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 my PS3 the first day the network was down, and now Sony tells me I can’t redeem the Welcome Back package since I wasn’t a member before April 20. If the Welcome Back package is supposed to be about thanking us for our patience in bringing the network back up, I deserve it just as much as anyone. This is total BS.
I only have a PSP and I find the Welcome Back Program working like it should. My only concern is hat the Playsation Plus offer did not appear in the Welcome Back section. I haven’t downloaded the offer yet, and it seems that none of the offers that come with PS Plus is not available to me. Is this kind of a PS3 thing or what? I just want to know if the offer is available on the PSP store. If its only the PS3, that sucks because I don’t think I’ll get one until after the offer expires. Can you help me?
(P.S. Is it possible to change your I.D. name?)
I got a Canadian account and I bought 20$ and i tried to redeem but they said that it is not valid can u tell me why is that?
This is some crap. Im sorry to say. I got my PS3 on April 20 when the PSN went down. I suffered for the same time as everyone else did and I cant have the welcome back program as everyone else can. I suffered as much as everyone else did. I really think i deserve it too, just because I couldnt sign up before April 20th and am a “new member”. I still suffered with the PSN down because i knew what it was like. I had lots of games that soppurted the PSN. I dont think is fair I cant get the welcome back program.
When will there be more add ons for little big planet psp?
@martinmario123
question. during the psn outage did you happen to have money tied into your psn wallet that you could not access? or have any of your personal details compromised? NO? hmmm…. please tell me why you think you deserve the welcome back package? Granted it sucks to have to wait to use your ps3… but come on really? you think you deserve a package equal to the package we recieved? Remember this is a “Welcome back” package you were not a registered user therefor you are not coming back.
guys i got my first free game little big planet on free game 1 then i went two free game 2 tried two clicked download infamous not enough space left deleted some stuff went to psn store gone but this gut is like the 90 something comment told us how to fix it its like thisXMB 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 game 1 and 2. :) yay
try it i did’nt yet
typo on didn’t
nail u all in cod 7 going to 5th prestige
@4830, your information was not stolen so you don’t deserve the free games.
lol@1830
*@4830
I was annoyed I lost my Linux partition when it happened. But now I consider myself compensated. Too bad it had to come with a bit of coaxing, and a loss of a month of online play.
What I don’ understand is why this program is available to the people who had an account before 4/20. I for one got my PS3 and PSP in early may and was in the dark with everyone else. What would make more sense is to have the offer to all the people who made accounts before PSN came back online. I am not sure why Sony would chose to alienate BRAND NEW CUSTOMERS by throwing this offer in front of their faces while they were in the outage as well. Especially after they lost millions of people, dollars and reputation points.
the whole thing sickens me -.-
@ Zakar_Ghost
First off… you could NOT make an account while the psn was down.
Second… where ever people bought their ps3’s during the outage they should have been informed by the shop keeper. In other words you should have taken it back for a refund! Being that it was not fully functional. But no… you decide to hang on and wait for it to come back up… NOT Sonys problem.
Third… users that signed up before psn went down had their information compromised.
So why do you feel that you are entitled to the same deal?
Awsome i cant belive that playstation store is working and i can finally start downloading content thanks sony
I have resently been getting messages from my friends as a forward saying that if I send this message to all my friends or to 25 people then I will get $20 to $50 put into my wallet on the Playstation Store. I have tryed this and it does not work, is PSN planning on giving a code to all members to give a some of money to his or her account as part of the welcome back program? If so, what is that code?
@CnGmutil8tors
Sony repeatedly stated the Welcome Back package was to thank us for our patience. Yes, I understand it’s worse for people who had their information stolen, but I received my PS3 on April 21 and had to wait a month to be able to actually go online with it, so I think that applies to me.
As for returning my PS3, I think you’re remembering the events incorrectly. It’s not like Sony stated right away that it would be down for a month. At first they said a couple days and it kept getting longer and longer. I can accept not being compensated as much as everyone else, but I should at least get something.
i agree with CnGmutil8tors. I’m tired of everyone whining and complaining because they couldn’t get there free stuff… i had a wallet balance of 150 for a month.. and my info was stolen.. not that i care.. i dont blame sony for this at all.. but if you just bought your ps3 sod off.. go get some psn cards and buy something
@stormminator why does sony owe you anything for a free service.. sony didn’t owe me anything.. this is a good will to old users.. and dude if you got your on the 21st you had to have a xbox to play on did you not?
@CnGmutil8tors
I fully agree with you, plus there were probably a ton of people who went out and bought a ps3 when they heard about the welcome back program thinking they could take advantage of it. And anyone who didn’t have a psn account prior to the downtime also did not have to go changing all their passwords that might have been the same as their email. I had to change passwords for almost everything, my email was spamming other people in my contacts list, I can only assume it was due to the hack. I got my free games, and deserve them as much as everyone else whose personal information was compromised. It has little to do with the downtime, more to do with our personal info becoming compromised.
sorry i ment to say got your ps3 on the 21st
@4844 It’s a scam
@4844 it just a spam message delete and tell your friends to stop sending you fake stuff i guarantee you it’s not from Sony.
Frozone June 25 for resistance 3 beta official date
storminator, you bought a defective product from the store, granted they did not know how long it was going to be down for but the day you purchased it, it was defective. the store mis-sold not sony, if anything you should be demanding stuff from best buy or gamestop or whereever you bought your ps3.
@ idrive fast and darbizzlebacon, agreed
Just to let people know so it doesn’t happen to you. I downloaded inFAMOUS as one of my free games got one trophy and it reset my previous trophy progress for that game. I had 100% and it went down to 1% so I deleted it and now its fine. Guess it only happens if you had the game before and had 100% of the trophies. I also got LBP and didn’t have all the trophies so that progress is fine. Wish SONY would’ve said something before I wasted a free download.
@notenoughheart are you sure your ps3 just didn’t sync wrong? i have never heard of a ps3 game that you have 100% trophies on reset… hmm but oh well you know :D
@CnGmutil8tors
I was actually not informed by GameStop, so your information was false.
Sony is continually getting hacked every day. Our information is in constant jeopardy.
It isn’t about who gets the better deal or who fared the worst, it should be Sony trying to keep their client base as much as possible.
Lastly, I am not sure why you are attacking the people on here instead of helping to help out people. Do you like being high up there on your pedestal of woe unto you?
zakar ghost, i wasnt asware anyone on here was being attacked by me, ive helped plenty of ppl on here who DO deserve the package, find their downloads n stuff. now back to your post, how is my information wrong? i never said game stop did warn anyone, but it was their responsability to do so, not sonys fault, so go moan to gamestop. and maybe read my posts properly before you run off at the keyboard.
*aware
Hey, does anyone know the file size for LBP? I know InFamous was over 7 gigs; not sure if I have enough space left for LBP.
Where exactly am i supposed to go to recieve the welcome back gifts for Playstation Home?
maybe you should read my post, it isn’t about people deserving the package it’s about Sony keeping their client base.
And the only reason I posted here was not to whine, I posted here because an actual Sony Rep told me to. So maybe you should think twice before deciding who deserves what when you are not the face of the company. You are not Sony, you are not “the decider” so maybe you should stop drawing lines of who should get what? m’kay?
So i went to the playstion store, into the welcome back program downloaded my first game, went back to get my second game, couldn’t decide on what to get so i exited out and went back in to the program, and i couldnt pick my second game. what do i do about that?
I got one game. wont show anything other than welcome back panel. Its a scam. Will be litigating
ok zakar ghost let me try and make this as simple as i can for you, regardless of who told you to post here you aint getting squat, so it is not i who decides who gets what, but guess what? sony just so happens to agree with me, you dont deserve a thing, that is my standpoint and it is sonys standpoint. so continue to go on if you must, but know this, you keep talking about keeping their client base, well if all the ppl who bought a ps3 during the outage decided to leave, how much would it hurt sony? i mean if all 15 of you took off. lol
raglan did you look in the service list inside account management?
Does anyone know when some new add ons for little big planet psp are coming out? Anyone?
So what about people who already own the games offered in the Welcome Back Program. I’m feeling kind of left out
HI,
Need some help. Started to download LBP earlier and came to the check-out screen when my network connection crashed. The download didn’t start. Now I can’t find the game in the XMB and I can only get one more game in the store. Is there a way to fix this, Sony?
Btw, I really only wanted to get LBP so I got that again, and I used my remaining free game to download LBP. But I don’t want to miss out on one more game.
Thanks.
@idrivefast235 its synced fine. Stupid SONY.
the weebleman that does kinda suck, the only thing you can do really is trade in the hard copys you have because you have it on your ps3 forever now.
oh and weebleman, right now gamestop are having a promotion on trade-ins right now i believe. :)
i was downloading second free game and then an error popped up. this happened before so i just pressed O but it was frozen. so after trying for 30 minutes i had to turn it off. when i turned it back on i didnt have the option to get the second game any more. so is there anyway to get it back?
saaketh vummala, look in account management under service list
thank u so much
no problem.
Alright I’m gonna try doing what idrivefast235 said. I’m downloading inFAMOUS again then I will sync my trophies and see if that works. If not I just wasted a free game and thanks for nothing sony.