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!
@all you folks who claim to be “loyal” to Sony, yet got your PS3 on or after the day the outage began . . . if you were so loyal, how come it took you so long to get a machine? they’ve been out for years. QQ more.
tony, not to be mean, but the information madhatter has been handing out was added to the blog post HOURS ago. maybe people are just skipping over it because they already read it and don’t know it was updated? that said, it DOES say ‘UPDATED:’ in the title. again, no personal offense meant.
How come you can’t play little big planet with your friends online?
is their any way for us to get a physical copy of the games we download i like to have a cd just in case of something going wrong
thx mad hatter
yeah, like i said, i’m waiting for my wife to be done racing on modnation so i can hop back on, i have nothing better to do on a friday night but post on the blog. pretty sad huh? lol
@ggng no problem man
@wackedout – you can DEFINITELY play littlebigplanet online with your friends. assuming you’re talking about the ps3 version. i don’t know much about the PSP version.
I’m redownloading the Infamous (1-hour) Playstation Plus trial from way back. I didn’t ever play it for the full hour before deleting it so I’m hoping maybe after completing the hour the game *might* reappear for download. Already emailed Sony about it so I’m hoping it gets fixed soon. I had this issue with Sam and Max as well.
Are you actually able to log-in at all? It won’t let me. Any advice?
i tried to download my free games(both ps3 and psp) and now the icons are gone and wont let me download anything. seriously guys come on!
Let me begin with thanks all for that you do Sony. Good job keep it up! I was simply curious about some thing and was hoping some one might clear it up for me. I purchased my PS3 right after the network was brought down. So, I didn’t have an account on PSN. Seeing as when I go under the Welcome Back Package in the store and do not see any options for any games what so ever, I assume this means that any of us who bought ps3’s during the blackout are completely exempt from the welcome back package..? I know you don’t owe us anything providing network play for free is really more than we could ever ask, however the girlfriend really loved the Little Big Planet 2 demo lol. So we were kinda looking forward to adding LBP 1 to our expanding game collection.
Thanks again for all you do!
just a quick question: if i download a free game then delete it after the 30 days, can i redownload it after the welcome back expires?
thanks
Im talking about the ps3 one. When i downloaded it for free I cant play with my friends.
I downloaded dead nation as one of the options and it charged my bank account $14.99! Kinda not cool. Hope I get reimbursed.
@patsox23 if u cant login just keep trying its like the whole system is flooded and what not but just be patient and keep trying it will work
so the only way to sign up for playstation plus is if you have a ps3?(psp)
hey whenever i go to service list it says me no content was found
@nake i think you have to have a ps3 to do it im not sure if u can do it on a psp i could be wrong tho
My issue is a bit different then everyone elses. I picked Killzone Liberation as I was told there was a DLC that added an extra single player mission, as well as Infrastructure MP. But going to the download option brings me to Killzone 3 website that won’t even load properly, and I can’t get the DLC to play online. I am rather irritated by this, had I known, I would have picked ModNation Racers with the MP element. Anything I can do, or am I hosed?
My browser saved (one of) my password(s?) to log in here, but niether old nor new is working for MediaGo. Trying to request a reset pulls up a grey “Down for Maintenance” page. Should I worry, or just wait it out? o.o;
@rapan if it says that and theres no error code just keep plugging away at it and it will eventually work it happend to me earlier
I think we all need to be patient. They announced that the Welcome Back package was available and, of course, everyone runs to get their free goodies–even though you have 30 days to do so. Of course there are going to be problems with traffic overloads and errors. I’m not even bothering to try downloading the games yet. Also, there’s really no need to complain and gripe and such. Sony is doing this as a gratuity and a courtesy; it’s a gift. They don’t actually owe us this, and we are not ENTITLED to FREE games because PSN was down. No one is entitled to a gift. And we’re certainly not entitled to some flawless, super-deluxe delivery system that’s somehow immune from the kinds of overload issues that affect any system of servers. Read the information they’ve already presented before asking a question that a thousand other people have already asked, and if it’s not working now, wait. This was day one out of thirty. Would it kill some of us to wait til say, day ten to download the freebies? Probably not.
@1846 once something is in your download list, you can re-download it forever … my list is 511 items long as of today (mostly demos)
i keep getting the error message as well when trying to get my free items on the playstation home since the morning. i have been able to get a couple of the items every couple of hours. has anyone been able to get everything. my best advice is just to wait it out until after the weekend when things calm down a little more :)
btw, I noticed this thread is missing something
RTFM!!!!
:P
How can your friends for little big planet. Cause i can’t for the free download.
@Shyguy: did you have any problems transferring ModNation Racers to your PSP? Or did you dl it directly to the device? For some reason my PSP isn’t accepting any new content, and there’s plenty of room on the memory stick.
thanks sony took a while but ya came thru
blog sign in is live again
@em4l33 yea i got all of them an hour ago just keep trying same thing with me tho it took me from morning till an hour ago and some of my things went to the storage option in home
HA HA HA … I KNEW IT … THEY TOOK ALL THE CREDIT!!!!! THAT’S MY SONY !!!!!
Anyone here knows that post 857 by Dashnavar was the FIRST the FIRST mention to look at the Account Management/Transaction Management/Services List for the vouchers for the free games.
Did they give him credit … NOPE. They probably didn’t even know how to explain it and started reading the comments for this blog posting. Then noticed that post 857 had the solution and
COPY and PASTE
Then they pat themselves in the back and take all the credit. Again THAT’S MY SONY !!!!!
Ahh… I miss Ken Kutaragi, some how I think all of the quagmires that SONY has encountered in the last 2 years would have never happened or if they did would have been resolved faster under his leadership.
If I was a stock holder of SONY I would like to know how to initiate a vote of no-confidence towards Jack Tretton, Kaz Hirai and Howard Stringer.
@wackedout: You do know that everyone(at least most ppl) have moved on to LBP2, right?
@wakener i just had that problem with killzone but i just kept hitting the button and it eventually worked out for me
Not helping stupid people who refuse to read becuase you guys ask the same questions after answers are on the first page, some of you are ridiculous, plus I’m too busy playing infamous and lbp,
nvm sony everything came out good for me =) now to play my downloaded LBP
major problems on my end with modnation racers psp….tried to play online and it just shut off
so if i´m a new user, can i get this gifts?
@chukz15 dont worry i will help the so called stupid ppl cuz im a BEAST!
Had a few problems but finally got LBP and Wipeout HD tonight. Thanks Sony.
@1860 you just fire up littlebigplanet, and there’s an in-game menu (in your pod) to invite/join friends. they have to be playing LBP at the same time as you obviously. can’t remember exactly where it is in the first game, i got LBP2 at launch (january) and haven’t played the first game since. I will now, as a lot of my friends are getting it. But anyway, I’ve played it with friends online a bajillion times, best way to play LBP (unless you’re trying to ace story levels, much easier solo). even if no friends are on, you can jump in with random people. does that help?
Where is the “PlayStation Plus: 30 Days Free”? For some reason, I’m not seeing it… Any help would be much appreciated.
I am on my computer and on MediaGO right now, as my PSP is having issues loading the stuff.
@ellington nope u had to of been compromised but the crazy ps3 hack
@iwanttobelieve87
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 that first slot.
Had to go in through the XMB process described above the comments section after attempting to get the first game through the store; and no longer having the option, and no sign of the game. Persistence really is the key – you will get an error message at any given step of the process, jest back out of that particular stage and try again. I found I could get the error message 5 times in a row, but then the 6th time will work.
Took about 2.5 hrs to download and install Infamous…lol. Still pretty cool all in all.
Welcome Back program or not, I would’ve stuck with Sony through thick n thin. YOU ROCK, SONY!
So you cant play the first one online? Stupid
Infamous is not in the list of free games, anyone else having this prob and know how to fix it?
Well everything worked out for me in the end i got my new theme/background my 2 free games (inFAMOUS and •Wipeout HD + Fury) i don’t have a psp so i had no use for those games btw infamous and wipeout HD + fury are very very good games
On another note add me on psn if you like uncharted 2 multiplayer, uncharted 3, infamous, infamous 2, or Wipeout HD + Fury
Thanks TheMadHatter13! I was going to assume that, but we both could be wrong.