The meaning behind the padlock symbol in your PlayStation 5 game library

Being locked out of your own games isn't fun, but there are solutions to get back in.

Girts Ragelis/Getty Images

Sony's plans to stop making disc-based games beginning in January 2028 mean digital games need to work flawlessly. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. On your PS5, you may have found some titles inaccessible, as evidenced by a padlock icon over their thumbnails. From your perspective, this can be baffling. You've paid for a game and installed it, so it should always be ready to play, right? 

The reality is that when you buy a game from an online store, you typically don't get permanent ownership rights — just a license to download and play. Sony has final control over how you access games associated with your account. If the company withdraws a license for whatever reason, or something goes wrong with the authentication process, you're blocked from accessing the title. This is what the padlock indicates.

As if that weren't enough, the way PlayStation Store and Plus subscriptions work can create headaches. Thankfully, there are some methods to fix those padlocks.

Fixing the PlayStation padlock icon

Sony

First, check that you're signed into the right PlayStation account, since that's what ties all your purchases and subscriptions together. You can sign out of an account by going to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Sign Out, or sign back in via Settings > Users and Accounts > Account > Sign in. This menu lets you create new accounts if needed, too. Next, confirm that PlayStation Network is online using the PlayStation Status page. If PSN is down, you may get locked out of games.

You'll also want to verify that PSN recognizes your purchases, or in the case of PlayStation Plus, that you both have an active subscription and the game you want to play is included with it. Titles are added and removed on a regular basis, so you'll see a padlock on games you previously downloaded that aren't in the library anymore (as well as if your subscription has lapsed).

Scan your transaction history at Settings > Users and Accounts > Account > Payment and Subscriptions > Transaction History. As for Plus, your status is under Settings > Users and Accounts > Account > Payment and Subscriptions > Subscriptions, and you can browse the PlayStation Plus website for the current library.

When multiple people share a console, it's possible to play another person's games under your own account. This is known as "gamesharing," and works as long the owner has Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled under Settings > Users and Accounts > Other. That option can only be enabled on one PS5 at a time per account, so if the owner has multiple consoles, they may need to re-designate the one you're on.

If you know you should have direct or shared access to a game, you may need to force PSN to restore licenses. Go to the game in your library, press the Options button on your controller, then select Restore License. You can also go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses to fix multiple games simultaneously.

What if your PS5 games are still locked up?

Nwz/Shutterstock

Before moving forward, restart your PS5 (press the PS Button on your controller, then go to the Power menu and choose Restart PS5). You should also install any available updates at Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings. Bugs fixed by the latest patches don't typically affect licensing issues, but it's good to rule everything out.

Finally, if you see the padlock icon on a disc-based game, that means the disc isn't acting as a "key" to authenticate the title. Confirm sure the correct disc is inserted into your console. Eject it and make sure it's clean and inserted the right way (label facing up if the console is horizontal, or to the left if it's vertical). 

Beyond these, in an extreme scenario, there could be a glitch with your PS5's database. You can attempt to solve this by booting your console into Safe Mode. Follow these steps:

1. Turn off the system by holding the Power button on its front until you hear a second beep, which takes a few seconds. 
2. Once the console shuts down, press and keep holding the Power button again. Release it only after you hear two beeps, the second of which should trigger in seven seconds.
3. Connect your controller via a USB cable, then press the PS Button on the controller.
4. Once Safe Mode is running, select Clear Cache and Rebuild Database.

Should that not accomplish anything, it's time to talk to PlayStation Support.