Paying full price for a PlayStation game does not necessarily mean owning it. That distinction has put Sony Interactive Entertainment among the recipients of Australia’s 2026 Shonky Awards, with consumer advocacy group CHOICE challenging how digital purchases are presented and what happens when access disappears.
The controversy goes beyond a single game or movie. With PlayStation moving toward a digital-only future, CHOICE argues that customers are becoming increasingly dependent on licenses they cannot transfer and that Sony can terminate. The question is no longer just where players buy their games, but what they can actually keep.
Sony receives a Shonky Award over the meaning of digital ownership
In early November 2026, Australian consumer organization CHOICE included Sony Interactive Entertainment in its annual Shonky Awards, which highlight products and business practices the group considers unfair. Its official 2026 award announcement recognizes Sony for asking customers to pay for entertainment without giving them permanent ownership.
According to CHOICE, PlayStation Store digital ownership is fundamentally different from owning a physical copy. Sony’s end-user license agreement states that software is licensed rather than sold. The organization also highlights provisions allowing Sony to terminate licenses without an obligation to provide refunds.
CHOICE compares this arrangement to an extended rental. Although a digital game may remain in someone’s library for years, its continued availability depends on the licensing terms and the services supporting it.
The organization identifies several reasons for its criticism:
- Limited ownership: Digital games and movies are provided through licenses rather than transferred to buyers as property.
- Potential loss of access: Sony’s licensing terms allow termination without a refund obligation.
- Unclear checkout language: PlayStation Store uses familiar purchasing terms without prominently explaining the licensing distinction.
- Restricted resale: Digital game licenses cannot be transferred, preventing conventional second-hand sales.
- Account dependency: Network outages and account suspensions can create additional obstacles to accessing purchased content.
- Comparable pricing: CHOICE questions why digital licenses can cost as much as physical editions that buyers can keep and resell.
One particular concern involves the final checkout button. CHOICE games expert Peter Zaluzny points to the wording “Order & Pay”, arguing that shoppers are not clearly reminded of the licensing arrangement before completing their transaction.
The criticism is about transparency as much as access. A customer may understand that a game requires downloading, yet still assume that paying for it guarantees permanent availability.
Sony has announced changes that make digital access a bigger concern
CHOICE connects its award to several announcements affecting PlayStation customers. Together, they illustrate why the difference between a purchase and a license could become more important over the coming years.
The changes and examples highlighted by the organization include:
- June 2026: Sony announced that its StudioCanal licensing agreement was ending in the UK and Europe. Customers were told that 500 movies would become unavailable to buy, rent, or watch, including previously purchased titles in their digital libraries.
- January 2028: All new PlayStation games will be digital-only, with no disc editions. Existing games and titles released before that date will remain available physically unless otherwise stated.
- July 2027: Sony will close the PS3 and PS Vita digital stores. Previously purchased games will remain downloadable for the “foreseeable future,” although that wording does not establish a permanent guarantee.
- Continued retail sales: Digital game codes will still be available through physical stores and online retailers, providing alternatives to purchasing directly through PlayStation Store.
The StudioCanal situation is especially relevant because it concerns content customers had already paid for. CHOICE uses it to illustrate how licensing agreements can affect an existing digital library, rather than only future purchases.
Meanwhile, the planned move away from discs changes the options available to players. Physical editions provide an alternative to storefront-based licensing, whereas digital-only releases make account access and license conditions increasingly important.
However, the announced changes should not be confused with an immediate removal of every PlayStation download. CHOICE specifically notes that existing PS3 and PS Vita purchases are expected to remain downloadable after their storefronts close, at least for the period Sony describes.
The second-hand PlayStation market faces a different future
Digital ownership also affects what happens after someone finishes a game. A physical disc can be lent, exchanged, or sold. By contrast, Sony’s digital licensing agreement prohibits transferring software licenses, leaving no equivalent second-hand marketplace for PlayStation Store downloads.
CHOICE argues that a digital-only PlayStation catalog could eventually eliminate the traditional used-game market for new releases. That would remove a familiar way for players to recover part of their spending or purchase games at lower prices from other consumers.
The organization also recalls an awkward moment in PlayStation history. In 2013, Sony published a short video mocking Xbox restrictions around sharing used games. CHOICE contrasts that earlier message with the limitations now associated with non-transferable digital licenses.
Digital gifting is another useful distinction. For example, Nintendo eShop’s upcoming family-group gifting feature demonstrates how a storefront can allow certain digital purchases to be sent to another person. However, gifting a newly purchased game is not the same as reselling or transferring an existing license.
Similarly, allowing third-party retailers to sell PlayStation download codes does not automatically create a used-game market. Those stores may provide additional purchasing options, but the underlying restrictions on transferring licenses remain central to CHOICE’s argument.
Digital game buyers face questions about access and consumer transparency
Beyond ownership and resale, CHOICE raises concerns about what happens when the systems supporting digital libraries become unavailable. A PlayStation Network outage can interfere with downloading content, while a compromised account that becomes suspended may create a more complicated access problem.
These are potential risks rather than a claim that every outage removes purchased games. Nevertheless, they show why account security, service availability, and licensing terms matter when a collection exists primarily online.
The wider conversation also connects with efforts to make digital marketplaces easier for consumers to understand. In Europe, the proposed Digital Fairness Act and its possible effects on gaming have brought renewed attention to pricing transparency and online purchasing practices. That initiative addresses different issues and does not establish any legal finding against Sony.
Importantly, the Shonky Award itself is a consumer advocacy judgment, not a regulatory penalty. Sony appears alongside Virgin Australia, Ticketek and Ticketmaster, Quest Protein Chips, Hisense, and Petcover among the 2026 recipients.
For PlayStation customers, the practical distinction is straightforward: having a game in a digital library does not necessarily provide the same control as keeping a physical copy. Before choosing between formats, buyers may want to consider whether resale, offline access, or long-term availability matters to them.
Ultimately, CHOICE’s criticism of Sony puts an increasingly relevant question in front of the gaming industry. As physical releases become less common, will digital storefronts make the limits of ownership clearer before players spend their money?
Creator of the website, Pokemon trainer by nature. Trying to report on everything related to the world of video games, series and movies. Yu-Gi-Oh is my weakness, collecting cards since the dawn of time.
