With the advent of PlayStation Plus, it has become a bit harder to use all of the PlayStation 4's online features, though it does come with a number of benefits, and those benefits can be shared between more than one user. Setting up family sharing for PS+ on your PS4? Easy peasy. Let's get into it.
How to set up family sharing on PlayStation 4
Setting up family sharing on PlayStation 4 couldn't be made any easier. It involves setting up a primary account and signing in everyone who will use the PS4. Here's how:
- On your PS4, Sign in with the account which has the PlayStation Plus subscription.
- Open Settings.
- Navigate to the PSN menu.
Select Activate as Your Primary PS4.
Select Activate.
Now that the account with PS Plus is signed in and associated with your PS4 as the primary account, any other username that signs into that PS4 will be able to use its benefits.
What is Family Sharing in PlayStation Plus?
Simply put, family sharing allows you to share many of PlayStation Plus's benefits with other members of your family. So long as one account on the PlayStation 4 has PS Plus and is set as the primary account for that console, anyone who signs into that console with another PlayStation Network account will be able to share much of its benefits and play any digital games associated with it. Family sharing also enables you to set up powerful parental control tools if you want to manage your children's usage.
No matter your need, family sharing makes it cheaper and easier to use the PS4's online features with multiple accounts.
Which PlayStation Plus benefits can you share?
Before we proceed, you should know that not all benefits can be used by the accounts which don't have their own PlayStation Plus subscription. We'll run them down for you.
Here's what you can use:
- Play Online multiplayer.
- Play downloaded games, including those purchased with a PS Plus discount.
- Download and play the monthly PS Plus games included with the subscription.
And here are the things you'll miss out on:
- Purchasing games at the discounted PS Plus rate.
- Cloud storage for game saves.
- Automatic patch downloads.
- Exclusive PS Plus-only early access game trials.
Whether your secondary accounts need their own PS Plus subscriptions is up to you and your particular needs. If all you want is to play online and play all the games on that console, you're probably OK without just the one subscription. Those with more elaborate needs may need to consider paying for more than one subscription.
What if I have more than one PlayStation 4?
Unfortunately, if you have more than one PS4 then you'll need another account with PlayStation Plus for each extra PS4 you have. That's because benefits can only be shared from the primary account to other accounts on the same console, and there can only be one primary account per console.
This also means that the second account will need its own copy of the games the user wants to play on it. The only way around this is to sign into the second PS4 with the account that has the PS Plus subscription and owns the games, and you must stay signed in on that account for the duration of your session.
Our top equipment picks
Looking to get you and your whole family online with their own accounts on PlayStation 4? So long as everyone's OK with sharing time on it, all you need is a PS+ subscription. Grab yourself another PS4 if the kids are fighting over it.
Great benefits
PlayStation Plus 12-month membership
For online gamers and everyone in-between.
For $60 per year, PlayStation Plus is well worth the multitude of benefits that you get with it, the most important being access to online multiplayer and a couple of free games each month.
PlayStation Plus isn't required to enjoy your PS4, but it does add benefits that make it something of a must-have. Online play, free games, cloud saves, and more — grab a PS+ subscription to get the most out of your gaming experience.
Enhanced gaming
PlayStation 4 Pro 1TB Console
The best gaming experience
The PlayStation Pro console supports 4K TV and Boost Mode for all your favorite enhanced games. The HDR technology means you'll have better graphics and a better gameplay experience than you would on a standard PS4 and it comes with 1TB of memory!
With the PlayStation 4, you can play all the newest games you want. Sony's latest console has tons of games suitable for all ages, and PlayStation Plus adds even more value and fun.