No, Sony is not prohibiting you from re-selling your PS4/PS5 disc games
The rumor has no base of truth.
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Key notes
- Rumors are saying that Sony is preventing PlayStation users from reselling their disc games.
- There is no truth to this claim.
- The so-called “updated” TOS is around 10 years old.
Rumors on social media are saying that Sony is preventing PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5 users from reselling their disc games, but the thing is, there is no truth to this claim.
TL;DR, Sony has a “problematic” passage in its Software Usage Terms document. Under the “Resale” chapter, Sony writes, “You must not resell either disc-based games or digital games, unless expressly authorised by us and, if the publisher is another company, additionally by the publisher.”
Social media, then, treated this as a “new” discovery, while the same term has been around for around a decade. Using WaybackMachine, we’re able to see that the passage existed (more or less) even back in 2014.
However, this has been debunked, although the damage is done. Popular X (fka Twitter) accounts, like @Xbox_Series_XS and @Nintendeal for example, have pushed on this narrative (surprise surprise, it’s coming from PlayStation’s rivals).
Popular YouTuber RGT 48 also has a dedicated video on his channel that says, “Sony Says It’s Illegal To Sell Your PS5 Games,” with a thumbnail in quite a spectacular fashion.
Many news outlets, including TheSportsRush and Insider-Gaming.com, have also reported on this issue. The latter has then retracted the article and wrote an update, titled, “PlayStation’s ‘Banning the Resale of Physical PS5 Games’ Term Is 10 Years Old.”
Former President of SIE Worldwide Studios for Sony, Shuhei Yoshida, also reassured in 2013, “If you are concerned about our new European TOS, we confirm that you are able to sell or share your disc PS4 products, including in EU.”
