Sony refunds PS Plus players who permanently claimed Stardew Valley through September’s cross-buy glitch, restoring it to subscription-only access.
September was a big month for farm-life sim fans. Stardew Valley, one of the genre’s best-loved and highly-rated games, landed in PlayStation Plus’ monthly lineup. During this time, subscribers were also able to claim it for free and keep it permanently via cross-buy, which isn’t the usual case for regular PS Plus offerings. Turns out, it really was a glitch.
Stardew Valley Refunds PS Store Cross-Buy Glitch
Sony has begun emailing PS Plus members who secured Stardew Valley through the cross-buy loophole, issuing “refunds” and reversing those licenses. The situation traces back to September, when Stardew Valley was part of the Essential lineup. After players claimed it through PS Plus, the PS Store still let them “buy” it for free via cross-buy, effectively granting ownership separate from the subscription.
It was weird then but after many successful redemptions, many thought it was just a new thing. October went by and still nothing from Sony so gamers assumed that this was an intentional perk which could be offered more in the future.
However, multiple people including X user Wario64 reported yesterday that they got an email from Sony issuing a “refund” for Stardew Valley claimed this way during this time.
Looks like Sony doesn't want us to own Stardew Valley via cross-buy while it was in PS+ Essential awhile back. Emails sent out for a "refund request." Game now seems to be tied to PS+ subscription instead of owning it digitally pic.twitter.com/7Da79swagL
— Wario64 (@Wario64) November 20, 2025
With the move, the game is now re-tied to PS Plus access rather than permanent ownership. As of writing, multiple gamers still see Stardew Valley in their download history and some can still play it on their PS Vista which was used to download the game.
Sony is definitely not in the habit of giving away games, especially fan favorites. So while it’s still there in the library, it won’t take long before people start losing access unless subscribed to PS Plus.
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