After the recent PSN outage, some players were unable to play games. This has sparked many with PlayStation 5 consoles to question if they need an internet connection to be able to enjoy PS5 games. It’s a viable thing to wonder, especially if downtimes are lengthy. The last outage was about two days long. However, the infamous 2011 downtime was 23 days. While we haven’t seen those times return, being able to play games offline during this would be a great relief to players wanting some entertainment.
We have the details in this guide to help you out. That way, players know next time if an outage happens and if they need internet to play PS5 games. Additionally, what to do and if WiFi is needed to play PS5 online as well. Internet connectivity is becoming more prominent in gaming, and it’s good to be in the know about the information for it. Below, you can find all of what you need to know.
Do You Need the Internet to Play PS5 Games?
Yes and no. For games with internet connectivity, more specifically multiplayer, yes, the internet is needed to play PS5 games. But, if you wish to play single-player titles, an internet connection may not be necessary. The reasoning behind this is due to the Console Sharing and Offline Play on the PS5 console. By enabling this feature, you can play games on the console, even when it is offline. Therefore allowing you to play single-player titles in the event of an outage. I have this feature on, and it allows me to dive into games like Sega Genesis Classics with no internet. You can turn the feature on by doing the following:
- Click the “Settings” button on the top right of your PS5 menu.
- Next, select the “Users and Accounts” tab in the settings menu.
- Navigate to the bottom, where it says “Other.” Then choose “Console Sharing and Offline Play.”
- Enable the feature in the next menu, you can now play different games offline.
This feature works for both the disc and disc-less PS5 consoles. However, if you have discs, you will need the internet to install them first and update as well.. When it comes to the digital PS5, you will need to download the game in its entirety first. However, once this is done, you can dive into single-player titles with no internet. As long as the Console Sharing and Offline Play feature is on.
Do You Need WiFi to Play PS5 Online?
Wifi is not necessarily needed to play PS5 online with others or to use the PlayStation Network. Players can instead use an Ethernet cable or a wifi hotspot (such as a mobile phone). There are many features for this console generation linked to online capabilities, such as trophies and the party chat. The main feature is that you can play with others online across the world. So you need to make sure you have internet if you wish to play online PS5 games such as Valorant.
Furthermore, some single-player games also need online functionality to play. Going forward, it is uncertain whether internet access is needed to enjoy them. However, for now, for a majority of single-player games, as long as you have them downloaded and updated, you can play them offline.
