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On your PS5, open Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play, then choose Enable. PlayStation says the feature is enabled automatically on the first PS5 where you sign in; use this menu when you want to authorize a different PS5. Only one PS5 can have the setting enabled for your account at a time.
Once enabled, anyone using that PS5 can play games and use media that your account purchased and downloaded, even when the console is offline. Some PlayStation Plus benefits can also be shared, but not every membership benefit. The instructions below follow PlayStation Support’s guidance, accessed October 13, 2026.
What Console Sharing and Offline Play does
Console Sharing and Offline Play authorizes one PS5 for your PlayStation account. Other people who use that authorized console can access games and media that the account owner purchased and downloaded. They can do so even if the PS5 is not connected to the internet.
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- Shared access: Anyone using the enabled PS5 can play the account owner’s purchased and downloaded games and use the account owner’s purchased and downloaded media.
- Offline use: Access continues when the enabled PS5 is offline.
- PlayStation Plus: Other users can receive some PlayStation Plus benefits. PlayStation does not say that every membership benefit is shared.
- One-console limit: Console Sharing and Offline Play can be enabled on only one PS5 at a time.
- Separate activation limits: Enabling this setting does not affect the account’s other console activation limits.
The practical distinction is simple: the account owner supplies the purchase or subscription entitlement, while the enabled PS5 supplies the shared-console authorization. A game or media item that was never purchased by the enabling account, or that has not been downloaded, will not become available merely because the setting is on.
Requirements and checks before you begin
You need access to the PS5 and the PlayStation account whose purchases or subscriptions you want to share. Sign in with that account before opening the setting. If you are moving authorization from another PS5, identify whether you can still use the old console; the recovery path differs when it is unavailable.
- Use the PS5’s current system software. PlayStation lists system-software status as a check when activation fails.
- Make sure the account that is enabling the feature is the account that purchased the game or media.
- For subscription-dependent content, check that the relevant PlayStation Plus subscription is active.
- If the PS5 is expected to work offline, download the owned games or media to that console while it is online.
No controller, router upgrade, storage expansion, or additional hardware is required to turn on this setting. A network connection is useful for signing in, downloading content, checking subscriptions, and resolving activation problems, but the feature’s purpose is to let the authorized PS5 be used offline afterward.
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Enable Console Sharing and Offline Play on the PS5
- Sign in to the purchasing account. On the PS5, use the PlayStation account that owns the games or media, or that holds the relevant PlayStation Plus subscription.
- Open Settings. From the PS5 home screen, select the Settings icon.
- Open Users and Accounts. In Settings, choose Users and Accounts.
- Open Other. Select Other in the Users and Accounts menu.
- Open Console Sharing and Offline Play. Select the menu item with that exact label.
- Choose Enable. Confirm the activation if the PS5 asks you to do so.
The complete path, as written by PlayStation Support, is Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play. After enabling it, leave the account’s purchased and downloaded content on the console and switch to the other user’s profile to use the shared access.
What happens on the first PS5 you use
PlayStation says Console Sharing and Offline Play is allowed automatically on the first PS5 used to sign in to the account. You may therefore see the feature already enabled on that console without manually changing the setting.
Automatic authorization does not mean every PS5 is authorized. If you sign in on a different PS5 and need that console to provide shared offline access, open the menu and select Enable there. If another PS5 is currently enabled, the old authorization must be removed before the new one can take effect.
Move sharing to a different PS5
When you still have the old PS5
- On the old PS5, sign in to the account that currently owns the authorization.
- Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Select Disable on that PS5.
- On the new PS5, sign in with the same account.
- Open the same menu and select Enable.
Only one PS5 can be enabled at a time, so disabling the old console first prevents the new console from being blocked by an existing authorization.
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When the old PS5 is lost, broken, or inaccessible
Use Account Management to remotely deactivate all devices associated with the account, then enable Console Sharing and Offline Play on the PS5 you can access. PlayStation limits the remote “deactivate all devices” action to once every six months. Because that action applies to all devices, use it as the recovery option for an inaccessible console rather than as a routine way to switch between nearby PS5 systems.
After the remote deactivation, return to the new PS5 and repeat Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play > Enable. The six-month limit is a service rule, so plan carefully if you regularly change which PS5 is authorized.
How other users access the shared content
After the setting is enabled, other people can use their own users on that PS5 to play the enabling account’s purchased and downloaded games and use its purchased and downloaded media. They do not need the account owner’s profile to be the active profile for every session.
Offline access applies to the PS5 with the authorization. A different PS5 where the account is merely signed in does not automatically gain the same shared-console treatment. If content is subscription-based, the entitlement still depends on the relevant PlayStation Plus subscription being active.
PlayStation describes the Plus sharing scope as “some” benefits. Treat each benefit separately rather than assuming that every online, catalog, discount, cloud, or other membership feature transfers to every user.
Ownership, downloads, and subscriptions
The enabling account must own the content
If a game or media item is missing, first verify that the account used to enable the setting purchased it. A different account’s purchase is not attributed to the enabling account simply because both accounts are present on the PS5.
The content must be downloaded for offline use
The shared-console rule covers games and media that the account owner purchased and downloaded. Download the item while the authorized PS5 is online before expecting another user to open it without a connection. The setting grants access; it does not download content automatically.
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Subscription content has a separate condition
For content obtained through PlayStation Plus, confirm that a relevant PlayStation Plus subscription is active. If the subscription has expired or the item is no longer covered by the applicable entitlement, enabling Console Sharing and Offline Play cannot restore access.
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| Situation | What the PS5 can provide |
|---|---|
| The account’s first PS5 used for sign-in | PlayStation says Console Sharing and Offline Play is allowed automatically. |
| A different PS5 with the setting enabled | Other users of that PS5 can use the enabling account’s purchased and downloaded games and media offline. |
| A PS5 where the account is signed in but the setting is not enabled | It does not receive the enabled-console sharing treatment described by PlayStation. |
| More than one PS5 | Only one PS5 can have Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled at a time. |
| Remote recovery after losing access to the old PS5 | Account Management can deactivate all devices remotely, subject to a once-every-six-months limit. |
Troubleshoot activation problems
If the menu will not enable the PS5 or the console reports an activation problem, work through these checks in order.
- Check PlayStation service status. A service interruption can prevent account or entitlement checks. Wait for the service to recover before repeatedly changing the setting.
- Update the PS5’s system software. PlayStation specifically recommends checking system software when activation fails.
- Restart the router. Turn it off and leave it off for at least five minutes, then turn it back on and wait for the connection to return.
- Restart the PS5. After the network is available, restart the console and retry Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Check for an existing enabled PS5. If the account is authorized on another PS5, disable that console first. If it cannot be accessed, use Account Management’s remote deactivation option, remembering the six-month limit.
These steps address service availability, software state, network state, and an existing authorization—the main conditions PlayStation identifies for activation failures.
Troubleshoot missing games or media
Confirm the purchasing account
Check which account bought the missing item. The account that enables sharing must be the account that purchased the game or media. If another account made the purchase, sign-in and authorization need to be evaluated for that purchasing account instead.
Confirm the item was downloaded
On the enabled PS5, verify that the item is downloaded. Shared offline access applies to purchased and downloaded content; an item that exists only in an online library is not available offline until it has been downloaded.
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Confirm PlayStation Plus status
If the item or access depends on PlayStation Plus, verify that the relevant subscription is active. Other users may receive some Plus benefits through the enabled PS5, but PlayStation does not promise that every benefit is shared.
Retry after the console and network checks
If ownership, download status, and subscription status are correct, repeat the service-status, system-software, router, and console-restart checks. Those checks can resolve an entitlement or activation state that has not refreshed correctly.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Looking in the wrong menu: The control is under Users and Accounts > Other, not under a general game-sharing menu.
- Trying to enable two PS5 consoles: The feature supports one enabled PS5 at a time.
- Assuming every Plus benefit transfers: PlayStation specifies only some benefits.
- Expecting an undownloaded item to work offline: Download purchased content to the enabled PS5 first.
- Using the wrong account: The enabling account must be the purchaser or the account with the relevant subscription entitlement.
- Remote-deactivating casually: Deactivating all devices remotely is limited to once every six months.
- Buying extra hardware to fix activation: The setting is configured in PS5 software; PlayStation’s activation guidance instead points to service status, system software, network restart, and console restart checks.
Quick checklist
- Sign in to the account that owns the purchases or subscription.
- Open Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Select Enable.
- Download the games and media that should work offline.
- Switch to the other user’s profile and test the content while online.
- After confirming access, disconnect the PS5 from the internet and test the downloaded item offline.
- If activation fails, check service status and system software, restart the router for at least five minutes, restart the PS5, and verify that another PS5 is not already enabled.
Bottom line
Enable the feature from Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play. It authorizes one PS5 so other users can access the enabling account’s purchased and downloaded games and media offline, with only some PlayStation Plus benefits shared. When changing consoles, disable the old PS5 first—or use Account Management’s remote all-device deactivation if the old console is inaccessible, subject to PlayStation’s once-every-six-months limit.
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