Sony says PlayStation users do not own the digital games they buy

Buying a digital PlayStation game does not mean owning it, Sony says. Customers receive a license to play the software, according to the company’s response to a class-action lawsuit in a California court.

The lawsuit, filed June 18, argues that Sony failed to make that distinction clear during transactions. The plaintiffs say words such as “purchase” and “buy” could lead customers to believe they were acquiring ownership. They also argue that the license-only condition appeared mainly in disclaimers or separate agreements rather than clearly at the point of sale.

Sony denied the allegations in a response filed Aug. 21. The company said consumers should understand the difference between purchasing a physical game and acquiring a digital copy. It also pointed to its software license agreement, which states that the software is “licensed to you, not sold.”

Sony argued that digital ownership differs from ownership of a physical product because multiple customers can buy the same digital game through one storefront. It cited Resident Evil Requiem as an example, saying that if a digital purchase created outright ownership, later customers could not buy the same game because an earlier customer would already own it.

The case is awaiting a ruling on whether the information Sony provided was sufficiently clear under California law. Sony has also reminded users by email that digital games bought through the PlayStation Store are licenses rather than products owned outright. The company has separately announced plans to stop producing physical PlayStation game discs in January 2028, a move that has faced opposition from some users.

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Licensed to you, not sold.