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To claim a PlayStation Plus Monthly Game on PS5, sign in to the account with the eligible membership, open PlayStation Plus from the Games home screen, choose Benefits > Monthly Games, select the current title, and choose Download (or Add to Library first, if that appears). After claiming it, find the game under Game Library. You can also start the download remotely from the PlayStation App or a web browser.
“Free” in this context means no additional charge while the entitlement is covered by an active, eligible PlayStation Plus membership. It is different from a genuinely free-to-play game, which is obtained from the PlayStation Store and usually does not require PlayStation Plus.
What you need before claiming a game
Have these three things ready:
- A PS5 connected to the internet, or a phone/computer for the remote method.
- The PlayStation account that holds the PlayStation Plus membership.
- An active, eligible membership and a Monthly Game that is still available for the current calendar month.
Monthly Games are added each calendar month, so the selection is time-sensitive. Claiming a title during its availability period establishes the entitlement on that account. Downloading it is a separate action that installs files and consumes console storage.
If several people use the console, check the account shown in the top-right control center before starting. A game claimed on one PlayStation account does not automatically become a claim on another account.
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Claim a PlayStation Plus Monthly Game directly on PS5
- Sign in to the eligible account. From the PS5 home screen, select your profile and verify that it is the account with the PlayStation Plus membership.
- Open PlayStation Plus. On the Games home screen, scroll to and select the PlayStation Plus tile.
- Open Benefits. Inside the PlayStation Plus screen, choose the Benefits tab.
- Choose Monthly Games. This page lists the titles offered for the current month.
- Select the game. Highlight the title you want and open its details page.
- Claim and install it. Select Download. If the interface shows Add to Library before download, choose that first, then select Download.
- Wait for the download or leave it queued. You can continue using the PS5 while the download runs. The game appears in your downloads queue and installs when the required files arrive.
The important distinction is between adding the entitlement and downloading the software. Selecting Add to Library records your right to access the Monthly Game; selecting Download installs it immediately. If you do not have enough storage, add the game to your library first and free space before downloading.
Find a game you already claimed
PlayStation Plus games can also be found in Game Library. From the PS5 Games home screen, move to the far-right end of your installed-game row and select Game Library. Browse the available collections or use the search and filtering controls, then select the game and choose Download.
Use the library when the game is not on the home screen
The home screen shows recently used and installed titles, not every entitlement on your account. A claimed Monthly Game may therefore disappear from the home row without being lost. Game Library is the authoritative place on the console to locate games that are not currently installed.
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Distinguish an installed game from a claimed game
- An installed game has a launch option and occupies console storage.
- A claimed but uninstalled game appears in the library with a download option.
- A game that shows a price instead of a download option was not claimed on the signed-in account, is outside its availability window, or is not covered by the current membership.
Claim or download remotely with the PlayStation App
PlayStation supports selecting a PlayStation Plus game in the PlayStation App and starting a download to your PS5. This is useful when the console is off or when you want a download waiting for you before you get home.
- Sign in to the PlayStation App with the same account that has the eligible PlayStation Plus membership.
- Open the PlayStation Plus area and locate the current Monthly Games selection.
- Select the game you want to claim.
- Choose the option to add or claim it if the app presents one, then choose Download to Console or the equivalent download command.
- Select your PS5 if the app asks which console should receive the download.
App labels and screen positions can change between app versions. If you can see the game but not a download command, open its store page and look for the library or console-download action while signed in to the correct account.
Start the download from a web browser
A web browser provides the same remote approach without using the phone app. Sign in to the PlayStation Store or PlayStation account website with the eligible account, open the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games listing, select the title, and choose the library or download action. When prompted, select your PS5 as the destination.
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Remote downloading requires the console to be associated with the account and able to receive remote commands. If the PS5 is completely disconnected from power or the network, the request cannot reach it. The console may need to be in Rest Mode with its network and remote-download features enabled; the exact settings names can vary with system software.
What “free” means for PlayStation Plus Monthly Games
PlayStation describes Monthly Games as games available “at no extra cost during your PlayStation Plus membership.” That wording means the game is an included membership benefit, not a permanent purchase that remains independent of membership status.
After you claim a Monthly Game, access is tied to the membership entitlement on the claiming account. Keep an active eligible membership to continue playing it. The official guidance does not specify one universal retention period that applies independently of membership status, so do not assume a claimed title becomes permanently yours after downloading.
Claiming and downloading are different
| Action | What it does | Storage used |
|---|---|---|
| Add to Library or claim | Associates the Monthly Game entitlement with your account. | No game installation required. |
| Download | Transfers and installs the game on the selected PS5. | Yes; the installed files use console storage. |
| Launch | Starts the installed game while the account has access to the entitlement. | Uses the already installed files. |
Monthly Games versus genuinely free-to-play games
Not every game that costs nothing is a PlayStation Plus game. The PlayStation Store has a separate Free to Play category for PS5 titles. Most free-to-play games, including Fortnite, Apex Legends and Call of Duty Warzone, do not require a PlayStation Plus membership.
| Question | PlayStation Plus Monthly Game | Free-to-play game |
|---|---|---|
| How do you get it? | Open PlayStation Plus > Benefits > Monthly Games, then claim and download. | Find it in the PlayStation Store’s Free to Play category and download it. |
| Is PlayStation Plus required? | Yes, an eligible membership is required for the entitlement. | Most free-to-play titles do not require PlayStation Plus. |
| Does the selection rotate? | Yes. New Monthly Games are added each calendar month. | It is a separate store listing, not the Monthly Games rotation. |
| What happens when you claim it? | The entitlement is associated with your account; ongoing access depends on the membership entitlement. | The game is obtained through its free-to-play store listing under that title’s terms. |
| Does downloading use storage? | Yes. Claiming alone does not install the game. | Yes. The installed game uses console storage. |
If the title page asks for a purchase price, check whether you are looking at the standard store listing rather than the Monthly Games benefit. Conversely, a game in the Free to Play category is not proof that it is part of the current PlayStation Plus offer.
Check the monthly timing before a title disappears
Monthly Games change each calendar month. A title can stop being claimable when the monthly offer ends, even if another game is now featured. Claim games you want before the current month’s availability window closes; do not wait until you are ready to install them.
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Once a game has been claimed, it should remain represented in your Game Library for that account, subject to the membership entitlement. If you only downloaded a title without completing the claim on the correct account, it may not be available later.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When a claimed game is missing from Game Library
Work through these checks in order:
- Verify the account. Sign out or switch profiles and confirm that the current PS5 user is the account that claimed the game.
- Check Game Library, not only the home row. Open Game Library and inspect the purchased or PlayStation Plus-related listings. The home screen does not display every entitlement.
- Check the PlayStation App’s library areas. In the app, Games Library and Purchased are the relevant places to inspect owned games and add-ons.
- Confirm membership status. If the eligible PlayStation Plus membership is inactive, access to a Monthly Game can be unavailable even when the software remains installed.
- Check the offer date. Monthly selections change each calendar month. If you never claimed the title while it was offered, downloading it later may not be available through the benefit.
- Refresh the account state. Close and reopen the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Plus screen, then sign in again if the entitlement still does not appear.
If the game is installed but locked
An installed Monthly Game can show a lock when the account no longer has access to the associated membership entitlement or when a different account is active. Switch to the claiming account and verify the membership before deleting and reinstalling anything. Reinstalling does not recreate an entitlement that was never claimed.
If the download will not start
- Check available PS5 storage and remove or move unused games if necessary.
- Open the download queue and look for a paused or failed item.
- Confirm that the PS5 is online and that the selected account can access the PlayStation Store.
- For a remote request, confirm that the app or browser is targeting the intended PS5 and that the console can receive remote commands.
Storage planning: claim now, install later
Claiming a Monthly Game is useful even when the PS5 lacks room for another installation. Choose Add to Library first, then return to Game Library after freeing storage. This separates the time-limited claim from the later installation decision.
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Before downloading, review the space shown on the game’s download screen. Large games, updates and add-ons can require more free space than the initial game package suggests. Keep enough headroom for the download and installation process rather than relying on the last few gigabytes of available storage.
A reliable routine for every new Monthly Game
- Open PlayStation Plus on the first visit each month.
- Review every title in Benefits > Monthly Games.
- Select Add to Library for any title you may want, even if you will not play it immediately.
- Download only the games for which you currently have storage.
- Use Game Library later to install a claimed title.
- Keep the membership active when you want to play the claimed Monthly Game.
This routine prevents the two most common mistakes: missing a title before the calendar-month change and confusing an installed copy with the underlying membership entitlement.
Quick Recap
Quick decision guide
- You want this month’s included game: Use PlayStation Plus > Benefits > Monthly Games.
- You claimed it earlier: Open Game Library and download it from the library listing.
- You are away from the console: Use the PlayStation App or a web browser to select the game and start a download to your PS5.
- You want a game that costs nothing without Plus: Browse the PlayStation Store’s Free to Play category.
- The game is missing: Check the claiming account, library listings, membership status and the month in which the title was offered.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
