PlayStation users online are saying that Sony has added a form of digital rights management in the latest firmware updates for the PS4 and PS5. The changes will reportedly require PlayStation console owners to connect to the internet every 30 days in order to continue playing their digital games. However, it has yet to be confirmed whether this is intentional or just a bug. 

The first sighting of this possible DRM came from Modded Hardware, a homebrew and console modder YouTuber, as first reported by Kotaku on April 25. The creator uploaded a video showing an updated “Information” screen for digital games on the PS4, showing a “Valid Period” that displays a 30-day counter. If the console doesn’t go online to do a license check with Sony’s servers within that time, the report says, the games will not be playable until the console does go online. 

Jonathan Downey, the host of the Spawn Wave YouTube channel, did his own testing on the PS5, as bringing up the “Information” screen on PS5 games didn’t show the same “Valid Period” info as on the PS4.

For his test, in a video uploaded Monday, Downey removed the PS5 CMOS battery, which is the lithium battery on the console’s motherboard that stores data such as the current time and date. With the battery removed, he tried to play a game he had purchased digitally weeks prior, but received a message saying it was not playable. 

There is speculation in the PlayStation homebrew community that the change was a way for Sony to sneak in code that will hamper modders. An online check-in is a common tactic against modded hardware, as it prevents illegally downloaded games from being played on the console unless it connects to the internet, which then begins the process of downloading and installing the latest firmware. 

Sony didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Users on X posted their messages with PlayStation Support agents. It appears these agents offer different explanations, with some declaring the problem a bug and others a feature. PlayStation Support agents, however, are not necessarily the authority on all PlayStation matters, so their answers don’t necessarily represent the entire organization.