Troubleshooting a downloaded game on PS5™ and PS4™ consoles

Troubleshooting a downloaded game on PS5™ and PS4™ consoles

Learn how to troubleshoot some common game and download issues for games on PlayStation.

Find PlayStation™Store purchases

  • On PS5 go to Games home and select game library for a full list of purchased games.
  • On PS4 select Library > Purchased for a full list of purchased games.

If you're having trouble locating the content, check your transaction list to make sure that your purchase has been completed.

Clear space on PlayStation console storage

You may need to free up space for the game to ensure that it can be installed and updated properly. 

You can re-download content later, but we advise you to back up your game saves before deleting a game, so you don't lose your progress.

PS4 manage storage

Reinstall a game

Deleting and reinstalling a game often resolves game issues.

Access PlayStation Store season pass content

Once you have purchased a season pass from PlayStation Store (or redeemed a season pass voucher), it is active. The content is linked to your account, but you will need to manually download the content (DLC, virtual currency or in-game items) from PlayStation Store once it has been released.

Purchased content has a price

If you search for season pass DLC on PlayStation Store and the content has a price next to it, please visit the Season Pass support guide.

If you see a price when trying to add PlayStation Plus monthly games, please make sure you have an active PlayStation Plus membership on your account. 

If the subscription belongs to another account, ask the account holder to download the PlayStation Plus monthly game and ensure that they are able to share the content. 

Padlock next to purchased content

You can tell what the problem is by how the padlock looks.

Wrong account

If the account that purchased the content has not enabled console sharing, you'll see a small padlock in the bottom right corner of the game hub. 

  1. Ask the purchaser to download the content through their account. If the game was purchased as part of PlayStation Plus monthly games, make sure the subscription is active.
  2. Ask the purchaser to make sure PS5 Console Sharing and Offline Play is activated. You can only have this setting enabled on one PS5 console.
  3. Ask the purchaser to restore licences on their account by going to  Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licences > Restore.

If the account that purchased the content has not activated the PS4 as their primary PS4, you'll see a small padlock in the bottom right corner of the application.

  1. Ask the purchaser to download the content through their account. If the game was purchased as part of PlayStation Plus monthly games, make sure the subscription is active.
  2. Ask the purchaser to make sure the PS4 is activated as their primary PS4. You can only have one primary PS4.
  3. Ask the purchaser to go to Settings > PlayStation Network/Account Management > Restore Licences > Restore.
Parental controls

If parental controls are enabled, no local user can download or start any content that is above the set age rating. You'll see a padlock instead of the application image.

  • Ask your parent or guardian for help. They can find instructions for allowing access below.

Need help? 

Contact our support specialists

Contact PlayStation Support