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PS5 Game Sharing And Offline Play: A Complete Guide

By Deidra Hayes

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Reviewed by: Deidra Hayes

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PS5 Game Sharing And Offline Play

The PlayStation is a home video game console with a lot of exciting features. And one of its most useful features is the ability to share games with friends and family. It offers a variety of games for audiences of different age groups along with exciting themes. The advantage of the PlayStation is its versatility in catering to other members of the family. It has many useful features that have been updated over the years.

The PlayStation is known for its cult-like following, with the members keeping up with the latest updates and game plays. Understanding how to play your games offline is important so that you can keep playing even when your internet connection is unstable. 

What Is Game Sharing?

Game sharing on the PS5 allows you to share your digital game library with another PS5 console. This feature helps anyone who uses your PS5 console to play games that you’ve purchased and downloaded even when the console is offline. This means that you and your friend can access each other’s purchased games without needing to buy them twice. This is very useful for families, friends, or even partners, which helps you gain access to more titles. 

What Is Game Sharing

How To Set Up Game Sharing In Your PS5

The PS5’s game-sharing feature works similarly to the PlayStation 4. Note that you can only use console sharing on one console at a time. Here’s how to properly set it up:

Step 1: Set your PS5 as the main console.

The first step is to designate your PS5 as your main console. 

  • Power on your PS5 and go to Settings.
  • Find the “Users and Accounts” option, and then select “Others.” 
  • Click on “Console sharing, and Offline Play.” Click to enable it if it reads “Disabled.” This will allow the other person to get your digital game library on their PS5. 

Now your PS5 is the main console, and you can share your games with your friends and family, or vice-versa.  If you are already game-sharing from another PS5 console, you can disable that to activate a new PS5 console. Other users can download and play games from your library by going to their Game Library section. All the games you’ve bought online will now appear in their game library to download and play. You can still play your games on other consoles, but only the main console will allow game sharing. 

Limitations Of Game Sharing

Game sharing is a great feature, but there are some restrictions and things to consider:

  • Game sharing only works for digital games. Physical CDs should be handed over to share with others.  
  • You need a PlayStation Plus subscription to access online multiplayer games on both accounts. Unfortunately, it cannot be shared. If one person has a subscription, the other person still has to get their own subscription if they want to play online games on their account. 
  • You can only game share between two consoles at a time. If you try to set up game-sharing with a third device, it will disable the game sharing feature on either of the previous two consoles. 

Offline Play On PS5

Game sharing is often used for online play, but offline play helps you to play single-player games without an internet connection. The procedure to enable offline play is the same as enabling game sharing that we did above.

1. Go to settings on your PS5.

2. Find the Users and Accounts option.

3. Under Other, select Console Sharing and Offline Play. 

4. Make sure that it is enabled.

Now you can access and play games even when your network connection fails you. To play offline, make sure that all the games you want to play are fully downloaded to your PS5. You won’t get it if the games are only partially downloaded when you’re offline. Before going offline, it’s better to sync your licenses. This helps your PS5 to know it’s you and gives you access to the games even when not connected to the internet. Follow these steps to sync your licenses:

  • Go to Settings.
  • Select Users and Accounts
  • Click Other and select Restore Licenses. 

That’s it. This will help you get all your games offline. 

Can You Play Game-Sharing Games Offline?

The answer is yes, but only on the console that is set as your primary PS5. The second console, which is not the primary PS5 will need an internet connection to verify the license for the shared game before playing. In short, if you’re the one sharing games, you can play offline, but the person you’re sharing with will need to stay connected to the internet for license verification. 

If you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, you can share its benefits, such as free monthly games and online multiplayer, with the person you’re sharing your console with. 

Read more: Top Open World Games On PS5 In 2024: Exploring New Realms

Conclusion

Game sharing and offline play are great features that allow players to share games on the PS5. Game sharing helps save money, while offline play allows you to keep gaming even when the internet goes down. Sharing games will not affect your game backup. Your saves are linked to your PSN account and not to the console.

So you can pick up where you left off, even if you’re playing from another console. There’s no limit to the number of times you can share your games. As long as your PS5 is set as the main console, your friends and family can enjoy it without limitations.

Deidra Hayes

Deidra Hayes is a gaming journalist with over 10 years of experience. She holds a Bachelor's in Interactive Media Design from Stanford University and has written for IGN and GameSpot. Deidra specializes in game reviews, industry analysis, and developer interviews. Her expertise spans multiple gaming platforms and genres.

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