PS5 may have just added the same DRM checks that almost killed the Xbox One

This might not go well

(Credit: Sony)

• 😬 Sony may have added similar DRM checks to the PS5 in a recent update to the ones that almost killed the Xbox One

• 👀 As part of a new March 2026 firmware update, Sony has allegedly added a background check for newly purchased games to check if the copy being booted is legitimate

• 🤔 Sony hasn’t acknowledged the issue yet, but has a previous history with game-breaking console issues, such as the issue with the internal CR2032 battery killing the console’s internal clock, which stopped games from running

• 😐 It also echoes the large backlash Microsoft faced with the Xbox One, which was originally going to ship with very strict DRM, before it reversed the decision

Sony may have just added similar DRM checks to the PS5, similar to the ones that almost killed the Xbox One over a decade ago.

That’s according to the discovery of a new online check-in from game preservation sources ‘Does it play?’ on X, which states tha, as a result of some new March 2026 firmware, “newly-purchased PS4 games now show a 30-day valid licence timer”. Strangely, this also affects PS5 titles, although it “only shows an error when starting a game”.

The suggestion is that Sony has added a background check for newly purchased games (from March 2026 onwards) to detect whether folks are booting a legitimate copy of a game, with a 30-day grace period should your console be offline.

Does it play?@DoesItPlay1

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.

6:29 AM · Apr 28, 2026 · 18.3K Views

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50 Replies · 116 Reposts · 554 Likes

In response, PS5 users have posted evidence of chat conversations with official PlayStation customer support about the issue, although to no avail, as the agents they spoke with didn’t seem to be fully briefed on the situation.

Fans have also compared this current DRM issue to a prior issue with the PS5 that left some games unable to function if the console’s internal CR2032 coin cell battery failed, which killed the machine’s internal clock. After quite the uproar, Sony eventually rolled out system updates to fix it.

It also echoes similar issues that occurred with the Xbox One launch over a decade ago, where Microsoft faced a monumental backlash against its initial idea to ship the console with strict DRM, with daily internet check-ins to check the legitimacy of games. Eventually, it reversed its decision.

Sony has also allegedly refused to acknowledge the current issue, according to some fans, which ‘Does it play?’ responded to, noting that Sony denied the existence of the CR2032 issue publicly, only to fix it a couple of weeks later. Let’s hope it’s a little more forthcoming on this latest potential problem.

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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.