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Console Sharing and Offline Play and Share Play solve different problems on a PS5. Console Sharing gives other user accounts on one designated PS5 access to the account holder’s eligible purchased and downloaded games and media, even when that console is offline. Share Play streams a game session to one online friend, who can watch or play without owning the game. It is not a way to add the host’s library to the friend’s console.
Use Console Sharing for a household or another person who regularly uses the same PS5. Use Share Play for a remote, temporary session. PlayStation Plus is required for Share Play, while Console Sharing is controlled by a separate account setting and shares only selected subscription benefits.
The difference in one minute
| What you want to do | Use | How it works | Important limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let another account on a particular PS5 use your purchased downloads | Console Sharing and Offline Play | Enables other users of one PS5 to play eligible games and use eligible media from the enabling account, including while the console is offline | Only one PS5 can be enabled for an account at a time; subscription benefits are limited to those Sony allows to be shared |
| Let a friend watch your game remotely | Share Play | Streams the host’s current game session to one visitor in a party voice chat | PlayStation Plus is required, the session ends after one hour, and network, account, region, age and game restrictions apply |
| Let a friend control your game remotely | Share Play — Visitor plays as you | The visitor receives control of the host’s game session | The host needs PlayStation Plus; only the host can earn trophies |
| Play cooperatively with a remote friend | Share Play — Play with the visitor | Host and visitor play together through the streamed session | Both players need PlayStation Plus, and the same session, content and network restrictions apply |
Sony’s official names are Console Sharing and Offline Play and Share Play. “Game sharing” is an informal phrase that people use for either feature, which is why conversations about it are often confusing.
What Console Sharing and Offline Play actually grants
Console Sharing is a console-level entitlement for one account. When enabled on a PS5, anyone who signs in with a different user account on that same machine can access the enabling account’s eligible purchased and downloaded games and media. The console can be offline for that access to work.
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What other users can do
- Play eligible games that the enabling account purchased and downloaded.
- Use eligible media purchased or downloaded by that account.
- Use selected PlayStation Plus benefits that Sony permits on a PS5 with Console Sharing enabled.
- Continue using eligible shared content when the designated PS5 has no internet connection.
This does not copy ownership to another account, transfer a game to a friend’s own PS5, or make every account feature available to everyone. The entitlement remains associated with the account that bought the content.
One enabled PS5 per account
Sony allows only one PS5 at a time to have Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled for an account. The account can still be used on other consoles, but those consoles do not receive the same always-available sharing entitlement. This limit is separate from other PlayStation console-activation limits.
How to enable it on a new PS5
- Sign in on the PS5 with the account that owns the purchases or subscription.
- Open Settings.
- Select Users and Accounts.
- Choose Other.
- Open Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Select Enable.
Sony says Console Sharing is automatically allowed on the first PS5 used to sign in to PlayStation Network. On another PS5, the account must disable the setting on the old console before enabling it on the new one.
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If the previous PS5 is lost, sold or inaccessible, sign in to Account Management and use the option to deactivate all devices remotely. Sony limits that remote all-device deactivation to once every six months. After the old activation is cleared, sign in on the replacement PS5 and enable Console Sharing and Offline Play there.
What “offline” means in practice
Offline access applies to the designated PS5 and eligible content that has already been purchased and downloaded. It does not mean a new purchase can be authenticated without a connection, nor does it make cloud-dependent features work offline. Download the game or media while signed in and connected, then other users of that enabled console can launch the eligible content without the console remaining online.
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How Share Play works
Share Play is a remote session, not a shared local library. The host runs the game on the host’s PS5; the visitor receives a stream of that session over the internet. The visitor does not need to own the game, because the game is running on the host’s console.
Starting a Share Play session
- Start the game on the host’s PS5.
- Open the party voice chat card.
- Choose the friend you want to invite.
- Select Share Play and send the invitation.
- Choose the session mode after the visitor joins.
Only one visitor can participate at a time. Sony recommends at least 2 Mbps upload and 2 Mbps download for both host and visitor for the best experience. A faster, stable connection can still be important because the stream’s responsiveness depends on both sides, but 2 Mbps is Sony’s published minimum recommendation rather than a guaranteed performance level.
Mode 1: Visitor plays as you
This mode hands control of the host’s game to the visitor. The host must have an active PlayStation Plus membership. The visitor can play through the streamed session without owning the game, while the host remains the account running the title.
Mode 2: Play with the visitor
This mode is for cooperative or competitive play together. Both the host and visitor need PlayStation Plus. The exact in-game multiplayer options still depend on the game itself; Share Play does not override a title’s own modes or restrictions.
Automatic one-hour ending
A Share Play session ends automatically one hour after the visitor joins. You can start another session if the feature remains available, but the one-hour timer is a property of each session, not an unlimited remote license.
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PlayStation Plus: where it matters and where it does not
PlayStation Plus belongs to the subscribing account. Sony allows selected benefits to be shared with other users on a primary PS4 and on one PS5 that has Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled. The sharing rule does not mean every Plus benefit transfers automatically.
Sony lists online multiplayer, monthly games, discounts, cloud storage and Share Play among Plus benefits. Access to a catalog game or other subscription entitlement can depend on an active membership and whether that item is still available. A game obtained through a subscription is not the same as a game permanently purchased by the account.
For Share Play, Plus is a direct requirement. The host needs Plus for Visitor plays as you; both people need Plus for Play with the visitor. For Console Sharing, the setting itself is what allows other users on the designated PS5 to use eligible purchased and downloaded content and selected Plus benefits. These are separate mechanisms, so having Plus does not by itself enable Console Sharing, and enabling Console Sharing does not remove Share Play’s membership requirements.
See Sony’s current PlayStation Plus support information for the benefits and eligibility Sony lists for your account and region.
Console Sharing vs Share Play: a detailed comparison
| Comparison point | Console Sharing and Offline Play | Share Play |
|---|---|---|
| People are using | Different user accounts on the same designated PS5 | Host and one remote visitor online |
| Primary purpose | Access to an eligible local library and media | Watch or participate in a live game session |
| Where the game runs | On the designated PS5, for its users | On the host’s PS5; the visitor receives a stream |
| Does the visitor need to own the game? | Not applicable; the other user must use the enabled PS5 | No, provided the session and game are eligible |
| Offline play | Yes, for eligible content already downloaded to the enabled PS5 | No; it is an online streaming session |
| PlayStation Plus | Only selected benefits are shareable; the setting itself is separate from Plus | Required; host only for Visitor plays as you, both players for Play with the visitor |
| How many consoles or visitors | One enabled PS5 per account | One visitor per session |
| Session duration | No Share Play-style one-hour timer for local access | Ends one hour after the visitor joins |
| Captures and trophies | Normal console rules apply to each user | Only the host can earn trophies; the visitor cannot save screenshots or video clips |
| Typical failure causes | Wrong account purchased the content, inactive subscription, setting enabled on another PS5, or content not downloaded | Insufficient connection, unsupported region or age rating, account/game restrictions, or missing Plus membership |
Which feature fits common situations?
You share a PS5 with family or a housemate
Use Console Sharing and Offline Play on that PS5. Sign in with the purchasing account, enable the setting, download the games, and let each person use their own local account. This is the only one of the two features designed to provide continuing access to a local library, including offline.
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Your friend lives elsewhere and wants to try your game
Use Share Play. Invite the friend through party voice chat and choose Visitor plays as you if you want them to control the game. They do not need to buy the title, but the host needs Plus and the session is limited to one hour.
You want to play a cooperative game together remotely
Choose Play with the visitor. Confirm that both accounts have Plus, that the game supports the intended multiplayer mode, and that both connections meet Sony’s 2 Mbps upload and download recommendation.
You want your friend to keep playing the game on their own PS5
Neither feature does that. Console Sharing applies to users of one designated PS5, while Share Play ends with the remote session and streams the host’s game. A friend’s separate console does not receive your purchased library through these features.
You need access while traveling without reliable internet
Console Sharing can help only on the one PS5 where it is enabled and only for content already downloaded there. Share Play is unsuitable for this purpose because it depends on an online stream and a connected host.
Troubleshooting Console Sharing
A downloaded game shows a lock or cannot start
- Check that the account signed in to the PS5 is the account that purchased the game or holds the relevant subscription.
- Open Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play and verify that the setting is enabled on this PS5.
- Confirm that the subscription needed for the game is active and that the title is still included if it came from a catalog.
- Make sure the game is fully downloaded and installed on the enabled PS5.
- If the setting was moved recently, disable it on the former PS5 or use Account Management’s remote all-device deactivation, remembering that Sony permits that remote action only once every six months.
Another user can see the game but cannot use a subscription benefit
Console Sharing covers selected Plus benefits, not the entire subscription. Check Sony’s current Plus support page and the account’s active plan. A benefit may also depend on the game’s current catalog availability or another account-level condition.
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Troubleshooting Share Play
The invitation fails or the stream is unstable
- Check upload and download speeds for both people; Sony recommends at least 2 Mbps in each direction for host and visitor.
- Use a stable connection and reduce other traffic that competes with the game stream.
- Confirm that the host has Plus for Visitor plays as you, or that both accounts have Plus for Play with the visitor.
- End the session and invite the friend again if the one-hour session has expired.
The friend cannot join a particular game
Share Play is subject to game, account, country or region, age-rating, parental-control and scene restrictions. Some content may be blocked even when Share Play itself is available. Remote Play and Broadcast are unavailable during PS5 Share Play, and the visitor cannot save screenshots or video clips. Only the host can earn trophies.
Restrictions worth checking before you promise access
- Account ownership: Console Sharing depends on the purchasing or subscribing account being present and correctly configured.
- One-console rule: An account cannot have Console Sharing enabled on two PS5 consoles at once.
- One-visitor rule: Share Play supports one visitor at a time.
- Time limit: Each Share Play session ends one hour after the visitor joins.
- Membership rules: Share Play modes have different Plus requirements, and only selected Plus benefits can be shared locally.
- Regional and age controls: Country or region availability, age ratings and parental controls can prevent or limit a session.
- Content restrictions: A specific game or scene may not support Share Play, even if other games do.
- Capture restrictions: During PS5 Share Play, the visitor cannot save screenshots or video clips, and trophies are credited only to the host.
A practical decision checklist
- Are the people using the same physical PS5? If yes, start with Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Do you need the other person to use the library on their own console? Neither feature provides that.
- Is the goal a temporary remote demonstration, trial or assisted play session? Use Share Play.
- Will the visitor control the game alone? Select Visitor plays as you and verify the host has Plus.
- Will both people play together? Select Play with the visitor and verify both have Plus.
- Does the session need to work offline? Only Console Sharing on its designated PS5 supports that scenario.
- Could age, region, parental-control or game restrictions apply? Check those before scheduling the session.
Bottom line
Think of Console Sharing as local access on one chosen PS5 and Share Play as a temporary online stream to one friend. Enable Console Sharing when several accounts use the same console and need access to eligible downloaded purchases. Start Share Play when someone remote needs to watch or participate without owning the game. The one-console activation rule, one-hour Share Play timer, Plus requirements and content restrictions determine whether the chosen feature will work in a particular situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can two PS5 consoles use Console Sharing for the same account at the same time?
No. Sony allows Console Sharing and Offline Play to be enabled on one PS5 per account at a time. Move it by disabling the old console or using remote all-device deactivation in Account Management; that remote option is limited to once every six months.
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Does a friend need to buy my game to use Share Play?
No. Share Play streams the host’s game session, so the visitor does not need to own the game. The session still requires the applicable PlayStation Plus membership and must pass game, account, region, age and network restrictions.
Can Share Play transfer my games to my friend’s PS5?
No. Share Play is a live remote session, and Console Sharing applies only to users of the one PS5 where the setting is enabled. Neither feature grants your friend a permanent library on another console.
Why can another user play my purchased game but not use every PlayStation Plus feature?
Sony shares selected Plus benefits through Console Sharing, not the entire subscription. The available benefit can also depend on an active membership and current catalog availability.
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