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How to fix the ‘can’t be bought’ issue when trying to redeem a PS Plus monthly game

When trying to add a video game from the Monthly Games Catalog, you may run into a purchase error code stating that it can’t be bought as you already have it. To see how you can potentially fix this issue, you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech.

Why you are getting the error code

The likely cause as to why you got this error code is that you may have previously downloaded the same game from the Game or Classics Catalogs.

The Monthly Games Catalog is different than the Game Catalog and Classics Catalog when it comes to licensing.

For the games you added to your library through the Monthly Games Catalog, you will be able to keep playing them as long as you remain a member of PlayStation Plus Essential, PlayStation Plus Extra, PlayStation Plus Deluxe or PlayStation Plus Premium.

For the Game Catalog, you must remain a member of PlayStation Plus Extra, PlayStation Plus Deluxe or PlayStation Plus Premium. For the Classics Catalog, you need to be a member of PlayStation Plus Deluxe or PlayStation Plus Premium. Furthermore, you will also lose access to the game if it gets removed from the Game and Classics Catalogs.

The licensing system for PlayStation Plus is currently buggy as you can’t redeem the same game from the Monthly Games Catalog that you previously redeemed from the Game and Classics Catalogs.

To learn more about the different collections for the PS Plus subscription service, you can check out this comparison post.

How to fix the “can’t be bought” problem

The only way you can fix this specific problem is to get a customer service representative to delete your license for the game. In order to contact the PlayStation Support team, you can visit this link.

Once the license has been removed, you will need to restore your game licenses on your game console.

For the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 4 Pro, you need to head over to Settings > Account Management > Restore Licenses.

For the PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition console, you need to go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses > Restore.

Once the restoration process has been completed, try to add the PlayStation Plus Monthly Game to your library again to see if the transaction will go through without any issues this time around.

If you are still having problems, then you will need to contact the PlayStation Support team to get additional help.