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!
This is awesome. I can’t get PSP games because I can’t get into PSN on my PSP. Yesterday I got into the store and got InFamous, but when I tried to get a 2nd game, and error code showed up and made me exit the the 2nd Welcome Back game section, but then when I tried again later, that section was gone. Now I can’t get my second game! Any way to fix it? Please answer if you can! Thanks!
Lotta traffic. I wonder how many people downloaded games today.
If you can’t access the PS Store due to errors, just keep spamming entering.
If nothing appears when going to the ‘Welcome Back Package’. Go to -> XMB(PS3 Home screen)/PSN/Account Mgmt/Transaction Mgmt/Services/Follow from there
If you’ve gone to download a game but it’s malfunctioned somehow and you can’t get anymore downloads go to PS Store/View Downloads (Top Right)/It should be there
You all have a month to download your ****… and don’t forget the free films under “videos” that they’re not mentioning.
PS Store is suffering a lot of traffic so if there’s a problem your best bet is to try again in a day or two.
Feel free to re-post this regularly to help people out.
I am getting errors, but I used my game 2 first. HELP!
I would just like to say that i feel really sorry for sony and us users about this whole affair, it doesn’t seem sony can do anything right to make up for it. I personally have these free games but the facts are at least they did something. As to all the plebs that keep asking the same question over and over read the article it tells you exactly what to do or learn to read. The free ps+ for a month will give me a chance to see if i like it and if its worth getting (which is a good tactic by the way). Thank you sony for all your hard work some of us appreciate it as for those that don’t you can bugger off.
@obistefkenobi
yep add me on psn btw
i got to the store and go to the select the free games and there all there eccept for infamous and thats the game i really wanted im in the usa is it available here
Ok got a problem….i was in the process of downloading inFAMOUS for ps3 for one of my games and i wanted to go ahead and get the other games i was downloading out of the way so i cancelled the inFAMOUS download and now i dont know were to go to find it without buying it!!! and i dont want to go buy a $50 psn card for a game that was free any help would be greatly appreciated
wow man psn cheap, they gave us the base game oF LBP, U CANT PLAY ONINE..
@shermanM12 Wait a couple of days till traffic has died down and they will probably have it back up
@SquallLeonKing7 are you 18 or older?
@crazyscouter Go to PS Store/”View Downloads” ( Top right hand corner)
@BIAJUAN
um i got LBP from the welcome back stuff and i can play online…
oh nevermind found it haha just had to go to the download list haha
I have the same issue Illumina16. I posted early yesterday about the “losing a game dl activation” and a few minutes later a fix was posted which helped me for my first DL (so I picked Dead Nation). Now I want to do my second PS3 Game choice (Infamous) and it is not listed (only Dead Nation with the purchased icon is there, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD & Wipeout HD + Fury show up as select-able icons) .
I haven’t even completed the “Game 2” icon for fear that it still won’t be available when I press Circle to back out or worse yet if it won’t be in the XMB>PlayStation Network>Account Management>Transaction Management>Services List>SCEA Promotions area. Hopefully someone (or a Sony Rep) who has had the same exact issue can clear this up.
@Oner
dead nation is gone now, i hope people get the hint since this is about the 10`th time i said it.
@ccrogers15 No but I didnt think that mattered…, if I cant get it cause of that thats bull.. no offense to sony, but they just screwed millons of teens by doing that. Me and all my other friends who like video games were waiting for it..
Redeemed my 2 games last night (inFamous and Dead Nation) fairly easily. Download speed is slow, but I’m in no rush. Thank you Sony!
FINALLY! lol ive been downloading soo many things since the store came back on. I started downloading the games and some demos at about 6:00 last night….now its 7:30 am and its only about 1/3 done XDD
I was able to dowload LBP(1st gm), but the option for 2nd gm is not available now . I went into acct management but its only 1 gm listed (LBP) what do I need to do now. thanks
Okay. So whenever i was getting my welcome back package i hit get now then i added infamous to my cart. then i did the same except with dead nation and when i went to checkout infamous wasn’t there. then i thought deleting dead nation from my cart would get infamous back but it didn’t so now both of my welcome back games for ps3 were wasted. is there anyway to get it back?
kewl finally psn almost fully restored !
ok one IMPORTANT QUESTION HERE !
IM ALREADY a ps+ subscriber so where is my option to extend my subscribtion ? or the free 30 days etc.. will it be automatically applied or what ? coz i know the regular members have to activate their ps+ option but what about the ones already having ps+ ! THANKS
Seriously, some of you people are completely helpless.
How do some of you make it through life?
Do you know how to read? Do you know how to comprehend what you read?
If you can’t follow what is written in this Blog posting, I feel sorry for you. Maybe your parents let you down, or maybe you let yourself down. I know the educational system in America is crumbling into a huge pile of children left behind, but COME ON!
What about Fallout: New Vegas – Honest Hearts DLC. It was due out last month how disappointing that the next one will be out before this one?
It kept telling me to download the free game 1 and 2 but after that I couldnt see my choices except for the theme. I really want my 4 free games
@Darktune
look, honest hearts in on there. Look again, i just got it! You need to have a cetain version of FO new vegas though.
I did the whole add to cart thing before I read this…
@Manigamer
The answer you seek can be found if you scroll to the top and then read left to right until you finish.
Got my 2 games( inFAMOUS, Whipeout HD) and my stuff from Home , downloaded last night too. Thanks Sony. But try to get inFAMOUS back up. my friend cant get it
Playstation i have been a loyal fan since i got my PS3 but what happened this morning i really have to complain i went to the store to download my free game in game 1 i clicked get now waited a few minutes …….then it timed out and said error when i went to try again i wasn’t seeing the icon game 1 to download my free game. I restarted the game and it still wasn’t their. I really hope someone from SONY will comment on my post cause i really want my game. You guys are the best and will remain the best thanks for reading.
Heh, awesome! Downloading Infamous and Quest for Booty as I type this!
Oh and people sure are posting fast. :P
thanks Sony, thanks Welcome Back, very happy : )
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.
Hey guys I downloaded inFamous but when I checked the size of the game it says 2960 MB but when I selected it from the Playstation Store it showed 7056 MB…Is this NORMAL????
great job sony. choose 2 out of date games and 2 lame ones that half of us already own. dead nation was the only good game, but i bought it 3 months ago!
hey when i was downloading dead nation it stopped at 91% and the psn started lagging hard. i thought it was cuz of traffic so i shutted down my ps3 then when i turned it on again i had no options on the xmb menu and i cant do anything anymore. no one else seems to be getting this problem. What am i supposed to do?!?
All i can say to you Sony is that for a company who has supposed upgraded and increased your system, well your system rather suck to give me message error all the time. You should have increase your sever capacity too so your net system don’t crash just because there many user in the same time, it’s annoying to get error message all the time. :(
I was able to download LittleBigPlanet last night, but it took about two and a half hours. Store’s Welcome Back category won’t show anything, so had to use XMB way. Now tring to get ModNation, keep getting 80431063 error. Anyone know when errors will come down just a bit?
Can I download these free games via Media Go? Its the only way I can download stuff from PSN and the store section won’t work.
No thats not normal you need to redownload it the game is 7056
there are some problems with that cause i was only able to get one ps3 game and one psp game and when i when to pick the other they were not here .
Can i activate my psn plus anytime or like the games i have to activate it before july 4?
I will wait some days to download the games I don’t wanna run the risk of losing it , you guys should do the same , The traffic is huge ,
@Epic_of_Enkindu Yes you can download them from there, I did it yesterday no problem.
#2655: No. I tried, but it won’t show anything.
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.
Yes you can eilegz the hole program ends in july
Of course, in the real store it won’t show anything either.
@KidCommando: I keep trying but still keep getting error codes.
I want ModNation!!!