How to Share Digital PlayStation Games on PS5 and PS4

Quick wins for a faster PC:

Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

To share digital PlayStation games with family, enable Console Sharing and Offline Play on the PS5 they use, or set a PS4 as the purchasing account’s primary console. Family membership itself does not turn on game sharing. On PS5, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play and choose Enable. Anyone using that PS5 can then play the owner’s purchased and downloaded games, including offline.

Share digital games on PS5

Sign in to the PS5 with the PlayStation account that bought the games.
Open Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play.
Select Enable. If the setting is active on a different PS5, disable it on that console first.
Download the games you want available on the console. Other people can then play them using their own user profiles on that PS5.

Sony says the setting is automatically allowed on the first PS5 used to sign in to the account. It can be enabled on only one PS5 at a time. With it enabled, other users of that console can access the owner’s purchased and downloaded games and media, even when the console is offline. Sony’s PS5 Console Sharing and Offline Play guide has the current steps and details.

#	Product	Price
1	$100 PlayStation Store Gift Card [Digital Code]	$100.00	Buy on Amazon
2	$25 PlayStation Store Gift Card [Digital Code]	$25.00	Buy on Amazon
3	$50 PlayStation Store Gift Card [Digital Code]	$50.00	Buy on Amazon
4	$10 -PlayStation Store Gift Card [Digital Code]	$10.00	Buy on Amazon
5	$75 PlayStation Store Gift Card [Digital Code]	$75.00	Buy on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Share digital games on PS4

Sign in to the PS4 with the account that purchased the games.
Open Settings > Account Management > Activate as Your Primary PlayStation 4.
Select Activate. If another PS4 is already primary for that account, deactivate it before activating this one.

Each player can have one PS4 activated as primary for their account. Sony’s PS4 primary-console activation guide explains activation and deactivation.

Worth Installing

PC Slower Than It Used to Be?

Outbyte PC Repair · freeA free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Run a Free PC Scan →

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

What family members can access

Console sharing is tied to the purchasing account’s console setting, not to whether users belong to the same PlayStation family. On the enabled console, other local users can use games the account owner purchased and downloaded. They do not gain ownership of those games on their own accounts or access to the owner’s library on every console.

#1 Best Overall

$100 PlayStation Store Gift Card [Digital Code]

Redeem for anything on PlayStationStore: games, add-ons, PlayStationPlus and more.
Everything you want to play. Choose from the largest library of PlayStation content.
Use gift card funds to contribute towards PlayStationPlus memberships.

PlayStation Plus benefits are more limited: Sony allows selected benefits to be shared on a primary PS4 and on one PS5 with Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled. The exact benefits vary, so check Sony’s current list of PlayStation Plus benefits that can be shared rather than assuming that all membership features, cloud features, or catalog entitlements transfer to other users.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Console sharing is not Share Play

Console sharing lets people use the same physical console and its eligible downloaded content. Share Play is a separate feature for inviting a remote visitor to watch, take control, or play together in a streamed session. Sony’s PS5 guide says the host needs PlayStation Plus to start Share Play, only one visitor can join at a time, and a session ends after one hour. Those rules apply to Share Play, not local console sharing. See Sony’s Share Play guide for its requirements.