To share PlayStation Plus with family, you need to enable console sharing on your PS5 or PS4, not through a Family Group. This lets everyone on the same console play online and access shared games from a single subscription.
How to share PlayStation plus with family: the real way
Sharing PlayStation Plus with family is done through your console’s settings, not by creating a PlayStation Family Group. On a PS5, you enable “Console Sharing and Offline Play.” On a PS4, you activate the console as your primary PS4. Both methods allow other users on that console to use your subscription benefits. This is the only way to share a single subscription across multiple accounts in your household, so if sharing doesn’t work as expected you may want to refund a PlayStation plus subscription and start fresh.
What you need before you start sharing
Before you begin, make sure you have an active PlayStation Plus subscription. You also need the account details (email and password) for the account that holds the subscription. Finally, you need physical access to the console you want to share on, as the setup is done directly on that device.
How to share on a PS5 console
Follow these steps to enable sharing on a PS5:
- Sign in to your PlayStation Network account on the PS5 console.
- Go to Settings from the home screen.
- Select Users and Accounts, then choose Other.
- Select Console Sharing and Offline Play.
- Choose Enable to activate sharing on this console.
Once enabled, any other user on that PS5 can access your PlayStation Plus benefits, including online multiplayer and shared games.
How to share on a PS4 console
Follow these steps to activate a PS4 as your primary console:
- Sign in to your PlayStation Network account on the PS4 console.
- Go to Settings from the home screen.
- Select Account Management, then choose Activate as Your Primary PS4.
- Select Activate to confirm.
After activation, all users on that PS4 can use your PlayStation Plus subscription benefits.
What benefits are shared (and what's not)
Shared benefits include online multiplayer (subject to parental controls), downloaded games purchased with a PlayStation Plus discount, downloaded Monthly Plus games, and access to PlayStation Plus game and classic catalog games (depending on your membership plan).
Benefits that are not shared include purchasing discounted products from the PlayStation Store, redeeming PlayStation Plus games on another account, online storage for cloud saves, auto patch downloads, and early access to time-limited game trials. Each user needs their own account for these features, but you can get PlayStation plus free through limited trials to test these perks individually. If you want to get Discord on PlayStation, you’ll need to set that up separately on each account.
How family members access shared games and play online
Other users on the shared console simply log into their own PlayStation Network accounts. They can then find shared games in the Library under the Purchased tab and download them. For online multiplayer, they launch any supported game and play normally, the console sharing setting grants them access. No additional steps are needed.
Limitations and important notes
Only one PS5 console can have Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled at a time per PlayStation Network account. Similarly, only one PS4 can be activated as your primary PS4 at a time. If you change sharing settings on another console, the previous console will lose access. Child family members can access age-appropriate content through shared benefits, subject to parental controls set on their accounts.
