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How to Fix a Game Share Lock on PS5: Step-by-Step

A PS5 lock icon can point to ownership, subscription, sharing, or license confirmation. Follow these checks in order before considering recovery steps.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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A lock icon on a PS5 game does not automatically mean you need to buy it again. First confirm the account that owns the game still has access to it. If another account owns it, enable Console Sharing and Offline Play for that owner on your PS5. Then check PlayStation Network status, update and restart the console, and restore licenses. Use Safe Mode database rebuilding only if those checks do not work.

1. Check who owns the game and whether access is still valid

Sign in with the PlayStation account used to buy the game and check its transaction history to confirm the purchase completed. Sony recommends checking ownership first when a game is locked. See Sony’s locked-game troubleshooting guide.

If the game belongs to a friend or family member, the owner—not merely the player trying to launch it—needs to enable Console Sharing and Offline Play on this PS5. If the game came through PlayStation Plus, check both that the membership is active and that the game is still available through the relevant catalog. Restoring a license cannot reinstate an expired membership or a title that is no longer available.

2. Enable Console Sharing for the owning account

On this PS5, sign in to the account that owns the game. Open Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play, then select Enable. This allows other users of that PS5 to play the owner’s purchased and downloaded games and media, including while the console is offline. Sony’s Console Sharing and Offline Play guide explains the setting.

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Console Sharing can be enabled on only one PS5 at a time. If it is active on another PS5, disable it there before enabling it on this one. If you no longer have access to the old console, Sony offers remote deactivation through Account Management. Remote deactivation affects device activations broadly and can be used to deactivate all devices remotely only once every six months, so treat it as a last resort.

3. Check for a service or software issue

  • Check the PlayStation Network service status. If there is an outage, wait for service to return before retrying.
  • Install the latest PS5 system software.
  • Restart the console, then try launching the game again.

Sony includes service status and system software checks in its game launch troubleshooting.

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4. Restore the game license

On PS5, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses. Select the relevant license, then retry the game. You can also highlight the game on the home screen or in Game Library, press the options button, and choose Restore License.

Sony says restoring licenses does not affect data. It can help when a padlock appears or when a game or add-on is missing. See the license restoration instructions.

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5. Check for parental-control restrictions

If the padlock covers the whole game image, Sony says the Family Manager may need to amend the restriction. That points to a parental-control issue rather than a license problem, so restoring licenses alone may not resolve it.

6. Rebuild the database only if the checks above fail

If the account has access, sharing is enabled where needed, services are available, and license restoration has not helped, Sony’s locked-game troubleshooting includes rebuilding the database through Safe Mode. Follow Sony’s current Safe Mode instructions. Back up data before recovery steps that could affect installed software or require reinstallation.

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If you see error CE-109245-1

Sony describes CE-109245-1 as “The license information of the content can’t be confirmed.” Its recommended checks are to restart the PS5, sign in to PlayStation Network with the account that owns the content, and enable Console Sharing and Offline Play. Use the same ownership and sharing checks above before trying more invasive recovery steps.

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