PS5 game sharing is officially handled through Console Sharing and Offline Play. It marks one PS5 as your account’s primary console so other accounts on that same console can play your digital games.
These steps apply to PS5 accounts in the same household, with PS4 notes where the older primary-console method differs.
Does this affect you?
Use this if another account on a PS5 should be able to play games from your digital library without buying a second copy.
Set up Console Sharing and Offline Play
- On the PS5 you want to share on, sign in with the account that owns the games.
- Open Settings > Users and Accounts > Other.
- Choose Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Select Activate.
- Have the other person sign into their own PlayStation account on that same console.
- They can then launch your purchased digital games from the library without staying signed into your account.
This is designed for one household console, not broad sharing across multiple homes.
What gets shared
- Other accounts on your primary PS5 can access eligible purchased digital games.
- Some PlayStation Plus benefits, such as online multiplayer, can be shared in the household.
- Trophies stay separate per account.
- Save data and progress stay separate per account.
- Cloud saves and some benefits depend on the account and subscription rules.
Sharing the game does not merge profiles or saves. Each player keeps their own progress.
Change or remove the primary PS5
- To move sharing, sign into your account on the new PS5.
- Open the same Console Sharing and Offline Play menu.
- Activate it there, which removes primary status from the previous PS5.
- To stop sharing without moving, choose Deactivate on the current primary PS5.
- Before selling or returning a console, deactivate sharing and then consider a factory reset.
Share Play, Family Management, and PS4 notes
Share Play is different. It lets you stream a game session to a friend and hand them control temporarily, but it does not grant lasting library access.
For child accounts, combine game sharing with PlayStation Family Management so you can set playtime, spending, and age controls.
On PS4, the menu path is under Settings > Account Management, but the primary-console idea is similar. PS5 also supports most PS4 digital titles through backward compatibility.
Sources
- PlayStation Support – Share PlayStation Plus Benefits and Games with Console Sharing (2025)
- PlayStation Support – Set Your PS5 as Your Primary Console (2025)
- PlayStation Support – PlayStation Network Family Management (2025)