PS5: why are my games locked?


PS5 - why are my games locked?

If your games PS5 games are locked on your PS5 console, it may feel like the end of the world for your gaming experience. With Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and many other exciting PS5 games coming out in 2023, locked games are a surefire way to frustrate even the most patient gamer.

However, you don't need to worry too much if your games become locked. It can happen for a variety of reasons, and once solved, should allow you to jump back into gaming.

So here's why your PS5 games are locked, and how to unlock your PS5 games.

Why are my games locked on PS5?

According to Seeking Tech, there are several reasons why your games could be locked on your PS5 console.

The first reason may be that your PS5 has parental controls enabled. This means either you, a parent, or a guardian set age restrictions on your console- accidentally, or on purpose.

The game could also appear as a locked game if you played it on a PS4 using a physical disk. Given the crossover between the two generations, the PS5 will also show all the PS4-era games that you may have played.

If you purchased a game using a different account on your PlayStation Store, it will also show up as a locked game if the linked account to the game from PS Plus has already unsubscribed from the service.

How to unlock locked games on PS5

PS5 controller on its side, showing the triggers and the back of the DualSense.
click to enlarge

If your PS5 games are locked, there are some pretty simple solutions to unlocking them.

The first thing you should try involves restoring the game licenses to your PS5. You can do this by logging into the account that was used to purchase the locked games on your PS5.

If this was a friend's account, it might result in an awkward conversation. Once logged in, go to Settings and choose the Users and Accounts option. Once done, select Other, and finally click Restore Licenses. You should now be able to access the games.

As for the locked PS4 games, inserting the PS4 disk into your PS5 should solve this issue. This means that if you own a PS5 Digital Edition console, you won't be able to play these locked games without buying them digitally first.

If you're trying to play an online game or a game that you got from PS Plus, just remember that you will need to have an active PS Plus membership in order to do that.

It's also worth checking to make sure that there are no issues with the PlayStation network. You can check the status of the PSN network, and if there are any issues, wait until the network is back up and running before trying again.

Finally, it may seem obvious, but make sure that your PlayStation is connected to the internet. If it isn't working, then you'll need to troubleshoot your internet connection so that you can connect to the PSN network.

For more articles like this, take a look at our How To and PlayStation page.