To claim a current PlayStation Plus Monthly Game on PS5, sign in to the account with the eligible membership, open PlayStation Plus from the Games home screen, choose Benefits and Monthly Games, select the title, then choose Download. If the console shows Add to Library first, select it before downloading. Afterward, the game is listed in Game Library.
PlayStation also lets you select a Plus game in a web browser or the PlayStation App and start a download to your PS5. “Free” in this context means no extra charge while the required PlayStation Plus membership is active; it does not mean a permanent purchase with no membership condition.
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What “free” means on PS5
There are two different ways people describe a free PS5 game, and they have different rules.
PlayStation Plus Monthly Games
Monthly Games are rotating titles made available at no extra cost during an eligible PlayStation Plus membership. New selections are added every calendar month, so a game can stop being claimable when that month’s offer changes. Claiming the title adds the membership entitlement to your account; downloading it installs the software and consumes console storage.
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Access remains tied to the membership entitlement. Keep an eligible PlayStation Plus membership active to retain access. PlayStation’s published guidance does not state one universal retention period that applies independently of membership status.
Free-to-play games
Free-to-play games are a separate category in the PlayStation Store. Most do not require PlayStation Plus for online play, including Fortnite, Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone. They are not the same rotating benefit as Monthly Games and are normally available through the store’s Free to Play category.
| Question | Monthly Games | Free-to-play titles |
|---|---|---|
| What creates access? | An eligible PlayStation Plus membership and a claimed monthly entitlement | The game’s free-to-play listing; most do not require PlayStation Plus |
| Does the selection rotate? | Yes. New Monthly Games are added each calendar month | Not as part of the Monthly Games rotation |
| Where can you start? | PS5 PlayStation Plus menus, PlayStation App or a web browser | PlayStation Store’s Free to Play category |
| What uses storage? | Downloading and installing the claimed game | Downloading and installing the selected game |
What you need before claiming a Monthly Game
- A PlayStation 5 console with the PS5 system interface available.
- The PlayStation account that holds the eligible PlayStation Plus membership.
- The Monthly Game must still be available in the current calendar-month selection.
- Enough free console storage to install the game if you want to play it immediately.
Use the same account throughout the process. A game claimed on one PlayStation account will not appear as an entitlement on a different account simply because both accounts use the same console.
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- Sign in to the correct account. On the PS5, confirm that you are using the PlayStation account with the eligible PlayStation Plus membership.
- Open PlayStation Plus. From the PS5 Games home screen, scroll to and select PlayStation Plus.
- Open the benefits area. Select the Benefits tab.
- Choose Monthly Games. Open Monthly Games to see the titles offered for the current calendar month.
- Select the game. Highlight the title you want to claim and open its product panel.
- Add it and download it. Choose Download. If the interface presents Add to Library before the download control, select Add to Library, then choose Download.
The download begins on the PS5 and the installed game can be launched from the Games home screen when ready. If you only want to secure the entitlement, adding the game to your library is the important step; installation is a separate storage decision.
How to find a claimed game in Game Library
PlayStation says Plus games can also be found in Game Library. From the PS5 Games home screen, open Game Library and browse the listings for the title you claimed. Select the game to install it if it is not already installed.
If the game is installed
An installed title appears among your games and can be started directly. Selecting it from Game Library takes you to the launch or management options rather than requiring you to claim it again.
If the game is claimed but not installed
The title remains associated with the account’s library even when its files are not on the console. Open its listing in Game Library and choose the download or install option shown there. Deleting an installed game to free storage does not, by itself, remove the claimed entitlement.
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Using the app’s library views
In the PlayStation App, the download guidance identifies Games Library and Purchased as relevant places to review games and add-ons associated with your account. These views are useful when checking whether a claim registered before trying another download.
Claim or download from the PlayStation App or a browser
Remote management is useful when the PS5 is switched off or you want a download waiting when you return home. PlayStation supports selecting a PlayStation Plus game in a web browser or in the PlayStation App and starting a download to your PS5.
- Sign in to the PlayStation account that has the eligible Plus membership.
- Open the PlayStation Plus game selection in the PlayStation App or in a web browser.
- Select the Monthly Game you want.
- Use the game’s control to add or claim it if that option appears, then choose the option to download to your PS5.
- Choose the intended PS5 when prompted if more than one console is associated with the account.
The remote route still follows the same entitlement rule: the title must be part of the available Monthly Games selection, and the account must retain the required membership. Remote downloading starts installation; it does not change which account owns the entitlement.
Why a claimed game may be missing
You are using a different account
Sign out or switch users and return to the account that originally claimed the title. Then check Game Library again. Sharing a console does not merge the libraries of separate PlayStation accounts.
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The membership is not active
Check the PlayStation Plus status for the account that made the claim. Monthly Games access depends on an active eligible membership, so a title can be unavailable when that entitlement is no longer active.
The claim was attempted after the monthly offer changed
Monthly selections change each calendar month. If the title was not added to the account while it was available, it may no longer be claimable from the current Monthly Games page. A later month’s selection does not automatically include earlier titles.
You are looking in the wrong library area
Open Game Library on the PS5 rather than relying only on the Games home screen. In the app, review Games Library and Purchased when checking owned games and add-ons.
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The game is claimed but the download is not visible
Open the title’s Game Library listing and look for its download or install control. If the entitlement is present but there is no room for the files, remove or move other installed games first, then retry the download.
The console is showing a purchase price
Verify that you opened the Monthly Games offer while signed in to the correct account. A purchase page can represent a normal store sale rather than the Plus entitlement. Return to PlayStation Plus > Benefits > Monthly Games and select the title from that section.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Claiming versus downloading: the distinction that prevents mistakes
Claiming records the game as part of the account’s Plus entitlement. Downloading transfers and installs the game on the PS5. You can claim a title and install it later from Game Library, which is useful when storage is limited. Conversely, starting a download does not remove the need for the account to have the appropriate membership entitlement.
Keep this distinction in mind when a Monthly Game is about to leave the current calendar-month selection. Add it to the library before the offer changes; you can decide later when to use storage for the installation.
How to get a genuinely free-to-play game
If you do not mean a PlayStation Plus Monthly Game, use the PlayStation Store’s Free to Play category instead.
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- Navigate to the Free to Play category.
- Select the game you want.
- Choose the store’s download or add-to-library control shown for that title.
- Find it later in Game Library after the listing has been added or installed.
Most free-to-play games, including Fortnite, Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone, do not require a PlayStation Plus membership. Individual games can still have their own account, age, network or publisher requirements, so read the listing shown for the specific title.
Quick Recap
Which route should you use?
| Your situation | Best route | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| You want the current Plus offer on the console | PS5: PlayStation Plus > Benefits > Monthly Games | Shows the active monthly selection and the claim control |
| You are away from the console | PlayStation App or a web browser | Lets you select the game and start a download remotely to the PS5 |
| You already claimed the game | Game Library | Provides the later install or launch path |
| You do not have Plus and want a no-cost title | PlayStation Store > Free to Play | Uses the separate free-to-play catalog; most such games do not require Plus |
| Your console storage is nearly full | Claim first, install later | Preserves the entitlement without immediately using space for the game files |
A quick checklist
- Use the PlayStation account that owns the eligible membership.
- Open PlayStation Plus, then Benefits, then Monthly Games.
- Select the current title and choose Download, or Add to Library first if that appears.
- Open Game Library to install or launch the game later.
- For remote access, use the PlayStation App or a web browser to select the title and download it to your PS5.
- If the title is missing, check the account, membership status, monthly availability window and library view before trying again.
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