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!
@ pablothfantastic….Well said…MLT Wa.
“I bought a PSP 1000 five years ago and don’t own a PS3 but I want Sony to make me happy”
REALLY!?
@2123 thanks man good advice is it fun
lol 2131
@2119. No. The 30 days were for NON-plus members. The 60 days were for already subscribed plus members.
The only bad thing about this deal in 30 days free of PS+. That is just another way for Sony to make money, you get to download all the crap you want with ps+ but after that 30 day trial none of that stuff you downloaded will work anymore unless you keep subscribing(pay Sony) which is what they want people to do.
@NINTENDO2000 Yeah it’s pretty good but I have been playing more of LBP so far so I have not gotten into it enough to really see what it can do.
The store has been crazy with errors xD. I have to try each thing like 20 times.
I have a question. I’ve had an account for my psp from before the PSN crashed, but I didn’t have a ps3. I will, however, be getting one next week or so. So will I be able to get any of the free ps3 games if I register my ps3 before the month ends, or would I have had to have had a ps3 already registered to my account and I’ve missed out…? =/
i go my ps3 apirl 20 so y dont i get any thing in the welcome back thanks sony for nothing plz help me out this is bull crap
2139-did you make an account before the network was hacked?
so if i pick the first game (without downloading) and the store crashes after activating the welcome back package 1 with the 80710d36…. what do i do if its not in the transaction history list… cause im kinda irritated that the store cant activate it as a package deal but one at a time…
2140 i made it apirl 20\
@2001 I’m whit you, I bought my PS3 April 20th. Sony should include ALL PSN users, this is discrimination. When they first announced the Welcome Program, they said it was for ALL PSN users, now they come whit this “only before April 20th”. Thanks for nothing Sony, I see you don’t care for the new users, way to go. Forget about getting any money from me now. Bybe bye PS3, hello 360!
Thank youuuuuuuuu Sony :) Downloading now my Dead Nation & Little Planet :P
2142-i would call sony and talk to them personally
@2066, 2079, 2094
for those with this problem, Credits to fijski8
FIX FOR inFAMOUS NOT SHOWING:
Got to your download list for the free trail you downloaded with ps plus. Redownload it, let the 60 minutes expire. Then Go back to store and it will then show for download.
You have to let the trail expire before the game to show.
Worked for me.
THANK YOU SONY FREE GAMES AND PSN PLUS IS GREAT YOU KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK —————————————-SONY FOREVER———————————————–
OMG…I swear some of you people need a good punch in the head…..LEARN HOW TO READ!!!!..We have been giving tips ALL DAY!!!
ok, my PSP is in repair and i wont get it back for a month, can i select 2 psp games and then have them in my purchased stuff and then download later? Please respond sony.
2149-you can link your ps3 and psp together correct? if you can (and i dont know cause we dont have one) you might be able to transfer the psp title to your psp. again im not sure.
Yeah.. too bad my hong Kong account is still left in the dark.. Anyone know when the asian psn will be back up?
so basically download the psp title to your ps3 until you get your psp back
Those who bought a PS3 on the actual 20th, I agree with boondox30. Call Sony. The extent of the hack wasn’t known at that time, and Sony was promising the PSN would be restored within a week or two. A day or two later, Sony then went, “Oh by the way, your information was stolen, so now we need to overhaul our network, so we really have no clue when the PSN will be back up.”
@2143 Yes, enjoy the 360, with is system failure rate above 60%. Owned a 360 since the day it launched. Died in March. Went through 5 of them between March and April. Final straw was the 360 was generating made up error codes that Microsoft had no clue what they meant, and they could not recreate the error code on their end. Also if you want to do any kind of online, remember you need to pay them $25 for 3 months, or $60 for a year.
I have a concern maybe someone can help me with please?
I downloaded Dead Nation as my first pick and then InFamous but InFamous did not show up on my download list but it does on my transaction list. What can I do to download it?
Please allow Music to be playing while playing any game just like Xbox!! It would be much appreciated.
Is there anyway we can get more movies to choose from?
Having trouble here, it seems my account was not flagged for the Welcome Back Program.
I see no “Welcome Back Program” category in the PSN Store in my PSP, and going to “XMB>PlayStation Network>Account Management>Transaction Management>Services List” shows “No content was found.” I registered my PSN account when I received my first PSP on 2008-10-15, and I’m in Europe (Poland), so I believe I qualify?
are there any news about when ill be abled to get my psp games with media go?
@2149: You can download your PSP games using your PS3 and possibly Media Go (confirmation?), and then transfer them to your PSP when it’s fixed. Or, if you don’t want to transfer them directly, downloading them to your PS3 or Media Go will put them in your Download List, which you can then access directly from your PSP.
Thank you for having a sensible question that has not already been answered literally 700 times!
@Mercer31
Thats true. I went throught 2 360`s. They were fat. Then i bought a new 360 Slim, the one that MS said cant get red ring. But guess what? I guess playing for 24 Hours straight ruins the motherboard. Hmmm. That was the final straw for me. I love PS3.
For some reason i can’t get inFAMOUS. i have the option to get all of the games but inFamous. could you please give any support? i finished the game but i gave my copy to my friend and i want to play again before infamous 2
Hi. I am one of the recent users who had ps3 game2 disappeared and i followed the procedure to get it thru account management etc. And i managed to click on the promotion link. But i was so annoyed because of the surge in the psn store so i decided to wait till later. I just tried to get the link back but now, the promotion is there but next to remaining, it use to say one, now it says zero. Help?
jkohen@
Ask sony through the contact thing on the main site for a quicker responce.
I can’t sign in to my account (on my ps3 ofc)
i tryed to download the free games and there was errors,but i somehow did it,and after that i activated my free Playstation Plus account,and turned off my ps3…(before i turned it off,i checked my download list to see do i have the free games in the list,i did..so i turned off) and now i want to download them,but i can’t access my account..why? can you tell me why did this happen? please heeeeeeellllllppppp!
@Kristi Fernandez How come that i cant see the games i may choose from? When i select welcome back from the home of the PlayStation store, I only see PS plus. Please help!
Dear playstation i had troble downloading the wellcome back pack i got a error code say the i down loaded the item but i didnt the only game that i did buy super star dust hd i wanted to download dead nation & littel big plantnet but all the down load boxes disapeard please help on this subects asap im very disapointed that the packet didnt work for me so please send me a verifiaction code or a re download thanks you very much for your time
Aditional info: I am on PS3.
for those having trouble downloading the free titles do the following: select title one and two that you would like. if you have already picked a title it will have a little red box by it. Then go to the psn home page. In the top right corner of the screen are some small icons for the psn, they are search, redeem codes, view downloads and view cart. You need to go to view downloads and actually download your game. This can be done as a background download. The welcome back game 1 & 2 icons only unlock the games so they will be free, you must still download all the data that would be on the disk if u bought a copy of the game.
Hope that helps some
@2153 You’re right I will call Sony. What I said about the 360 was just me lashing out, I don’t really like the 360, I prefer Sony’s exclusives, that is why a bought my PS3, but is not fair this move of Sony, to leave apart the new users. It is a terrible PR problem, is going to come back to them.
I wish some of you people would read instead of asking questions that have already been answered multiple times. This goes to prove that people don’t know how to read or comprehend anything anymore.
@ccrogers15 Yes, I love the PS3. I’m not a fan of how they handled the public relation aspects of the hack/security breach, but now that Sony has picked up alot of developer support, and their game library is becoming more balanced with Westeren games over just being primarily Japanese games, I’m really growing fond of the PS3. Besides PS+ seems to be more rewarding for the value than Xbox Live Gold ever was, so once my trial is over, I’m more than likely to purchase a one year membership.
@2160, That’s harsh! It’s one of the reasons I never bought a 360 (besides the lack of games). I have played my PS3 fat for 3 years straight and had ZERO issues. This is someone who constantly has a full hard drive from PSN games too. So yeah, PS3 is much better in my books.
I just watched Underworld 2 in HD courtesy of the Welcome Back program. It was an OK movie, but the eye candy was worth the download. Thanks!
I can’t download instantly ? For burnout paradise it’s taking about 3 hours and yes I do have the Playstation plus free 30 day trial ?? Help would be much appreciated thanks :)
Hi. I am one of the recent users who had ps3 game2 disappeared and i followed the procedure to get it thru account management etc. And i managed to click on the promotion link. But i was so annoyed because of the surge in the psn store so i decided to wait till later. I just tried to get the link back but now, the promotion is there but next to remaining, it use to say one, now it says zero. Help?
Thanks for bringing the service back up, good luck and no, don’t say welcome back to us. We welcome you back because your the network who is making online the best online gaming console to date.
HI I”m a psp user… when i go to the “welcome back” i didn’t see my PLAYSTATION PLUS only there is the two free games…. please need help…
@banbautd
WOW you think its gonna download instantly? HAHAHA thats funny. Nothing downloads in under a second. If its larger then 1GB Prepare to wait a while.
how do I become a ps+ member?
I have clicked on the tab for the welcome back program tab in the ps store and it goes to a section with a free theme and nothing else? Is the site just bogged down right now? also I try to click on the add for the free 30 days of plus and it tells me that the content cannot be accessed on your account???!?!?!? I’m the only user! What do I do if I can’t even reach the “get free game tabs” or they don’t show up?