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!
How am I supposed to get the Welcome Back stuff in only one day if I have to sleep and there are a bunch of errors on the Store?
I won’t be able to get the PS Home stuff… I just can’t. Errors won’t let me.
Exactly why my PS3 is still not even plugged in right now. I knew Sony couldn’t pull it off. I mean really errors left and right, people losing their vouchers for the free games, more errors, too many people saturating the network. Way to go Sony. Tell the truth, you forced the store back up so you wouldn’t get booted from E3. Now you can go to E3 and say “look at this shiny turd! Anyone want one?”
omg i dont know why its not leting me download playstation plus 30 day free trial it says “this content cannot be accessed on your account.” Sony please help me out wit feed back =(
@1640
People are only losing their vouchers because they dont read the front page of this blog. The errors that are popping up is due to there being no available connections for new people connecting to the store or when they download. Learn to be patient and the volume of people clawing for their free stuff will decrease.
Feedback-Sony. My god you are hilarious
@Morph17 ..Hey slow-head read the blog AGAIN!!!! There is a date ie…..
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.
Learn to read before posting…
@1641 did you own a PS3 before the network outage did you buy it while the servers were all down?
I’m guessing it will be down again long before everyone is done with getting their free games.
I’m sorry, ignore my last comment, I failed to notice the update of the main blog topic.
Keep up the good work, you have all done a great job with psn so far and the negative press against you for something that, although preventable, wasn’t directly your fault is unjustified. Your works are shown every day in the thousands that use the service and enjoy it’s use throughly.
@divinasdaemon..I already downloaded it all so i am good lol
I expect it to crash too unless people let up and calm down. That isnt something Sony can deal with aside from buying new servers to handle the load which like I said is pointless. We have until July 3 to get our 2 free games so no rush.
@Deathspear666
yeah… I’m gonna be somewhere with a 25meg connection tomorrow so I’m gonna aim to get it all then. Here’s hoping the store still works then.
i got my first game then when i tried to get my second an error occured and so now i guess i only get one game or is there some way i can get the second?
@1645 i had my ps3 for 3 years and still going
I tried to download my ps3 game #1 as infamous no suprize there eh? anyway the option for my 1st game disappears and it never downloaded Infamous…. Now im downloading Little Big planet as my 2nd game and its is actually downloading
in essence i’m only getting 1 of the 2 games as promised by sony because of a glitch and yes i have looked in my recent downloads and its not there!!!!!
I keep getting a message that says “This content cannot be accessed on your account.” WTF!
sorry if this post is double but seriously welcome back package ONLY for people who has an account before april 20th. knowing that sony was hacked i still bought the ps3 trusting sony and this is how they pay us (loyal costumers). not funny sony……..
@1655, What a bunch of BS
@1654 me too i tried downloading plus like tht and said the same thing
dimitry202 you prob only got the ps3 you own now because you saw it at a cheap price on craigslist stop complaining because you haven’t been with sony for a long time just a rough patch and you want something for just jumping on the bandwagon
im already on scea offers but i cant get my gammes stiil wat do i do now?
This sucks cause I actually owned a system that I sold before The outage, since you had to reset your password on the original system you created your account on, I had to make a new one so I’m pretty much screwed on this
sorry but you should know that sony not only produce ps3, this company produce TVs, PCs as well and they still getting my money for their products, I’ve been a sony customer for a long time……
Thanks Morgan. I was waiting for it to download so i could try that next.
how do I get my 60 free days of playstation plus?
I have a problem…
” if you attempt to download the PS Home free content but it errors part way through getting the items, they are lost. AND they don’t appear in the Download List, but they do in the Services List (but without an option to redownload)”
…does anyone have a solution?
@Deathspear666
Holy eff, I just read June, ignore what I just said.
Yay…this was almost worthless…Picked Game 1 and got and error…Game is not in download queue or cart…
I swear some of you must be doing things wrong..I had no issues downloading and getting everything except the fact i had to try a few time because of the server bogdown…
Managed to download one game. I thought I could download my PSP titles to the PS3 and then transfer them to my PSP’s (both registered to my account) and NOTHING worked.
cool
Yeah, I got the same issue where I tried to download the first game and it went to the error and the first one disappeared without allowing the download to actually happen. So, anyone figure this issue out yet? I got time so I’m not in a hurry but that was just weird.
Thanks!
Got mine. Registered for the free Plus subscription and picked LBP as my first game (used to have it but traded it in before I was really finished) and Dead Nation.
I am going to say “Error” on this page every time it says “Error” on my PS3 or PSP! XD Just kidding. I understand the store is VERY, VERY busy. Thanks a lot Sony! I managed to get tons of the PS3 DL’s to work, now just working on my PSP, but it just simply won’t even load the game choices. Thanks again Sony! You rock!
So I downloaded one game, but my second seems to have vanished. I called PSN Support, and they said to download both the Wipeout HD Fury Add On as well as the actual game…I did, and nothing shows up. I am redownloading the Fury add on. I went into the account (services) section and it does not allow me to re download anything, cause it thinks I’ve already done two downloads. Help? So I can actually get what I was promised.
I HAVE A DIFFERENT PROBLEM.
I can’t find a message in the thread that has the solution, so maybe someone can help. I got my PS3 games and one of my PSP games (haven’t decided on the second yet; it’s between ModNation Racers and Pursuit Force, but that’s neither here nor there). I downloaded the PSP game to my PS3, and then I went to send it to the PSP via the USB connection.
It won’t go. I get an error message every time I try to copy it. I also have two minis I got yesterday from the store–I can’t send them to it, either. There’s plenty of room on the memory stick, and I’ve sent games to it before from the PS3–they’re on it.
The error code I’m getting is 80710d36. I don’t understand why I’d be gettintg that error code when all I’m trying to do is copy a game to my PSP. Any ideas or places to look for the answer? Thanks, people!
I swear some of you never read what other people type before you come on here to complain that your stuff disappeared and you can’t download. This has been posted numerous times:
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.
Im no rocket surgeon but if people are having issues mabey try reading(read the whole post) the blog post for info on how to get you free games
what if i DL’d a game but internet suddenly went down..can i DL it again or continue?
Why aren’t we allowed to keep the games?
Figured out the issue with help of the search function on google, got my game.
I downloaded little big planet for ps3 and little big planet for psp today got both of theam installed .now i am working on ModNation Racers for psp.still have not got my secend ps3 game proboly wont becouse these free games wont be free tomarrow.I wish this free game downloads would last all day tomarrow too.
to + irwlZ
If you did t he buy and didn’t get the game to the next steps
Go to Games -> PS3 Games-> H-L ->inFAMOUS (should have the blue icon) -> download (done)
hope that helps others
Peace.
@XavierStar we are allowed to keep them
@RipShred98 But it says it’ll expire once our subscription is over.
“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: 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.”
sorry double posted….
Woah Missed that question. Thanks.