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Claimed PlayStation Plus Monthly Games stay associated with your account, but you can’t play them while your membership is inactive. Resubscribing restores access to those games. Catalog downloads work differently: they require an eligible plan and the game must still be in the catalog.
What happens to Monthly Games you claimed?
A Monthly Game you claimed through PlayStation Plus is not a permanent purchase. Sony says Monthly Games are playable while you have an active membership; when the subscription ends, previously downloaded Monthly Games become unavailable. The titles remain associated with your account, and access returns if you resubscribe. See PlayStation’s Monthly Games guidance and its subscription cancellation guidance.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Sony describes them as “games available for you to download and play at no extra cost during your PlayStation Plus membership.” That membership condition is why claiming a game should not be confused with buying it outright. PlayStation Support: How to access PlayStation Plus games.
Does canceling immediately remove access?
No. Turning off auto-renewal is not the same as the subscription expiring. Sony says benefits continue through the end of the subscription period already paid for. You can keep playing eligible Monthly Games during that remaining active period; access changes when the membership actually ends. PlayStation’s cancellation guidance.
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- Redeem for anything on PlayStationStore: games, add-ons, PlayStationPlus and more.
- Everything you want to play. Choose from the largest library of PlayStation content.
- Use gift card funds to contribute towards PlayStationPlus memberships.
How do catalog games differ from claimed Monthly Games?
Extra and Premium include access to game catalogs, not permanent ownership of every download. Extra includes the Game Catalog; Premium includes the Game Catalog and Classics Catalog. Catalog access depends both on an eligible active plan and on the title still being offered. Sony lists catalog availability and removals on its PlayStation Plus games page.
If a catalog title leaves the service, downloading it earlier does not preserve access through PlayStation Plus. Resubscribing later does not guarantee access to a game that has already left the catalog. This is different from a claimed Monthly Game, which Sony says becomes accessible again when you resume membership.
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- Everything you want to play. Choose from the largest library of PlayStation content.
- Use gift card funds to contribute towards PlayStationPlus memberships.
What about games and add-ons I bought?
A title purchased outright, including one bought at a PlayStation Plus discount, is treated differently from a game available only through a subscription entitlement. Sony says discounted purchases and redeemed packs or avatars are kept when membership ends. However, an add-on bought for a catalog game may not be usable if your membership expires or that game leaves the service. Access to the add-on returns if you resubscribe or purchase the underlying game. PlayStation’s cancellation guidance.
How to tell why a game is unavailable
- Check how you got it. If you claimed it as a Monthly Game, it needs an active membership. If you downloaded it from a catalog, it needs an eligible plan and must still be in that catalog. A direct or discounted purchase is a separate entitlement.
- Check whether your membership has actually expired. If you only canceled renewal, benefits should continue until the paid period ends.
- Check whether a catalog title has left the service. A catalog download can stop working because the game was removed, even if the membership is active.
- Check the underlying game for add-ons. Purchased DLC for a catalog game may be inaccessible while you lack access to the base game.
How to restore access to claimed games
To play claimed Monthly Games again, resume PlayStation Plus membership on the account that claimed them. Sony’s US voucher guide says membership vouchers can provide membership time, although the duration and plan depend on the voucher and account. A voucher restores subscription access; it does not turn claimed games into permanent purchases. PlayStation’s voucher redemption guide.
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- Redeem for anything on PlayStationStore: games, add-ons, PlayStationPlus and more.
- Everything you want to play. Choose from the largest library of PlayStation content.
- Use gift card funds to contribute towards PlayStationPlus memberships.
Catalog access can return only if you have the relevant plan and the title is still available through that catalog. If it has left, you would need to buy the game to play it outside the subscription entitlement.
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- Redeem for anything on PlayStationStore: games, add-ons, PlayStationPlus and more.
- Everything you want to play. Choose from the largest library of PlayStation content.
- Use gift card funds to contribute towards PlayStationPlus memberships.
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.
