Can You Have 2 Primary PS4?


Being an avid PS4 fan, you might want to activate two PS4 systems as your primary account, but is it possible in practice? Keep reading as I will answer all your questions.

You can only have 1 PS4 as your primary system, all games and services like PS Plus on a primary PS4 are shared with all other accounts on that PS4. You must be logged in and connected to the internet to access the games and services.

Setting up a PS4 as a primary console might be confusing because of the jumbled up information on the internet, don’t worry as I will explain how to set up your PS4 as primary, and if you can change your primary PS4 mutliple times.

Read on to find out!

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How Do I Turn Up The Brightness On My PS4?

Can You Have 2 Primary Accounts on PS4?

You can only have one primary account on PS4 and only one PS4 as your primary system, However, all accounts on the primary PS4 receive the benefits the primary account has, like PS Plus and access all games downloaded to the primary PS4.

After setting up PS4 as the primary console for your account, all the other users can access your content even if they are not logged in. For example, if you own a GTA V and use it as digital content on your primary console, your friends can play it too on the same console without buying it.

This allows you to game share between friends and family and gets access to both you and your friend’s expansive PS4 libraries! For a guide on a how-to game share please check out my post.

But will your PS4 digital games transfer over to a PS5? Read my article here to find out.

However if you deactivate PS4 console as primary, you will be able to access the games you bought but whoever you shared those games won’t, kinda cool right?

What Are Benefits of Having a Primary PS4?

Having a PS4 console as primary gives you lots of leisure; you can enjoy the applications you buy from the PS Store, and other users can also access the same digital content yours without having their own account.

Assuming you live in the same household this allows you to buy games and PSN subscriptions for half price! Think PS Plus is too pricey? It doesn’t have to get PS Plus for 53% off from the fantastic CDKeys here, think the price is too good to be true? Read my post for more info about them.

Consider ‘Richard’ having an account username ‘Richy99,’ owns a PS4 and it’s his primary console, his sister ‘Nancy’ with account ‘Nancy01,’ can play all the games that Richard has bought on his system without even logging in.

Nancy can also access PlayStation Plus services (with some limitations) for playing online multiplayer games purchased by Richard.

What Are The Limitations Of A Primary PS4?

By this method, you can only share digital games and apps. For games that require discs to play, you’ll need to lend the physical copy of the game and run it on the console.

Furthermore, the games are accessible to other users than the primary owner as long as the primary account is activated. All the games will be locked once the primary account owning the games is deactivated from the console.

It’s not advisable to share your account with any stranger or with someone in your acquaintances. I never recommend account sharing except with whom you trust.

Online privacy is a serious matter and Sony was hacked many times most notoriously in 2011, to stay safe online please check my post here on how to tell your PS4 account has been hacked and what to do about it.

Limitations of a Non-Primary PS4

Once you log-in to a non-primary PS4, a concurrent internet connection is needed for the whole period you access the games or apps as an authentication mode by the PSN.

Does the PS5 need a constant internet connection? Some people have poor internet so this is a serious question, see my post here to know the answer.

PS4 cloud saving doesn’t work on a non-primary PS4 – You’ll have to bear that PlayStation Plus doesn’t have this feature yet.

You need to know the process of activation and deactivation of the primary PS4 before you could proceed to change.

How to Activate PS4 as a Primary Console?

  1. Log into your PSN account and enter your password
  2. Go to the console ‘Settings’
  3. Select ‘Account Management’
  4. Activate the console as your primary system
  5. Confirm activation

If you’re facing issues, here is a quick fix to “cannot activate the console as a primary PS4.”

How to Deactivate PS4 as a Primary Console?

  1. Sign in to your account that needs to be deactivated
  2. Go to the console ‘Settings’ of the primary PS4 console
  3. Select ‘Account Management’
  4. Deactivate the console as your primary system
  5. Confirm deactivation

Let me get this clear that you can initiate the deactivation process only from the original primary PS4 (not from any other console.)

Sometimes, you might get difficulties in the deactivation process. There can be various reasons for it; the most common can be a malfunction with the console. You can always visit the customer support website(Sony) of the PlayStation Network of your region for this issue.

How Many Times Can You Change Your Primary PS4?

There is absolutely no limit to change your primary PS4. You can do it infinite times. However, you can only use two systems at the same time the ‘primary PS4’and the ‘other’ PS4

To manage the devices activated, access your account here. Make sure not to use the ‘deactivate all devices’ option too often as it is only available once every 6 months. See the official Sony website for details

Once you delete the devices permanently, you can’t reactivate them until you log in back with your account on the same consoles again.

Can You Change Primary PS4 Multiple Times?

Yes, you can change your primary PS4 multiple times back and forth. Before activating your PS4 console as primary for your account, the previous console must be deactivated as the primary one.

The account that you sign in for the very first time on PSN (PlayStation Network) is immediately activated as the primary one for the console. But you can change it later, of course.

Since there is no limitation, you can change your primary PS4 as many times as you like. But don’t do it just for the sake of fun, as your account might be restricted for under suspicious activities.

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