Firmware 26.03‑13.20 update raises community DRM restriction fears
- Sony’s PlayStation 5 firmware 26.03-13.20.00 went live on April 23, and by April 25 players and outlets were reporting 30-day “validity period” timers on some newly bought digital PlayStation 4 games. - Push Square said its own testing tied the issue to PlayStation 4 games bought in recent weeks, while Notebookcheck cited reports of PlayStation 5 titles failing offline after 30 days without a renewal check. - Sony had not publicly explained the behavior by April 26, leaving open whether the timer is a policy change or a bug tied to an exploit fix. (pushsquare.com)
Sony’s April 23 PlayStation 5 update is facing scrutiny after players reported 30-day expiry windows on some newly purchased digital games. (gamerant.com) (pushsquare.com) The update raised the PS5 to firmware 26.03-13.20.00, and Sony’s public patch notes described only messaging usability changes and new emoji reactions. (gamerant.com) The reports that followed were narrower than the broadest social posts suggested. Push Square said its own checks found the timer on PlayStation 4 games purchased within the last few weeks, not across every older digital title. (pushsquare.com) Notebookcheck, citing YouTuber Modded Warfare and preservation-focused account DoesItPlay, said a PlayStation 4 game bought on April 14 showed “Valid Period” start and end times, with offline play apparently limited to 30 days before another online license check. (notebookcheck.net) That distinction matters because the complaint is not about subscription games leaving a catalog. It is about individually purchased downloads that players expected to keep launching without a monthly internet handshake. (playstation.com) (notebookcheck.net) The concern is sharper on older hardware because PlayStation has already spent years answering preservation questions around offline access, batteries, and server dependence. Push Square noted similar alarm around PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita licensing in 2022, and around the PlayStation 4 CMOS battery issue in 2021. (pushsquare.com) The evidence is still mixed. Push Square said it could not reproduce the warning on a PlayStation 5, even as some social posts claimed PlayStation 5 games were also affected. (pushsquare.com) Notebookcheck later updated its report to say DoesItPlay had heard from an anonymous Sony insider who described the DRM behavior as “unintentional” and tied it to an attempted exploit fix. Sony had not issued a public statement in the sources reviewed. (notebookcheck.net) (sonyinteractive.com) As of Sunday, April 26, the clearest verified picture is a limited but real licensing anomaly affecting at least some recently purchased digital PlayStation 4 games after Sony’s late-April firmware rollout. Until Sony explains it, players are left testing whether a 30-day timer is a bug, a quiet anti-exploit change, or the start of a new rule. (pushsquare.com) (notebookcheck.net)
