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!
Wtf am im finaly able to download but the free games that were offered are not there
i did as it said i got one the games from game 1 but it lagged out and did not allow me to get my 2nd game wth
Its just showing psp
Anyone know why Wipeout is not showing up on my ps3. Both game and add-on are downloaded.
@ktolson1234: Read the message. The games will be available until JULY 3rd. Tomorrow is JUNE 4. the games will be available for a month.
@XavierStar: Read the message. The free games are yours to keep. It is the 30 days of Plus which expire. If you have free games that you acquire through your Plus membership, AND you let that membership expire rather than renewing it, you won’t be able to play THOSE games after it has expired. But the free games on the welcome back list you keep.
THANK YOU SONY!
@Wakener Yeah, RipShred98 informed me about that. But thanks for answering (:
I am still getting an error screen when I try to login to the PS Store. What’s the deal?
I got my first PS3 game (inFAMOUS) and the 2nd one (LBP) is downloading.
As for the PSP games…if only one fits on my memory stick pro2 duo or whatever it is called, is there a way to download both and store them somewhere and swap them onto my PSP or memory stick when I want to play them or do I have to buy a bigger memory stick and download them both onto it now?
@1691 – did you install it?
Really important question, After i was downloading on my ps3 from the welcome back pack, i noticed that on the ps3 there’s an option to download the free Playstation plus 30 days but NOT on the psp store. How do the many psp only owners go about getting it?
i want my effin 2nd game Psn wth why did it lag out after it let me select the dam welcome back 2 and the it disappeared b4 it let me get my game!!
thanks Sony!
So Sony , What if we cannot reach our console or keep getting an Error message before we can download anything and June 3rd is over, Does that mean we get NOTHING? Because i was only able to download Infamous for my 1st one. Then i had to keep on with my Moving. So tell me….Am i going to get nothing but 1 game. Please expand the date for atleast one day not just for me , But for other people who cannot access their accounts and or Console. Please )=
I can’t download my welcome back games. It tells me “An error has occurred (8023126)” wtf…
Hey there,
This welcome back program is awesome, I’m downloading LPB now, but why do I not have an option for inFAMOUS? It has LPB, Dead Nation, Wipeout HD, and Super Stardust HD, but no inFAMOUS. Is anyone else having this issue?
@1698: AFAIK, playstation plus is a PSN-only service. however, many of the freebies/discounts you get with it can then be transferred to, and played on, your PSP. if you don’t have a PS3, I do believe you’re out of luck. I could be wrong though, don’t have a PSP, this is just the way I’ve always understood it.
@1701 JULY 3rd
I have a question. I got my PS3 just after PSN went down. Since I was unable to sign up till it was brought back up, does this mean I am inelgible for the ‘welcome back’ program?
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.
Didn’t work for me Sony. Services List>No Content Found.
@1705 My bad JUNE is what i meant.
Thanks for pointing that out =)
HELP
i tried to download a game (did the get game #, then select game), but when i did the get game, it kept saying error, then when i went to get the game, it kept telling me to download the “get game #”, then it would either say “error” or “not available” or “not working”, then when i went to the “welcome back” home page, everything disappeared….. not happy at all….
Thank you but I kept getting a error and then It wasted my second free game :( i feel sad this year is not my kind of year >;(
So when I was trying to download my first game. It glitched and froze. Then the 1st game download button disappeared so I can only download 1 game. Is there any way to solve this?
@donboyOU: You should be able to download them to your PS3’s HDD and keep them there, then when you want to play them on the PSP, clear the necessary space, then copy the one you want onto the PSP. That’s the way it SHOULD work; personally, I’m having problems transfering games that way right now.
Alternately, once you have successfully downloaded a game, you can always re-download it via your download list, which is attached to your account as opposed to your devices. Again, this is how it SHOULD work. I’m not able to do it right now for the minis I got yesterday–but on the bright side, I did download Killzone Liberation directly to my PSP that way.
I went to the store and clicked on Free game 1 and then tried to download inFAMOUS but it said i didn’t have enough space on my hard drive so then i made some space and went back on to the store but now wont let me download the game?
i even went into account management > service list and when i click on that it says:
Starts 6/3/11
Ends 6/3/11
remaining: 0
What do i do?
LOL Nevermind i miss read that. Sony , You sly company you made me slip up , yet again thinking of your costumers. Sorry 1705.
Finally I can sign in lol. Hey guys I can’t get Infamous game at all I only have 4 games show up on welcome back program anyone else having this issue?
Holy Snapple facts Batman! There sure are a lot of complainers. Seriously, is there a need to whine about something Sony can’t control? We have how long to claim free swag? I was getting errors too and even read on the blog to try later. What I did was kept backing out and going back in until I got through. It was a pain, but I’m now waiting for my two games to download. Patience people. Learn it. Everyone today is in such a hurry to lay claim to free games that Sony didn’t even have to give its non-paying customers. Be patient and thankful that Sony is trying to show their appreciation for the patience we have had thus far. I made sure my games appeared with my other downloads. Once they were there then I knew I was good to go.
Just remember that everyone and their entire families are trying to access the PSN Store right now.
Oh yeah I almost forgot, Thank you Sony!
Having diffcultly finding my Wipeout hd free game. Maybe due to high traffic I am having trouble bringing up my Services List>SCEA Promotions to complete the process. I keep trying in the meantime. Thus far I tryied downloading the “locked” full game and got nothing even though it said downloaded.It’s not anywhere to be seen on my games list. I am also taking note of how much storage space i have on my HDD. Any suggestions while I keep trying? Thanks.
InFamous is the only game that is NOT listed for me int Welcome Back section of the store, it is also the one game I really wanted to download? Help?
Read this comment
Sony should extend the time its up from une 3rd to like june 7th or something because some people had issues getting their games so sony shouldn’t anger us because of the laggy Playstation store and now i told my freind how to get his games because we made a mistake so sony should extend the time
Alright I downloaded one of the games (finally) on MediaGo but for some reason I can’t transfer it to my PSP. Why?
It sounds like i’m the only one who has not had trouble getting InFamous. I got it and i am downloading it as we speak. Weird.
Ok I was able to start to download inFamous as part of my game 1 download, but when I started to try and download Wipeout it didn’t let me and it doesn’t even show up on my download list. Any help?
:/ Wait during the download. It’ll mess up somehow. I’ve been trying to get Modnation for hours
WOOHOO!!!!! O YEAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!
All those free games are great but most people that had PS3 since it came out already played/have those. It’s kind of lame that Sony treats long time fans just like everybody else. It also shows that they did not really put much thought into it or just don’t care. Thank you, I guess, but for some of us this is more like “We don’t care about you” program more then ” Welcome back”. I would never switch to X-BOX because it sucks and will still enjoy both of my PS3s but my loyalty to SONY will never be the same…….
I SWEAR ALOT OF YOU APPARENTLY DO NOT READ OR COMPREHEND ENGLISH!!…READ ALL OF THE BLOG,UPDATES AND TIPS BEFORE POSTING YOUR COMPLAINT!!
If I download PS+ avatars or themes, which are free, do I lose them also? Also, what if I buy an an exlclusive avatar pack (MvC3 all 38 avatars for $3.99)? Do I lose those too?
I’m mad, I bought my ps3 the night before the network went down and wasn’t able to make an account until the next day, when i discovered that it was down, which means I can’t get anything that this service has to offer. But, i guess it’s only fair. Haha oh well
I was able to download Little Big Planet, but when I went to download InFAMOUS(through the Account Management) I hit download, I got an error, and now it says it’s expired. I hope the system doesn’t think it was a successful download, and that I’m unable to get my second game. Anyone else having this problem?
Finally took me this long posted comment lol. Ya I’m having issue inFamous not showing up in game 1.
Oh , Hello Deathspear666 =D
Is there anyway to get a hard copy of two of the games offered? I don’t have room on my Hard Drive =(
Ok support lines arent open so i had a question the playstation store is really glitching up i have both psp and ps3 but when i went to get the psp free game 1 thing an error said that it cant be downloaded at this time or somthing so i tryed on the ps3 but on there my free game 1 option was gone so now i tryed again and just tryed at least getting free game 2 but no the same crap happend again any idea how i can still get my games the stuff isent even in my downloads list
well shouldn’t PS+ subscribers get 73 days added to their account……….because even though the psn was back up before the 20th, PS+ subscribers could not access their content until the 6/2. That’s almost a half month we lost out on.
I got inFAMOUS. at around 5:30p EST. so, I have a question – I don’t own a PSP currently. I’m assuming I could still download the 2 PSP games, then transfer them if I buy one in the future, correct? Might have to find a one cheap somewhere if that’s the case, seeing as I’ll already have 2 games for it …
Downloading LBP and the download just stopped at 10% and has been pending for 30 mins!
What’s Happenin’ theperson-_- …You good?