UPDATE: Due to high traffic on PlayStation Store, you may encounter error messages or issues. We advise you to check back a little later and try again.
Note: In order to download two games at no cost, you must redeem them from the “Welcome Back” category. The individual titles are still available for purchase outside of the “Welcome Back Program”
If at any point you can’t find the ‘Welcome Back Free Game 1 or 2’ products, the list of available titles or a game you’ve selected, go to your XMB>PlayStation Network>Account Management>Transaction Management>Services List>SCEA Promotions to complete the process.
We’re so excited to welcome you back to PlayStation Network. With the PlayStation Store back online, we’ve been getting all caught up this week, having launched an abundance of amazing content for download on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable devices across games, movies, themes and DLC. Today, we’re excited to launch the Welcome Back program to thank you for your loyalty, and below, we’ve got what you need in order to get access to the included content. So, here’s a list of questions about the program. If you don’t see your question below, mention it in the comments and we’ll do our best to provide an answer. Thanks again for your patience and understanding as we restored the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services – your support has meant a lot to us and is greatly appreciated.
Q: What’s in the Welcome Back Program?
A: To start, all PSN members who had signed up before the outage (April 20, 2011) will be able to select two games for the PS3 system and two games for the PSP system.
For PS3 owners, go to the ‘Welcome Back’ section in the PlayStation Store, and select 2 titles from the following list:
- Dead Nation
- inFAMOUS
- LittleBigPlanet
- Super Stardust HD
- Wipeout HD + Fury
For PSP owners, go to the ‘Welcome Back’ section of PlayStation Store on your PSP system and select 2 titles from the following list:
- LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
- ModNation Racers
- Pursuit Force
- Killzone Liberation
Select your first game from “Game 1”, then return to the Welcome Back page and go to “Game 2” to select your second game out of the remaining choices available. This goes for both PS3 and PSP.
In addition, we’re giving access to our premium subscription service, PlayStation Plus, which includes games, huge discounts, exciting exclusives and added features like online storage and automatic downloads, to all PSN members for 30 days at no charge, requiring no long term commitment. As with the games above, go to the PlayStation Store and under the ‘Welcome Back’ section, select ‘PlayStation Plus: 30 Days Free’, and you’ll be given access to all of the benefits of PlayStation Plus. Note that this will not auto-renew and simply expires 30 days after activation.
Current Plus subscribers receive an extra 60 days added to their existing subscription at no charge. For current Plus subscribers, no action is needed as the 60 days are automatically added to your subscription.
PlayStation Network users will also get 100 virtual items in PlayStation Home as a show of appreciation for your patience while Home was inaccessible. Additional content is coming soon, including the next addition to the Home Mansion personal space, and Ooblag’s Alien Casino, an exclusive game.
A selection of “On Us” movie rentals are currently available to PlayStation Network customers this weekend only, where Video Service is available.
Finally, current Music Unlimited Premium subscription members will receive an additional 30 days of premium subscription plus days lost due to the outage.
Q: When will I have access to the Welcome Back Program?
A: The content offered as part of the Welcome Back Program is available for download today and will be available through July 3.
Q: I have both PS3 and PSP. Does this mean I will get 4 games all together?
A: Yes, as long as you were a PSN member before April 20, 2011, you’ll be able to receive up to 4 games based on the titles listed above; 2 on each platform.
Q: Are there any limitations to the PS3 and PSP games we are receiving as part of the Welcome Back Program?
A: These games are yours to keep.
Q: How long do I have to get into the PlayStation Store and receive my content for Welcome Back?
A: Access to the Welcome Back content will be expiring on July 3. Once this date has passed, the Welcome Back section in the PlayStation Store will be removed.
Q: When does the 30 days of my PlayStation Plus access expire?
A: Your PlayStation Plus 30-day access will expire 30 days from the date you activated it in PlayStation Store.
Q: When will (insert game here) be published?
A: Look forward to posts over the coming days that will show what content will be available at that point, or coming soon. We’re planning frequent store publishes offering lots of new content for everyone to enjoy.
Q: I’m getting 30 days of access to PlayStation Plus; can you refresh my memory on what I get with this service?
A: From the time you activate your 30 days of PlayStation Plus, you’ll be able to download games and game related content, purchase select store items at a discount, and have access to the exclusive features of Plus. You’ll also be able to get early access to any Plus exclusive Demos and priority Beta invitations that might be scheduled during your 30 days.
Q: Do I get to keep the games in PlayStation Plus forever?
A: Content that is free in PlayStation Plus will not be available after your PlayStation Plus time has expired. However, if you decide to join PlayStation Plus, you’ll have access to all of the content you downloaded during your 30 day access for as long as you are a subscriber.
Q: Do I get to keep any games or content I purchased with the PlayStation Plus discount?
A: Yes. Any content you purchase at a discount is yours to keep, regardless of your subscription status.
Q: Aside from the games and discounts; does PlayStation Plus offer anything else?
A: Yes! PlayStation Plus includes the Online Storage for Game Saves feature, allowing you to backup treasured game saves or access them from another PS3 system as long as you are a subscriber. In addition, you get the Automatic Download feature, which automatically updates your 10 most recently played games while the system is in stand-by mode so you don’t have to wait for updates before playing your games.
Q: What content will be in PlayStation Plus when I activate my 30 days?
A: PlayStation Plus content and discounts are regularly updated throughout the month. For up-to-date information on content within PlayStation Plus, please visit the Plus homepage.
Q: Where can I find the Welcome Back content in Home?
A: The 100 virtual items can be found in the kiosk in Home’s Central Plaza along with two personal spaces – Dragon’s Lair and the Mansion Garage. A new game – Ooblag’s Alien Casino – will be released soon (June 2011). This game will be free-to-play. As an added bonus, players that access the Ooblag Alien Casino space will be rewarded an active item version of the Ooblag game that can be played in your personal space(s).
Q: How do I access the content in the Welcome Back Program?
A: Follow the steps below to access the content in the Welcome Back Program:
1. Log on to PlayStation®Store
2. Click on the “Welcome Back” tab in the upper left menu
3. Select “Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 1”
4. Within the category, click on the “Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 1” product and “Get Now”
5. Select your free PS3™ game*, and “Download”*
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with “Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 2”
7. Go to the XMB™ to play your free games.
Q: I clicked on one of the Welcome Back Free PS3/PSP Game 1/2 selections, clicked “Get Now”, but no games showed up. Now that option is no longer selectable in the Store. Where is my game?
A: This is an issue we’re working on resolving, however for the time being, you can still get to that content by going to the XMB and under the PlayStation Network column, go to Account Management>Transaction Management>Services List>SCEA Promotion. You should be able to access the content in the option you selected here.
Q: Why am I getting errors saying I can’t access the Store?
A: Due to the surge of people going to the Store, you may experience some blocks in accessing certain areas of the store. Give it another try, or wait for a small period of time to avoid the rush.
Remember, if you didn’t see your question answered above, drop us a line below and we’ll do our best to answer it. Welcome Back!
And for those of us who don’t have a ps3 and use a computer it’s a little different.
Looks like it’s about time for me to break out the ol’ Etch-A-Sketch and draw all these “can’t comprehend English” people a picture…
i finally got it at transactions then the error happened and i had to do it all over again with the waiting but
TRANSACTIONS DOES WORK
this is frustrating, I’m getting error codes on everything from the the store to my account management, I have lost game 1 and game 2, this needs to be addressed right away.
lol i get error on account management
The store glitched out for me when I was trying to download my second PSP game via the PSP. (I wanted Pursuit Force as my #2 pick. I went to download it, it sent me to the Welcome Back #2 option, I “bought” it, it sent me back to the Pursuit Force page, then locked up.)
I ended up getting disconnected me with an error message. Pursuit Force is -not- showing in my download history, and I’m not being given the option to download a second game – when I go to the “Welcome Back” section, all I see now is “no content was found”.
This really sucks. How do I go about resolving this?
Just lost my first pick DUE TO AN ERROR… Last post I was laughing and joking around… Not anymore. This is complete and utter BS. This is how Sony is going to get themselves out of giving away content. By creating ERRORS.
so many people complaining of the error code when all they have to do is try again no matter how many times you try it will work eventually.
Error 80110D36 is probably from too many people trying to access the store at once. Be patient and wait for the volume to drop.
I AM SO MAD AT SONY!!!!!!!!!!
I downloaded welcome back ps3 game 1 but am now unable to download welcome back ps3 game 2
why cant i get number two? it doesnt even show up anymore on the store for me?
PLEASE REPLY :(
I CAN”T STAND IT!!!!!
I have a problem store is acting up very bad and wont let me download psn plus
i “purchased” my first free game successfully ( realatively ) my 2nd my console froze after 5 mins i reset and my 2nd token was gone but the game i choose is not in my list of downloads in store
after many many try my free games worked perfectly,, thank you sony
Thx for the step by step explanation on how to redeem this Welcome Back!! (I was freaking out! LOL!!) THX AGAIN!! Woot!!! :P
I can’t even download anything. It also says “you can’t download at this time”. Way to go Sony. I stayed loyal for 3 weeks and now this!
It keeps saying error occured when i click download.
Last time I am posting this cause I feel like a broken record.
If this happened, go to the XMB and under the PlayStation Network column, go to Account Management>Transaction Management>Services List>SCEA Promotions to download the game for whatever slot you are missing.
This is on the first page people!
ill just download them tomarrow i mean we have a full month right?
@797 I think it’s just frustration reaching it’s boiling point for alot of folks in here.
I cant open the store! when
I try it says An error has occured (80710D36)
I downloaded the GAME 1 thing and then “Error Occurred” and now it says I have my 1st game which is a LIE!!!!!
Thanx Kefo Think thatll werk !!!!!!!
SONY you’re losing the faith of many customers here!
QUESTION: I’m an existing PS+ member and the 60 days was added according to the Services menu (expires 11/28/11) but when I check the expiration dates of any previously downloaded + content, it lists the date as 9/28/11. Will this be fixed or will I end up losing this stuff in September?
Anything newly downloaded shows the correct expiration date already.
I just got screwed out of one of my free games… I added Wipeout Hd Bundle to my cart and then that error message
“An error has occurred.
(80710D36)” showed up and it wasn’t in my cart anymore and I checked downloads and it wasn’t there either… PLEASE HELP! However to avoid this happening with my second game I selected “download” so if I got the error message *Which I did* it would be in my downloads section.
@820 I think the issue is people are getting the error message we’ve been getting since day one of the outage and it causes frustraion. That or if your using media go it won’t take you there.
@assasindavid
i keep getting the same error code i think they might be working on adding the new black ops maps or their server may have crashed from so many people trying to download these games
I was so happy this morning and now, nothing but emptiness. Tsk tsk to you sony.
Wow this looks like a HUGE mess already. All you greedy people are so eager to get you FREE games right away, i bet the servers are getting to much traffic in and sending out bc so Many are DL games right now. If you’d take the time to see this isn’t going anywhere till JULY 31st. Calm yourself and quit complaining. After all it’s free. Don’t forget it’s only day 2 that the store is up, think of all the members that are accessing it at this exact moment.Now you see why its taking forever to DL games or even access the store. So Geeez quit crying and start being thankful for the free games you’ll eventually be playing in the coming days.
Thanks and goodbye!!! oh and if you did’t like PLZ…….Dont_Get_All_Mad
To many people on the network, and it crashing it….
I tried to download the 30 day free subscription to Playstation plus but it told me as soon as I clicked on it that an error has occured and now I am unable to download it, it’s not even on the menu and thats the same story for the free game 1! Anyone else have that problem?
How long is the PS Plus 30 days free going to be available.
For example, can i still get the 30 days free of PS Plus in 2 months?
Why is the PlayStation Network back down and when will it be finally fully back online?
I love my PSP and they better be updating instead of it being broken, or I’ll lose it once again.
@Kefo:
Thank you. Trying that now. (And still getting a bazillion error messages, but at least it feels like I’m getting somewhere now.)
Looks like SONY cut some corners in server maintenance again. Its quite obvious that they didn’t test what would happen if thousands upon thousands of users all logged in at the same time to the store.
just keep trying thats how i got my stuff
@829 if its the 80710D36 message, its to be expected when this volume of people are trying to access the store. At some point the servers are going to hit capacity and give errors. If you get the error you can either keep trying and hope you get in, or wait a week when the rush will be over and get your free stuff. We do have until July 3rd to claim it.
Every single time I try purchasing a game it says ” Network Error”.
@834 I don’t even see the plus option. I know we have time and I figured the network would have some heavy traffic but it really should have been expected. Instead of rolling it out all at once maybe parts of the country to see how well things would hold up.
oops meant JULY 3RD
This is so funny I own over 80 PS3 games and I do not have Infamous or LBP. I see people saying if your a Sony fan you can’t get anything from this package, I am a Sony fan and I just did. I have owned LBP before but my niece borrowed it and it liked it so much I let her have it so this is a great way for me to get it back. I also have played through Infamous before when I rented it but now I own it so I am a happy person. Both games are great I am happy to be getting them, Thank You Sony!!!
Hey i just tried to get my free games and there not downloading. Ive had my account for a long time. Ive gone through the process of the store to download and im getting frustrated. Sony? ??????
I sure hope i get my game… I pressed get now and it lagged so i pressed circle and it finally loaded and then exited (from the circle i hit) back to the main store screen before i selected a game. I went back in and select your first game is gone but i didn’t purchase anything. I hope it lets me download it later….
Ive got both PS3 Games and the Theme, store is way overloaded with massive sending and recieving, give it some time to buffer out. If you selected game 1 or 2 and it disappeared after you got kicked from store got the XMB and under Account Management then to Transaction Management, Then to Services and Select SCEA Promotions and Select Which Game offer it was 1 or 2 and it will have an option to go select Content
@841 I know we do and I think the thing is people just want new games and hey this is the way to get it. Like I said the games aren’t that important but to not be able to access my account management is a little frustarting.
My support towards SONY and SCEA since 1995 is starting to crumble little by little.
i tried downloading my second game, but it wouldnt allow me too. the box for ps3 game wasnt up anymore. also, i got a lot of error messages while trying to download the games.