What the padlock symbol means in your PlayStation 5 game library
Being kicked out of your own games isn’t fun, but there are ways to get back into it.
Sony’s plan to stop making disc-based games from January 2028 means digital games have to work flawlessly. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. On your PS5, you may have found some titles inaccessible, as evidenced by a padlock icon above their thumbnails. From your perspective, this can be confusing. You paid for a game and installed it, so it should still be ready to play, right?
The reality is that when you buy a game from an online store, you usually don’t get permanent ownership rights, just a license to download and play. Sony has final control over how you access games associated with your account. If the company pulls a license for any reason or something goes wrong with the authentication process, you will no longer be able to access the title. This is what the padlock indicates.
As if that wasn’t enough, operating PlayStation Store and Plus subscriptions can create headaches. Fortunately, there are methods to repair these locks.
Fix PlayStation Lock Icon
First, make sure you’re signed in to the correct PlayStation account, as that’s what ties all your purchases and subscriptions together. You can log out of an account by going to Settings > Users & Accounts > Other > Log Outor reconnect via Settings > Users & Accounts > Account > Login. This menu also allows you to create new accounts if necessary. Next, confirm that the PlayStation Network is online using the PlayStation Status page. If the PSN is down, you may no longer be able to access the games.
You’ll also want to check that PSN recognizes your purchases, or in the case of PlayStation Plus, that you both have an active subscription and that the game you want to play is included. Titles are added and removed regularly, so you’ll see a lock on games you’ve previously downloaded that are no longer in the library (as well as if your subscription has expired).
Scan your transaction history on Settings > Users and accounts > Account > Payment and subscriptions > Transaction history. As for Plus, your status is under Settings > Users & Accounts > Account > Payment & Subscriptions > Subscriptionsand you can browse the PlayStation Plus website to find the current library.
When multiple people share a console, it is possible to play another person’s games under your own account. This is known as “game sharing” and works as long as the owner has Console sharing and offline play activated under Settings > Users & Accounts > Other. This option can only be enabled on one PS5 at a time per account, so if the owner has multiple consoles, they may need to re-designate which one you’re on.
If you know you need to have direct or shared access to a game, you may need to force PSN to restore the licenses. Access the game in your library, press the key Possibilities on your controller, then select Restore license. You can also go to Settings > Users & Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses to repair multiple games simultaneously.
What if your PS5 games are still locked?
Before continuing, restart your PS5 (press the button PS button on your controller, then go to the Power menu and choose Restart the PS5). You must also install any updates available on Settings > System > System software > System software update and settings. Bugs fixed by the latest patches generally don’t affect licensing issues, but it’s good to rule everything out.
Finally, if you see the lock icon on a disc-based game, it means that the disc is not acting as a “key” to authenticate the title. Verify that the correct disk is inserted into your console. Eject it and make sure it is clean and inserted in the correct direction (label up if the console is horizontal, or to the left if it is vertical).
Beyond that, in an extreme scenario, there could be an issue with your PS5’s database. You can try to resolve this issue by starting your console in safe mode. Follow these steps:
- Turn off the system by holding the Power button on the front until you hear a second beep, which takes a few seconds.
- Once the console is turned off, press and hold the key Power button again. Release it only after hearing two beeps, the second of which should sound in seven seconds.
- Connect your controller via USB cable, then press the button PS button on the controller.
- Once Safe Mode is running, select Clear cache and rebuild database.
If that doesn’t yield any results, it’s time to talk to PlayStation Support.
