PlayStation now shows a timer for newly-purchased digital games on PS4, indicating how long you have left before the license expires.
As reported by YouTuber and modder Lance McDonald, this is part of a new DRM update that requires you to "check-in" and verify game licenses every 30 days by going online. If you fail to do this within the "valid period", you will be locked out of the game in question, essentially meaning that any digitally-purchased PlayStation games now have an expiration date when playing offline.
You cannot avoid the countdown by using "Activate console as primary."
This update also impacts PS5 titles, but there is no timer visible on the information page. Instead, if you fail to verify the license within 30 days, an error message will display when starting the game. The system appears to have been quietly added in March's firmware update, hence why users are only noticing it now, and Sony has not yet issued a comment on the situation or its future plans.
However, according to Does It Play?, a popular X account dedicated to game preservation, the timer and license verification were pushed live by accident.
As pointed...
