PS Plus PlayStation Plus 1

The PlayStation 3 is almost 15 years old, so it’s hardly surprising it has some irksome quirks – but with the closure of the system’s store on 2nd July, subscribers to PS Plus should probably be aware of a potential problem. While your downloads will be retained, you’ll only be able to play any titles you claimed through Sony’s subscription service as long as you remain a member.

Now this isn’t an issue if you’re planning to remain subscribed for the foreseeable future, but here’s the rub: there’s no way to outright purchase titles you’ve previously claimed as part of your membership while the storefront is live, meaning if your subscription lapses after the PS Store has closed, you’ll never be able to play those titles again – unless, of course, you resubscribe.

This problem also applies to the PS Vita, as well as PS Minis. It’s something that, fortunately, the firm has fixed on PS5 – you can purchase games even if you’ve already redeemed them through PS Plus – but obviously this is a legacy issue and it means that it’ll never be fixed on the company’s older consoles.

Unfortunately, there’s no solution either. If your PS Plus subscription is scheduled to lapse before 2nd July (or 27th August for PS Vita), then you will have the opportunity to let your membership run down and then purchase said titles outright – otherwise, you’re stuck. It’s always been an annoying, irritating oversight – but unfortunately it’s accentuated by the imminent closure of the various storefronts for PS3, PS Vita, and PSP.