Sony won't like this: New PS5 store offers free AAA games – but there's a catch

A PlayStation Store where games and DLC don't cost a penny? What might sound like a dream come true for many gamers is apparently a reality – although the legal situation is far from straightforward. The app in question is Overdrive, a new alternative store for jailbroken PS5 consoles. A video published by homebrew content creator Edigax on October 11 shows the app in action. The following day, the footage was shared by the X account RinoTheBouncer, and Insider Gaming has also covered the story.

At first glance, Overdrive looks much like a conventional digital storefront. Users can browse a library of games complete with cover art, ratings and download sizes. One thing is noticeably absent, however: price tags. Every title is listed as a free download, with the catalog even featuring major releases such as Battlefield 6, Forza Horizon 5 and Black Myth: Wukong.

There's a catch – or rather, two

Before anyone gets too excited, there are two important things to keep in mind. First, Overdrive won't run on a standard PS5 (currently available for $755 on Amazon). The app requires an already jailbroken console, along with additional homebrew software such as ShadowMountPlus to mount downloaded games. Second, the legal implications are significant. While jailbreaking a console isn't necessarily illegal in itself, circumventing effective copy protection can violate copyright law. Downloading unauthorized copies of commercial games also raises obvious legal concerns.

Community celebrates Overdrive as a jab at Sony

Overdrive is attracting plenty of attention on X, with Edigax's video racking up around seven million views. Some commenters see the app as an ironic response to Sony's planned shift toward digital-only releases, which the company recently reiterated in its announcement of the Midnight Black PS5. As one user puts it: "All digital, just as Sony wanted."

Whether Overdrive actually works as smoothly as the video suggests is another matter. A GitHub issue tracker that is no longer directly accessible reportedly contained complaints about failed downloads, frozen applications and problems launching certain games. The developer has already released several updates in an effort to address these issues. Version 0.2.0, released on October 12, is intended to reduce crashes during large downloads and improve support for archives split into multiple parts.

Marius Müller - Tech Writer - 6214 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2024

As a child in the 90s, my Gameboy was my steady companion. After school, the PlayStation was fired up. When I finally got my first PC, I was completely hooked. My passion for gaming has never waned since. For me, writing for Notebookcheck means reporting on topics that are really close to my heart - in addition to gaming, I also like to write about e-mobility, photovoltaics and innovative gadgets. When I'm not sitting at my computer, I'm probably on water rescue duty on the Baltic coast or trying to counteract the downsides of my geek life - namely sitting for long periods - at the local swimming pool.