’re still online. Launch it once before disconnecting. Check that the parts you need work without a connection: offline access to the game does not make online multiplayer or server-dependent features available. PlayStation’s general instructions do not certify offline compatibility for every game or game mode; check the game publisher’s official support information for title-specific requirements.
  4. Disconnect only after setup is complete. Once the game is installed and the setting is enabled, take the console offline. If you have a chance to prepare in advance, do so before travel or another period without internet access.

What the setting does—and what it doesn’t

Console Sharing and Offline Play ties offline access to a PS5 associated with your account. It can also let other users on that console play your purchased and downloaded games. It does not mean every feature in every game works offline: a game can still require a connection for multiplayer, servers, or specific modes.

Your account can have Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled on one PS5 at a time. If you’re moving offline use to another console, disable the feature on the old PS5 first when possible, then enable it on the new one. If you can’t access the old console, PlayStation offers remote deactivation through account management; remote deactivation of all devices is limited to once every six months. See PlayStation’s console-sharing and deactivation instructions.

Purchased games and PlayStation Plus games

For a game you bought, confirm that the account signed in has the purchase and that the full download is installed before going offline. If you’re playing on a shared PS5, the account that owns the game must have Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled on that console.

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PlayStation Plus games have additional conditions: your subscription must remain active, and the title must still be available through the service. Those conditions do not guarantee that every Plus game, or every mode in a game, works offline. Check the specific game’s official information if offline access is essential.

Fix a locked game or an offline launch failure

If a game shows a lock icon or won’t start without internet, check these items in order:

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  1. Check the account and console setting. Make sure you’re using the purchasing account, or that the account that owns the game has enabled Console Sharing and Offline Play on this PS5.
  2. Verify the purchase and installation. Confirm the purchase completed, the game is fully downloaded, and the right account owns it. Check transaction history if the purchase is missing.
  3. Check service status and system software. If activation or license checks are failing while online, check PlayStation Network service status and install current PS5 system software, then try again.
  4. Restore the game’s licenses. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses, select the relevant licenses, and retry. You can also restore a license from the game’s options menu. PlayStation says restoring licenses does not affect your data. Read PlayStation’s license-restoration instructions.
  5. Recheck Plus eligibility if it’s a subscription game. Confirm the membership is active and the title remains available in the service.

If the game launches online but not offline after these checks, its own connection requirements may be the cause. Consult the publisher’s support page for that specific game rather than assuming the console setting overrides them.

Quick Recap

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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