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!
I got one of the PS3 games, but when I was getting Dead Nation it gave me an error, and now the game is used, but it won’t let me actually get Dead Nation.
@3631 AbruptedWotas
yes maybe Sony’s main target is the PS3 user, but the free games and discounted games are often for PS1 classic and MINIS that can be used for the PSP also. In this case I wanted to buy some of the discounted PS+ games.
to radar 427 same here and i have had my email from sony for 4 days now
Sony I bought my PS3 a few days before PSN went down, should I not also receive the welcome back package??? I was unable to create an account for over a month and had to wait to play just as everyone else did. If you would like I can send you a receipt for my playstation with a date of when I bought it. It is very unfair that i would be excluded from this package. I have had every playstation that has came out, I have been a loyal playstation user for years before this shut down happened, I am by no means a new user.
radar 427 you do realize that they probably have hundreds of thousands of emails to sift through right?
@Blacksanctuary
Do you see how they are ‘making up’ for the outage? Think about that and you will have your answer.
OTHER GUY JUST GOT HIS SONY HAS SCREWED THE POOCH ON THIS WHOLE THING LIE LIE THEY CHEAP OUT ON EVERYONE WITH SOME REALLY CRAPPY CONTENT REALLY WHO HERE HASNT SEEN GHOSTBUSTERS LOL
gakNyambung thank you problem solved
my ps3 has to go into warranty also, so i was quick and got my stuff:) its funny i have had a 360 for 4 years not one problem, had a ps3 since feb. already have to send it in. i don’t mind, just think its funny on how many people bash 360. I love both my systems:)
@Veranieca
Not sure what you mean. I can’t use my PS3 when it’s in for repair
if u having problem with long period download reboot u router and retry it worked 4 me it downloads 2 times faster
ISNT THAT THIER JOB? TO SIFT THROUGH EMAILS AND ITS COMPUTERS DOIN THE SENDING TO EVERY PS ACCOUNT SOOO ONE MASS EMAIL DONE NO EXCUSES
I have already downloaded WIPE Out HD +Fury and made the installation, but after doing this, no sign where the game is or how to access it. No image or icon for the game on the XBM Gamemenu. Does someone know whta happen, where did it go, or what should I do? Anybody that could point me in the right direction?
I bought my ps3 back in April and was unable to play online or use the online services. Why am I not allowed to have the access to the welcome back package. I was affected like all other psn users. Please advise. I was only able to sign up for psn once the services were returned.
hey hey peeps :)
radar,
lol i felt almost insulted about the movies
radar, look, they are moving as fast as they can. If you were working there i doubt you would be able to do better than them.
then go 2 speedtest.net and check ur upload speed
THAT and the movies were some of the few they could put out for free rent w/o paying companies for the free rental AND werent too current
I got my email….
About ps+ we are getting Uncharted 3 beta and a full psn title this month. Read the “coming soon to ps plus blog”
Also, if I download the free games now and then send my PS3 in for repair would I still be able to download them again if an refurbished PS3 comes back from repair? Is this a one time download thing?
And just the 3 or 4 Dynamic themes you get to keep from plus totals over a 6 or 7 dollar cost of a months of ps plus, stop complaining
I COULD SEND A MASS EMAIL THE BEST THEY CAN IS NOT LIE AND LEAVE 80 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE DARK FOR DAYS AT A TIME WITH NO UPDATED OR UPDATES THAT R NON UPDATES IS WHAT THEY R BEING CALLED
its was a welcome 2 suckaville package as the gms begin they jus played are aZZ
psn is just plain slow always has been i have 30.m.b.s. download speeds, getting stuff through psn has always been slooooooooooow…sorry to say but the time it takes me 2 download 4 games on xboxnlive i’m halfway on 1 game on psn
LIKE A FIDDLE
Radar, just be glad they are giving us ANYTHING they could have said “Here’s your store and online multiplayer have fun.” and NOT given us something
Where are the games?! I went to the Welcome Back page and selected game 1 and game 2 and they disappeared with no option to actually download anything. I pressed the circle button but there aren’t any download options.
You can download all your store purchases up to 5 ps3s, so yes, even a new ps3
theyre also slow because a billion and two people are ALL on at the same time
that package aint sh.. they treated us lik they were down 4 the weekend if u guys accept being belittled thats ur fault boycott on the trash package
XYNO MUST WORK FOR SONY
people need to lay off the caps lock
THERE ONLY 88 MILLION USERS SO A BILLION IS FAR FETCHED
Why is it that when i go onto the account thing in playstation network on my psp i get the same stuiped error
‘no content was found’
wat is that
someone help me
and in the store i can even see the welcome back thing
xyno669,
when i got my welcome back games, they actually downloaded faster than usual for me even with all this traffic
nope i just see that they COULD have been jerks and said “no free games”. That and theyve said what was in the ack for AT LEAST a week and no ones has complained until AFTER it came out. soooooooo i dont know maybe people are slow or they didnt pay attention until AFTER the fact
HOW ABOUT NEW MEMBERS IN PSN WHAT DO THEY GET ?
WHATS CAPS LOCK
any one knows when will be the servers stable again?
so I can use codes to add money to my wallet
@3679 nice dude nice.
NEW MEMBERS GET JACK
3678-nothing
@3662 blacksanctuary
the free games are connected to your account. if you sign in in other PS3, you can still re-download the games.
But the maximum user for the account activation is maxed out at 5 PS3/PSP console, so if you want give out your PS3, better to deactivate your account before you let it go.
SONY, please give the PSP user a chance to select 30 DAYS of PSN PLUS.
HUH CAPS LOCK WHAT?/?/???
Personal opinion i wouldn’t add any money in wallets until the errors stop
ok, sorry for laying into you radar. but you and others just need to calm down
“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”
ya’know this is some great information. if you happen to be online and on some site to read it. otherwise on the friggin store it says to select “get now” an then return to the XMB to play the game without downloading it. is the “team” who put together the instructions that appear on the ps3 qualified to be working there with such incomplete communication skills? and now ther phone lines are jammed, an probably will be tomorrow and monday over this mess. that all could have been saved by what?..a few lines of text detailing proper download instructions?..what the hell is going on here.
we did but its because its a well protected debit card. if hackers got it they would receive 10 cents cause we put money on it only when we need to.
who cares if people use caps lock, or even troll, i can care less plus caps makes it even easier to read for old farts like me