I love my PlayStation 5, I made sure I got my order in as soon as the official announcement streamed so that I would have it on day-one, on the 19th of November. Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know that it’s not been a smooth ride though, the console kept crashing when playing any PS5 game and subsequently corrupting the internal SSD and wiping all my saves, media, installed games, and trophy info that hadn’t synced. After a long phone call, PlayStation replaced the unit with a new one (yes, they gave me a new console, they didn’t fix it), which has been more stable yet suffered the same issues a few times (but I don’t want to wait 2-3 weeks for another new console).
However, when I originally talked to the customer service team, and a few times since, I brought up a critical issue with the store on the console itself, an issue which not only affects us as paying customers but developers and publishers who pay Sony to advertise and sell their games. On each occasion, the customer service representative shrugged off the issue, claiming it was an issue with my console and not the store… No, I’ve seen the same thing on multiple consoles, people online report the same glitches, and I reached out to the developer of The Pedestrian (who also had the same issue) and their rep at Sony was able to fix the issue (for them) within 24 hours.
Basically, I’m about to go into detail about the bugs and glitches with the PlayStation Store on the mobile application, the terrible re-designed website, and the incompetent PS5 on-console store. I have examples, theories, solutions, and requests, which are not only from me but from many people online – those who splashed out £450 on a new console, only to receive an inferior product to the PS4. I’m hoping that this article will be read by those who need to read it in order to give them a shove in the right direction to finally fix these issues – if you feel any of the issues stated are important, please share it with as many people as you can, we NEED Sony to listen.
Welcome to the elusive ‘New Games’…
What’s wrong?
Let’s start with what I’ve noticed and the main issue which I’ll be looking into (aside from a few other issues later on). There are games that have released since the end of October (I didn’t go back any further but I imagine there’s even more) which either don’t appear on the console in any form, they can only be searched for to find them, or they have been ‘published’ in the wrong date order. Let’s stick to numbers here, there are 74 games that have been affected that I’ll be talking about, 74 games which Sony has taken money off to publish yet they’ve not actually told anyone with a PS5 that the game is available to buy.
Hopefully, that got your attention, this means the developers and publishers who pay to submit their games will most likely see very few PS5-only gamers buying and downloading their games, and the consumers may not even realise a game they’ve been waiting for has been released. This happened the other day when I pointed out the issue with The Pedestrian on Twitter, as soon as I mentioned it one of my followers stated they “didn’t know it was out yet” and instantly went and bought it.Â
There is also a massive issue with the DLC visibility – as in Sony has stripped all of this from all three stores in favour of only showing the DLC for the top twelve games – basically, the games they make the most money from like APEX Legends and Fortnite. This is another issue that will see developers and publishers take a massive hit on revenue simply because NOBODY who owns a PS5 actually knows what DLCs are released – all because of the terrible new store design on all three platforms. I have ‘solutions’ on how to view the latest DLC, but Sony needs to hear the disappointment from the publishers before they’ll even consider fixing this critical issue.
Let’s start with the main issue…
Silver Chains isn’t on the store via the PS5 console (Update – now it is)
Games MISSING from the PS5 on-console store
I’ve noticed, for a number of weeks, that some games are missing from the store via the PS5 console. I’m a game reviewer, so I’m always looking at the latest games which launch – whether they’re big AAA or smaller indie titles – so I know when a game is missing which should be there. The standard consumer wouldn’t have a clue. The developer of The Pedestrian didn’t even realise it was missing because they couldn’t get their hands on a PS5 – so I had to provide evidence it wasn’t there, something Sony should be doing themselves to ensure this issue doesn’t even happen.
Basically, if you go to the ‘New Games’ section on your PS5, whilst simultaneously looking at the website or the app in the same section, you’ll notice that a bunch of games either aren’t there or they appear in the wrong date order – at this point, I’m just focusing on the ones you can’t see. Since October, there have been 45 games that don’t appear on the PS5 store (via the console) whether you look in ‘New Games’, ‘All PS4 games’ or ‘Browse’ and setting it to A-Z mode. That’s right, 45 games that will never appear in sales, when browsing, or if Sony puts out any curated collections.Â
Of these 45, 11 can be found if you specifically search for the game (as in, you know exactly what game you want), but they still don’t appear in ‘Browse’ and alphabetical order. The other 34 are games which you CAN buy on the PS4, the web store, or the app, but they literally don’t appear on the PS5 console store, not even if you search for their name!
Publishers and developers of these games – you NEED to contact your rep at Sony and push them on getting this resolved. Some of you have had games out for almost four months yet NOBODY on the PS5 even knowns of their existence. Consumers, you need to do the same – some of the titles I’m about to mention may not be major big-budget ones, but it clearly shows there is an issue either with the store itself or how publishers are activating their games – meaning Sony needs to fix all the ones affected and educate their clients accordingly.
Heroes of Hammerwatch, a new game, can’t even be found by searching for it.
The Missing games (not in ‘Browse’ and can’t be searched by name):
Aborigenus – Xitilon
act it out xl – Snap Finger Click Ltd
Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom – KEMCO
Checkers – Sabec Limited
Crystal Ortha – KEMCO
Cube Raiders – JANDUSOFT S.L.
Darts – Sabec Limited
Dogfight – Sabec Limited
Elliot – JANDUSOFT S.L.
Fight – Sabec Limited
HardCube – BIG WAY LLC
Heroes of Hammerwatch – Ultimate Edition – BLITWORKS SL
How to take off your Mask Remastered – Ratalaika Games SL
KAUIL’S TREASURE – JANDUSOFT S.L.
Legends of Ethernal – NATSUME INC.
NEKOPARA Vol. 4 – CFK Co., Ltd.
Not Not – A Brain Buster – QUBICGAMES SP. Z O.O.
One Strike – QUBICGAMES SP. Z O.O.
Oniria Crimes – Badland Publishing
Radio Commander – PlayWay plc
Rocket Punch – SHAME, INTERCONTINENTAL
Shisen-Sho NIKAKUdori – RED FLAG SHIP CO.,LTD.
Slide Stars – Lion Castle B.V.
Snake Boat: Otterrific Arcade – OTTERIFIC GAMES, LLC
Sparkle 4 Tales – FOREVER ENTERTAINMENT S. A.
Speaking Simulator – SEVERED PRESS PTY LTD
Spirit Arena – JANDUSOFT S.L.
Super Sports Blast – Unfinished Pixel
Survival – Sabec Limited
Sword of the Necromancer – Grimorio of Games S.L.
ACA NEOGEO THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2000 – HAMSTER CORPORATION
ACA NEOGEO THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2001 – HAMSTER CORPORATION
ACA NEOGEO THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2002 – HAMSTER CORPORATION
Zombies ruined my day – Rendercode Games
The Missing Games (not in ‘Browse’ but can be found by searching specifically for their title):
Aery – Little Bird Adventure – EpiXR Games UG
Ascendance – ONEVISION GAMES
Dungreed – Nicalis Inc.
Empire of Sin – PARADOX INTERACTIVE AB
Mad Tower Tycoon – Toplitz Productions GmBh
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes – MERGE GAMES.LIMITED
Quiplash 2 InterLASHional: The Say Anything Party Game! – Jack Box Games, Inc.
Silver Chains – HEADUP GAMES GMBH CO. KG
TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS – Outright Games LLC
TRIPP®: Fitness for Your Inner Self – TRIPP, LLC
Valentine Candy Break – SMOBILE INC
Twin Mirror, released 1st Dec, appears next to games from 28th October, so was never shown in the ‘New Games’ to potential customers
Games not appearing in date order:
The average gamer will look at one section on the PS5 console store, the ‘new games’ section. They want to look at a list of games that have just released without having to apply filters and scroll all over the place in ‘Browse’ mode. As such, the ‘New Games’ section on the front of the store (stupidly right at the bottom) should display all the games which have just come out… It clearly doesn’t. This isn’t a case of the above, games not on the console, this issue relates to games that are not dated correctly.
Out of the 74 games I said were affected, 29 are a victim of wrong backend dates. These games don’t appear in the ‘Browse’ section next to games released at the same time, they appear in random positions – usually lower down. Why is this an issue? Say Twin Mirror just came out (real example), it should be dated the day it launched, so it’s in the ‘New Games’ section and people know the game is out to buy. But, Twin Mirror thinks it launched a month ago, despite just coming out today, thus it WON’T appear in ‘New Games’, it’ll just silently slide into the Browse section next to games that were published a month ago.
Do you see the issue here? NOBODY, unless they’re aware of the game and know it’s out, will even know the game has released. This has happened to the below 30 games – they are both searchable and appear in the Browse section (so they’ll appear in sales and collections), but due to the date being wrong in the backend, they will have NEVER appeared in the ‘New Games’ section or they will have been shown at the wrong time. Again, why are publishers and developers paying to have their game placed on PSN if Sony isn’t properly advertising and showcasing their games on release date?
Another wrongly dated game, released 29th October, appears in ‘Browse’ next to games from the 20th October.
List of games you can find in ‘Browse’ and by searching, but the backend date is wrong:
Auto Chess – Long Entertainment Company
Big Dipper – TOP HAT STUDIOS, INC.
Buster’s Quest: Trials Of Hamsterdam – Indie Remix Studios LLC
Carto – Humble Bundle, Inc.
Donut Break Head to Head – SMOBILE INC
Esports Life Tycoon – Uplay Online SL
Follia – Dear Father – REAL GAME MACHINE
Halloween Candy Break – SMOBILE INC
HIQ ACE Unlimited – Mass Creation Sp. z o. o.
JankBrain – Log Games Ltd
KUUKIYOMI 2: Consider It More! – New Era – G-MODE CORPORATION
Liftoff: Drone Racing – astragon Entertainment GmbH
Lost Artifacts: Golden Island – OOO 8floor ltd
Lunch A Palooza – Alternative Software Ltd
Ninja Legends – PERPETUAL
Re:Turn – One Way Trip – Green Man Gaming Publishing
Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind + – BELKA SRL
Rigid Force Redux – HEADUP GAMES GMBH CO. KG
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin – Marvelous Europe Limited
Supraland – Humble Bundle, Inc.
The Perplexing Orb 2 – TreeFall Studios L.L.C.
Towaga: Among Shadows – FOREVER ENTERTAINMENT S. A.
Twin Mirror – BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT EUROPE
Unturned – 505 GAMES S.R.L.
Vigor – Bohemia Interactive a.s.
Waves Out! – GAMMERA NEST SL
Windfolk: Sky is just the beginning – GAMMERA NEST SL
Wonder Blade – EAST2WEST NETWORK TECH. CO. LTD.
YesterMorrow – Blowfish Studios Pty Ltd
My theory on the above, I think the games have two dates applied – a published date and a front-end release date. Twin Mirrors, for example, appears in ‘Browse’ on the date it was supposed to release before it was delayed. However, the ‘release date’ on the front end is the correct one. So, there’s probably another date in the background that still says it launched on the original date – thus causing it to not get shown to anyone when it finally did launch as the ‘New Games’ didn’t go back that far.
Other, smaller, games are also affected, ones which I don’t believe had their dates changed. So, they may be a victim of the same thing, but due to the changes that Sony made with their terrible and overly simplistic store. However, look in the ‘Browse PS4 games’ mode on the app or the website (or even on the PS4) and… they all appear in order – this has to be an issue with the way the store on the PS5 ‘works’.
No Dirt 5 or Borderlands 3 in the website and app store…
Big AAA games missing from the App
One thing I found, when researching for this article, is that it’s not only the small publishers who are affected. Ubisoft, Codemasters, Warner Brothers, and 2K have also become victims of one of the many issues with the new PlayStation store, only this time it’s via the website store and the mobile app.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, and Watch Dogs: Legion DO NOT appear when you’re browsing the PS4 games, neither does DiRT 5, Mortal Kombat 11, Call of Duty or Borderlands 3… Can you see the issue and the reason behind this? I can as it’s very obvious and something which has been overlooked by whoever designed this terrible store. These are all games that offer not only a PS4 version but also a PS5 upgrade for free.
Now, I know what you’ll say – “but if you have a PS5 then you’ll want to buy the PS5 version” – sure, but this is the app and the website I’m talking about, not the PS5 console store (which does show them). That means anyone with a PS4 ONLY, who is browsing the website or the app for a new game to buy, won’t actually see ANY game which has a PS5 upgrade if they’re browsing the PS4 games. They need to flip over to the PS5 games in order to buy a PS4 game – does that sound right? Will publishers be happy that they’re missing out on potential customers due to the way the store groups all versions of a game into a single entity that can’t be displayed over multiple categories? I personally don’t think they would.
The solution, Sony needs to split up games – stop with this clicking the three dots and hoping you buy and/or download the correct version. They may have thought simplistic was better, but they’ve made it so simple that it’s become complicated and very messy. Having new tiles for versions, such as the Deluxe and collectors editions, wasn’t a bad thing – it lets people see what they got before they bought them. Now, you have the option but it’s hidden behind a single option, sometimes with no info on what you’re paying more for – meaning you have to search on google for an answer instead of the actual store telling you.
Don’t get me started on games like ‘The Journey Down‘, where they’ve put all three parts of the game into one tile, meaning you have to click the dots in the store in order to see each of the separate games you can buy – it’s a UX mess.
This is all the DLC that Sony thinks people care about…
DLC Disaster
This, for me, is just as major as the above missing games – Sony has basically hidden every single piece of DLC from paying customers, resulting in developers and publishers selling far less than they used to. I loved checking out the new DLCs on the PS4, you could go to ‘What’s new’, scroll to the right, go on ‘All DLC’ and see everything that’s released, resulting in me finding new free DLC for games I own, new paid songs for Fuser, PS Plus bonus items, and even new items for games I’ve not played for a while, resulting in me buying them and playing the game again.
The new store (Website and app) is an abomination for DLC and this needs to be rectified just like they ‘tried’ to fix the ‘sales’ option after everyone complaining about it a few weeks back. Also, the actual PS5 doesn’t even have ANY options to view DLC unless you manually look in every single one of your games by click them and scrolling down.
If you look at the DLC option, which is called ‘Add-Ons’ on the new store via the App or the Website, you’re presented with a bunch of young child games, in order to source money off the vulnerable (I presume). We have games like Fall Guys, Rocket League, FIFA, and APEX Legends – none of which I’ve ever played. It’s 12 of the biggest games in terms of revenue from DLCs, yet it’s not personalised to me or holds any relevancy to what I want to buy. Until this morning, I had no idea there were about 15 new tracks for Fuser, a game I love and play often. I’m ‘following’ this game on the PS5 yet it never informed me I could expand the game I OWN.
We need a new tab on the store (every platform) that is all about DLC. It needs to have a mode just like ‘Browse’, allowing us to view all released DLC in various sorting options – so we don’t miss any new DLCs for games we own – and maybe even a semi-curated list like there was with the games on the PS4. One which tells us what DLCs are out for the games we actually play and not having the PS5 presume we’re all young teenagers playing F2P and sports games in our parent’s house.
Missing basic functions unless on the main page?!
Problems with the library on the PS5 itself
Seeing as I may have the attention of people who can actually make a difference, let’s have a quick discussion about the ‘Library’ which is on the PS5 and how it’s much worse than the PS4 and needs to be adjusted asap. The Library is basically a list of all of the games you’ve bought or played on that account, whether it’s digitally or physically (yes, I’ll come to this). As I have over 2,000 games, this is very slow for me but I won’t state that as a general issue as I’m one of the few, yet it’s clear whoever created this UI didn’t actually test it with large libraries (even the download list on the website doesn’t go above 1,000 so I can’t download my games using the website – another issue customer service said they won’t look into…).
The first issue, we can filter by PS3, PS4 and PS5 games, but there’s no filter for PSVR. Seeing as most of the tiles for the PSVR games have been changed so they don’t actually show the PSVR logo anymore, we need a filter option for VR games. Imagine having 600+ games installed, like me, and having to slowly crawl through the games and remember which are VR – it’s not a great experience.
Secondly, you can’t check for updates or read patch notes unless the games are on the front page of the dash. What does this mean? Say you know there’s an update coming – like the other day with God of War – if you haven’t played it for over 6 months, it won’t check for an update (that’s how PSN works). Plus, you can’t even press options on it and ask it to check for an update, UNLESS you’ve booted it up recently and the tile is on the front page with the few smaller icons. Similar issue with patch notes, if it’s been updated, you can’t select the option to read the notes without booting up the game first and having it on the front page… We need these two options in the Library when we press ‘Options’ on the controller.
Speaking of patch note, the PS5 games don’t actually give any notes, despite the PS4 versions of the same games giving them. People like myself like to read the notes to see what’s changed and if issues we’ve had previously have been addressed. This was a very helpful process that Sony has stupidly removed with the launch of the PS5. This is a feature I highly request is brought back – I can’t imagine it’ll be that hard.
Why can’t I hide or delete tiles for physical games?
A big issue with the PS5 UI for me is the lack of caution. If you have a game running and you suspend it by holding the PS button, you can easily click any of the tiles on the main screen and the system will simply close the game you have open and load the new one – without asking or warning you. Who thought this was a good idea? I’ve accidentally opened a game countless times without realising that I had another game open – there’s no indication any game is running and no message just saying “running this game will close “insert name of game about to get killed here”. Again, the PS4 had this simple function so why hasn’t the PS5?
Another thing that needs to be resolved is the inability to hide and remove items from the Library itself. If I’ve played the disc version of a game many years ago, or the beta, but I no longer own the game – why would I want it to show up in my list of games? That should be reserved for downloadable games which I own, not games I’ve played once or twice. As such, Sony needs to bring back the ability to hide items within that list – let us clean it up and remove tiles for incompatible games and physical ones we no longer own.
Just a quick mention here – the recording counter. I find this useful, as it lets you know how long you’ve been recording for, but… Why does it appear when you take screenshots! If it’s hidden in the recording, taking a screenshot should also remove the counter from the image – a simple UI design that was clearly not thought about. Also, the ability to move the timer is required as it actually blocks a lot of key elements in various games, such as Artifex Mundi‘s Hidden Object games – having items literally hidden behind it!Â
Finally, the trophies – my god, the trophies. They went on and on about how they’ve redesigned the trophies to make them more usable and accessible – they’re bobbins! If you’re in a game and want to see the trophies, you have to hold the PS button to suspend it, then either push down and right ‘if’ there’s a trophy count there, otherwise, tap the PS button, goto User and the Trophies and click on the game. How is that making them more accessible? I’d let them off if simply tapping the PS button had a tile for the games’ trophies at the end, just after media, but it doesn’t. We can’t even pin trophies we care about to that PS menu, it just randomly shows one or two – if it can be bothered.
They made the trophies so convoluted and annoying, I don’t even bother looking at them anymore. Whereas previously you could read the trophy title and requirements in a simple list at a quick glance, you now have to scroll and wait on each one – or select them – to read the full requirement, making the whole ‘trophy hunting’ process feel cumbersome and irritating. Add a link to the trophies with a single press of the PS button AND let us display trophies as a list like before, and a lot of people will be very, very grateful.
Ahh, the best PSN store, one which actually works.
There are other issues I have with the PS5 itself, things which were fine on the PS4 – yet, they’ve obviously released an unfinished UI for the new console in order to push it out of the door at the same time as Microsoft with their Xbox Series consoles. I’m hoping the features and functions which were pulled from last-gen systems are brought back via updates in the future, and the Library is adjusted with the required options I mentioned above, but the main thing to take away from today is just how broken all of the stores are since Sony introduced the new layout.
So, how have I been coping with all of these missing items, sale items not appearing in the sale, no DLCs being shown, and games being published with the wrong date? Simple – I’ve been inconveniencing myself and using alternative store-fronts to browse the latest games. These are the ones I recommend:
https://platprices.com/en-gb/ – This site lists games, not DLC, but also splits the deluxe editions from the normal as well as offering info on the trophies and how hard they are to platinum. It also separates all sale items in easy-to-read lists.
https://psprices.com/region-gb/index – Similar to the above, this lists every game, all the sale items, and also the DLC items. This, and the above, also have reviews, trailers, images, and much more info than the official PlayStation store.
https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/home/games – This is a link to the old (and best) PlayStation store. This is the UK one but you should be able to edit the link to match your country. This is the store we all know and love – it lists all games correctly, has all DLC items (not just the stupid ‘top twelve games’), categorises everything perfectly, has no missing games, and even lets you buy and download both PS Vita and PS3 games (woohoo)
There isn’t “something for everyone” when the store doesn’t actually show everything!
So, if you’re reading this and you’re a developer or publisher who has been affected (one of your games is above), let your Sony rep know that you’re game isn’t being displayed to potential customers correctly and you wish it to be resolved and you want to be educated on how to stop it happening in the future (if it’s your mistake). If it’s theirs, they need to be pushed into going through all the submissions since they created their new site and resolve the issue for everyone. Even if your game was only published with the wrong date, you lost potential day-one sales by not being showcased as a ‘New game’.
Gamers, if you’re reading this and you demand these issues to be fixed – not only the store issues (which are critical) but also the terrible UI and UX issues, pass this article around, let’s get those who need to see this to respond and take action. The PS5 has been out for almost three months, it feels like it launched in Beta with a simplified UI that hadn’t even been tested with people who actually play video games.Â
I was going to put up a critical review of the PS5, but I think I’ve covered my main complaints and issues in this article. If/when these issues are resolved or acknowledged by someone (rather than being shrugged off by their customer service again), I’ll update the article accordingly. Until then, if you don’t yet have a PS5, other than the massive performance and visual boost, you’re probably best off sticking to your PS4 – Sony clearly doesn’t want you to easily browse and buy games and DLC on the new console.
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