Surprising and spoiling my friends and family with gifts is one thing I love about birthdays or any other special occasion.
It really brings joy to your closest people. Like I used to get super excited when my father used to gift me physical copies of PlayStation 1 games during the holiday seasons.
But now things have changed. People are going all digital as it saves a lot of hassle in between. So now the biggest question looms, can you gift games on PS5? And even if you can, how do you gift games on PS5?
To answer these queries, I am going to write a complete guide on how you can gift games on PlayStation 5.
So keep reading till the end to get your queries resolved.
Can you gift a game to someone on PS5?
You cannot gift a game to someone on PlayStation 5 digitally because sony doesn’t allow the digital purchase of game cards anymore. They have stopped retailers from selling game gift cards. However, there are other ways you can actually gift games on PlayStation 5.
We all have good friends we spend money on to buy gifts. Before this gaming generation, we used to give them books, t-shirts, tickets to concerts and whatnot to surprise our friends and family.
But times have changed; people now gift their friends games and gaming accessories as gifts. Like you can gift games on a PC if you are on the steam platform.
Steam has an option that way; you can directly gift your friends games on that platform. Now you might be thinking, how to do that on PlayStation 5? Well, in reality, PlayStation 5 never had the option to gift a game directly.
But you could have bought digital game cards of a game and gifted them to your friend. In April 2019, Sony announced that gamers who don’t want to use the PSN platform would no longer be able to purchase digital versions of games from retail locations. Sony has confirmed that all retailers will be barred from selling game download codes.
The worldwide alignment of strategic enterprises was a driving factor in the decision. SIE is introducing higher denominations at several stores in order to support complete games and premium versions. Downloadable content, downloadable content packs, virtual money, and season passes will all be accessible.
So, yes, you can no longer gift a game to someone on PlayStation 5. But as I said earlier, you can still gift games to your friends on PlayStation 5.
Follow the steps to gift games on PS5:
1. Gift PSN Gift Cards
Now that you know that you cannot buy redeemable game key codes anymore, you can still gift your friend gift cards.
With the gift card, your friends can buy the games they want. Sony has $10,$20,$50 &$100 gift cards for the PlayStation network that your friend can redeem and buy their favorite game. You can also gift your friend the PS Plus subscription code, as these are also available on the official PSN store.
Now you might ask how to redeem gift cards on PS5. Well, Just go through the steps down below.
Follow the steps to redeem your gift cards on PS5:
- Click on Settings.
- Choose Users and Accounts.
- Click “Account” and then “Payment and Subscriptions.”
- Select Redeem Codes.
- Type in the code and then click “Redeem.”
There you go. You can also redeem the PSN gift card from your web browser.
Follow the steps to redeem the psn gift cards from your web browser:
- Go to the PlayStation Store.
- Tap on your Avatar up at the top of the screen.
- Choose Redeem Codes from the list of options.
- Type in the code and then click “Redeem.”
Before you gift your friend a PSN gift card, you need to keep a few things in check. PSN gift cards or coupons for the PlayStation Store have a total of 12 numbers. The codes can only be used if they correspond to the same area as your friend’s actual account. If your card is tangible, you can tell whose nation it is by the flag emblazoned on it.
It is also necessary to have a current payment method on file in order to redeem some subscription coupons. Please redeem your code on the proper account since cash and information cannot be moved across accounts.
A PSN gift card code can only be used once. Log in to Account Management on the website to see your account’s past transactions. If the discount code has been utilized, it will be reflected in the specifics of the current purchase.
Follow our guide to fix PS5 1080p 120Hz not working.
2. Gift Your Friend A PSN Account
Yes, you cannot directly gift your friend a game on PS5 or give a direct redeemable code of a game. But you can actually buy the game in an account and gift the account.
This is the method I follow because it is more accessible, and I can also play the game when my friend is not playing. You make a PSN account under your friend’s name, then buy the game you want and gift the account credential to your friend. It is also safer than gifting your friend a game as you have control over the purchase of the game, and you can also ask for a refund, or your friend can if they don’t like the game.
Are PS5 Digital Games Transferable?
No, PlayStation 5 digital games are not transferable. If you buy a digital game on your PlayStation 5 account, that game is tied to your account forever. The game is also going to be region locked. Meaning there is no way you can transfer the game to another PSN account.
Many game platforms or PC game stores allow you to transfer digital games from one account to another.
This is a common practice among friends to share games between them. Many people use the same method to gift a game to their friends. However, Sony doesn’t allow that. Once you buy a game on PS5 digitally, you can never transfer it to another account.
However, you can transfer the physical copies as there is no account binding when it comes to physically owned games. But when you buy a digital game on PS5, your PlayStation Network account is directly bound to the game.
You can download and play the game with your PSN account that you have bought the game. There is no restriction as such that limits playing the game with the account you have bought the game. If you bought a new PlayStation console, you can also download and play the game by logging into your account on the new console.
Follow our guide step-by-step to fix PS5 repairing console storage error.
Can I Play Someone Else’s Games On My PS5?
Yes, you can play someone else’s games on your PS5 with the help of console sharing. However, you cannot play directly from your account. If the game account holder sets their account as a primary console on your PlayStation 5, then you will be able to play all their games on your account.
PS5 game sharing is one of the most underrated features in the PlayStation console universe. With this feature, you can simultaneously share games with your friends. You can also share the PS Plus subscription. That means you don’t have to buy a game or subscription at full price. You can just split the bill in half and enjoy the game.
When you turn on console sharing and offline play on your PS5, anybody who uses your console may access your games and media even when it is not connected to the internet. Enjoy the music, movies, and games you’ve bought and downloaded. Participate in online multiplayer and use Game Support with your PlayStation Plus subscription.
Also, this is not a hack or a bug in the system. That Sony will fix up and bar you from playing games. It is an entirely legal way of sharing games with your friends. However, Sony doesn’t encourage sharing your account credentials for security purposes.
Check out the easiest way to fix PS5 not downloading games.
Follow the steps to enable console sharing and offline play on PS5:
- Click on Settings.
- Go to the Users and Accounts page.
- Choose Other.
- Go to Share Console and Play Offline.
- Click Enable.
When you sign in to PlayStation Network for the first time on a PlayStation 5 system, console sharing and offline play is immediately activated.
Check out our recent article on does PS5 have GPS.
Final Thoughts
As there is no direct way to gift games on your PS5, you can gift your friend a PSN gift card so that they can buy games to their liking. Also, you can share your account with them so that they can play the games you own.
However, Sony should implement a feature that will allow us to gift our friends digital games, premium avatars or dynamic wallpapers on PlayStation. Hopefully, you will be able to land a solution by reading this guideline.
