Which route is yours?
Choose what you see. Licenses are fixed on the console you play on; other consoles and purchase records are checked on your account online. Do this once your account is secured again with a new password. If you still can't sign in, recover PSN sign-in or recover the Microsoft account first.
I got my PSN account back, but games on my PS5 show a padlock.
- Restore Licenses in Settings
- Turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play
- Another PS5 holds it: deactivate all 6 mo
Run Restore Licenses first; Sony says it won’t affect your data. Then turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play on your own PS5, which works on one PS5 at a time. If an unknown console still holds it, change your password to sign it out; Deactivate All Devices is allowed once every six months.
Your route, step by step
Choose what you see on your console. Each route lists the platform's own menus and where a limit applies.
Get your library back in five steps
Work through these in order on the console you actually play on. PlayStation's own steps start with restoring licenses and then turning on Console Sharing and Offline Play or your primary PS4; our advice is to keep the six-monthly deactivation for last.
- Re-check your licenses. On PS5 restore licenses for the whole account, or press the options button on one game and choose Restore License. On PS4 use Restore Licenses, then Restore. On Xbox, find the game in your library and launch or redownload it on your home console, which registers the license.PS5: Settings → Users and Accounts → Other → Restore LicensesPS4: Settings → Account Management → Restore Licenses → RestoreXbox: My games & apps → See all → Full library → Owned games
- Claim your own console. On PS5, turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play; Sony allows it on one PS5 at a time. On PS4, activate it as your primary. On Xbox, make this your home Xbox. When you switch, Xbox Support says your shared licenses stop being available on the old home console.PS4: Settings → Account Management → Activate as Your Primary PS4Xbox: Profile & system → Settings → General → Personalization → My home Xbox
- Change your password to sign out consoles you can't reach. If an unknown console was signed in to your PSN account, PlayStation says changing your password signs out inaccessible consoles. It costs nothing, so do it before the six-monthly deactivation. To sign other devices out as well, see signing out of PSN everywhere.
- Only if an unknown console still holds your games, deactivate all of them. Sony doesn't let you deactivate one console remotely, so the remote option deactivates every console at once, and it's allowed once every six months.Account Management → Device Management → PlayStation Consoles → Deactivate All DevicesOn Xbox, the device list on your Microsoft account shows registered devices, but Microsoft's removal steps are written for PCs; claiming your own home Xbox in step 2 is the reliable fix.account.microsoft.com/devices
- Compare with your purchase record, then report what's missing. On PlayStation, look in your Game Library and, for recent purchases or redeemed vouchers, your Transaction History. On Microsoft, Order history shows items with a status of Completed or Redeemed. Anything that still doesn't appear goes to PlayStation Support or Xbox Support with the item name and date.PS5: Games home → Game Library → Your CollectionPS4: Library → Purchased
Xbox Support's library steps also mention a filter: switch Ready to play to Ready to install. It's a filter in the library view, not an older menu, so look for it next to the list rather than in Settings. For charges you don't recognise in the record, use the PlayStation purchase guide or the Xbox charge guide.
Limits that decide the order
Where did the missing game come from?
How you got the game
Choose how you got the game to see where to look first.
The answers follow Sony's and Xbox Support's own pages. Nothing you choose leaves this page.
| Fix | PlayStation | Xbox and Microsoft |
|---|---|---|
| Re-check licenses | Restore Licenses on PS5 or PS4 | Launch or redownload on your home Xbox |
| Claim your console | Console Sharing and Offline Play, or Primary PS4 | Make this my home Xbox, up to five times a year |
| Other consoles | Deactivate All Devices, once every six months | Switching home ends sharing on the old console |
| Check what you own | Game Library or Library, and Transaction History | Full library, Owned games, and Order history |
| Refunded or moved items | Ask PlayStation Support; no published rule | Ask Xbox Support; no published rule |
What you can count on, and where it stops
Games you bought stay with your account: Xbox Support says you can download and play your digital games on any Xbox console without switching your home Xbox, and on PlayStation they're listed in the Game Library on PS5 or under Library and Purchased on PS4. Restoring licenses only re-checks ownership; Sony says it won't affect your data.
Membership games are different. Sony says content you got at no cost as part of PlayStation Plus, such as monthly games, is no longer available once the membership ends, so a padlock on one of those is a membership question, not a license one. For trouble with the plan itself, see PlayStation Plus problems. Neither Sony nor Microsoft publishes a rule for re-issuing items that were refunded or redeemed on another account while you were locked out, and PlayVault can't change anything on your account.
When the usual route won't work
- Deactivate All Devices was used in the last 6 months. You can't use it again until the six months pass. Turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play on your own PS5, which Sony allows on one PS5 at a time.
- You've used all 5 home Xbox changes this year. Xbox Support says customer support can't offer additional switches. You can still download and play your own games on any Xbox.
- The padlock covers the whole game image. PlayStation says your Family Manager can amend it, so ask them to check the parental controls.
- The padlock is on a PlayStation Plus game. Restore Licenses won't unlock monthly games once the membership has ended; check the membership first.
- A cloud game is missing from Full library. Xbox Support says cloud games you can't play because of subscription or ownership aren't shown there.
- The game isn't in your Game Library at all. Check your Transaction History for the purchase, then contact PlayStation Support with its name and date.
- The item was refunded or a code was redeemed elsewhere. No published rule covers re-issuing it, so support decides.
Questions about missing games
Why do my games show a padlock after I got my PSN account back?
PlayStation says a padlock can be caused by license or network issues. Its steps are to restore licenses and then turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play on your PS5. If the game came with PlayStation Plus, make sure the membership is active; if the padlock covers the whole game image, the Family Manager can amend it.
Will Restore Licenses delete my saved games?
No. Sony says restoring licenses won't affect your data. It only re-checks which content your account owns.
The intruder's PS5 is sharing my games. Can I switch off just that console?
Not remotely. Sony says you can't remotely deactivate individual consoles; you deactivate all of them at once, and that is allowed once every six months. Changing your password first is cheaper: PlayStation says it signs out consoles you can't reach. A console you have in front of you can be switched off on the console itself.
A game I bought is gone from my Xbox. Where is it?
Open My games & apps, choose See all, then Full library and Owned games. Then check Order history at account.microsoft.com, where bought and redeemed items show as Completed or Redeemed.
Do I have to make a console my home Xbox to play my games on it?
No. Xbox Support says you can download and play your digital games on any Xbox console without switching your home Xbox. Home status matters for sharing your licenses with others on that console.
How often can I change my home Xbox?
Up to five times in any one-year period. Xbox Support says customer support can't offer additional switches, so use one change to reclaim your own console rather than testing.
Can support give back items that were refunded or redeemed on another account?
Sony and Microsoft don't publish a rule for re-issuing them. Send PlayStation Support or Xbox Support the item names and dates from your purchase record and let them decide.
Sources
- PlayStation Support: How to restore licenses on PlayStation consoles Checked October 2026
- PlayStation Support: How to deactivate a PlayStation console Checked October 2026
- PlayStation Support: Console Sharing and Offline Play on PS5 Checked October 2026
- PlayStation Support: Activate a primary PS4 Checked October 2026
- PlayStation Support: Games that won't launch or show a padlock Checked October 2026
- PlayStation Support: Find and download games you bought Checked October 2026
- PlayStation Support: Cancel PlayStation Plus Checked October 2026
- Xbox Support: Designate a console as your home Xbox Checked October 2026
- Xbox Support: Find your games and add-ons in My games & apps Checked October 2026
- Microsoft Support: View your Microsoft Store order history Checked October 2026
- Microsoft Support: Manage devices used with your Microsoft account Checked October 2026
Verified October 2026 against the PlayStation, Xbox and Microsoft support pages above. Xbox Support doesn't say whether a console can remove another console's home status, so we don't promise it.