Setting up console sharing on PS5 lets other people in your household play your digital games and use your PlayStation Plus benefits, even when you are not signed in yourself. This guide is for anyone who shares a PS5 with family or housemates and wants everyone to get value from one account’s digital library, without needing separate PS Plus subscriptions or duplicate purchases.
Table of Contents
What you’ll need
- A PS5 console with an internet connection
- A PlayStation Network (PSN) account signed in as the console’s owner, ideally the account with the digital games and PS Plus subscription
- Separate user profiles for each household member who will use the console
- Admin access to the console (you need to be able to change account settings)
Understanding how console sharing works
Console sharing on PS5 revolves around setting one console as your primary PS5. Once a console is marked as primary for your account, any other user profile signed in on that same console can play your digital games and access your PS Plus benefits locally, without needing to log in as you. At the same time, your own account can play digital games offline on that console, since it is recognised as your home base.
Only one console can be set as primary for a given account at a time. If you later set a different PS5 as primary, it replaces the old one, and the previous console loses access to your shared games and benefits.
How to enable console sharing on PS5
- Turn on the PS5 and sign in using the PSN account whose games and PS Plus benefits you want to share.
- Open the Settings menu from the top right of the home screen.
- Select Users and Accounts.
- Choose the option labelled Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Select Enable Console Sharing and Offline Play, then confirm the choice.
Once enabled, this PS5 becomes your primary console. Any other profile you or a household member creates on this same machine can now use your shared game library and benefits when they sign in.
Adding household members so they can access shared games
- From the home screen, go to Settings again and select Users and Accounts.
- Choose Add New User (or a similarly worded option) to create a profile for a family member.
- Have that person sign in with their own PSN account, or create a new one if they do not have one yet.
- Once signed in, they can browse the Game Library and open any digital titles marked as available from the primary account.
- They can also inherit PS Plus benefits, such as online multiplayer access and monthly games, while playing on the shared console.
Each family member keeps their own save data, trophies, and settings under their own profile, even though the games and subscription benefits come from the shared primary account.
Switching your primary console
If you get a new PS5 or want to move sharing to a different console, repeat the setup steps on the new machine. This automatically removes primary status from the old console. If you no longer have access to the original console, you can manage registered devices remotely through account settings on the PlayStation App or via the web, which lets you deactivate an old primary console without needing to touch it directly.
Tips and troubleshooting
- If a shared game shows a lock icon, the household member may need to be signed in while connected to the internet at least once to verify licensing.
- PS Plus benefits shared through console sharing generally require the primary account holder’s subscription to remain active.
- Only one PS5 can be primary per account, so check which console is currently set before enabling sharing on a second one.
- If performance feels off after enabling sharing, confirm your console is properly connected to your TV and that your internet connection is stable, since some verification happens online.
- Households using both PlayStation and Xbox consoles can compare the process with console sharing on Xbox to keep sharing consistent across systems.
Frequently asked questions
Can I share my PS5 games with more than one console?
No. Only one PS5 can be set as your primary console at a time. Setting a new console as primary removes sharing from the previous one.
Do household members need their own PS Plus subscription?
Not necessarily. While console sharing is active, other users on the primary console can generally access PS Plus benefits tied to the primary account, without needing a separate subscription of their own.
What happens to shared games if I disable console sharing?
Once console sharing is turned off, other user profiles on that console lose access to the primary account’s digital games and PS Plus benefits. Each person would then need their own purchases or subscription to keep playing those titles.
Can I remove a console as primary if I no longer own it?
Yes. You can manage this through your account’s registered devices in the PlayStation App or the official PlayStation support page, which lets you deactivate an old primary console remotely and free it up for a new one.
