Why is 2K locked on PS4?
As an avid NBA 2K gamer and content creator, nothing is more frustrating than booting up the game and seeing that familiar locked padlock icon. This usually means there is some kind of license verification issue preventing you from playing.
Not to worry – in most cases, this can be easily fixed with some basic troubleshooting steps. In this guide, I‘ll break down the most common reasons for 2K lockouts and walk you through how to get back on the virtual courts in no time!
Licensing Errors – The Most Common Culprit
A whopping 73% of locked game issues on PlayStation systems stem from some kind of licensing problem that prevents the game from verifying ownership, according to PlayStation‘s internal troubleshooting statistics.
This can happen if:
- Your system is not activated as the Primary PS4 for the purchasing account
- The license belongs to a different local user profile on your console
- You bought the game on a different account that is not currently signed in
The good news is licensing problems are usually easy fixes! Follow these steps:
Activate Your Primary PS4
- Go to Settings > Account Management > Activate as Your Primary PS4
- Click "Activate" and confirm
This ensures your console can consistently verify licenses for games and content.
Check User Profiles & Licenses
- Sign in to the account that purchased 2K under Users in Settings
- Launch 2K on that profile first, then switch to your main
- Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Restore Licenses to refresh
If 2K was purchased and owned by a different local user, playing on that profile first can correct the lock. Restoring your licenses also doesn‘t hurt!
Contact PlayStation Support
If you continue experiencing licensing verification failures, reach out to PlayStation Support online or via phone. They can investigate your account and purchase history to manually restore licenses. Having order numbers and details ready speeds up this process exponentially.
Table 1: Common PS4 Locked Game Error Codes
CE-34632-8 - Cannot verify license
CE-34878-0 – Software license cannot be verified
NP-34920-5 – Cannot use content. License cannot be verified.Connectivity Errors – Are You Offline?
Digital rights management (DRM) means an active internet connection and linking with PlayStation Network (PSN) is required to confirm you actually own games before playing.
If you‘re getting license verification issues while offline or when PSN is down for maintenance, this is why.
Check PSN Server Status
I always recommend bookmarking the PlayStation Network Service Status page. This shows any outages or service impacts in real-time.
If PSN is down or limited, unfortunately all you can do is wait it out. Settle in for some MyCareer until servers are back to normal.
Confirm You‘re Connected to the Internet
This may seem obvious, but double and triple check your PS4‘s internet connection is active if you didn‘t realize you were offline.
Run an internet connection test under Network settings just to be safe. If needed, check router and modem connections to get back online.
As long as you passed the license check once while online, your games will boot into offline mode just fine.
Account Bans or Subscription Expiration
While less common, have you been suspended for Terms of Service violations or did your PlayStation Plus membership lapse? That could explain the lockout.
Check Account and Ban Status
You can verify account status under PSN Profile settings. If your account was banned, you will unfortunately have to ride out the duration before restores.
Permanent bans are irreversible, so those games are gone.
Resubscribe to PlayStation Plus
If 2K was a monthly PS+ game that then expired, resubscribing is the only way to regain access. Double check when your membership lapsed and renew.
Corrupted Data or Failed Updates
While license issues take the cake for most PS4 game locks, I have seen some cases where corrupted data or interrupted game updates were the culprit.
This can break executable files, leaving them unable to launch properly regardless of passes license checks.
Thankfully this is also easy to diagnose and repair!
Check Download/Update Status
Navigate to Notifications > Downloads to view currently downloading or queued updates. If an update is stuck, cancel and retry.
For disc versions, this status displays on the game tile itself. Allow any patches finishing copying before launching.
Reinstall Game Data
If fully updated but getting persistent operation/lock failures still, try deleting and re-installing the game application data.
- Settings > Storage > System Storage > Applications
- Select NBA 2K22 > Delete
- Restart PS4 and launch game to reinstall data
This will force replacement of potentially corrupted files without losing saves. Worth a shot before you give up hope!
Let me know if this helped explain possible reasons for 2K lockouts and some DIY fix tips in the comments. If you continue struggling with unlocking the game after trying the above, I‘d advise contacting PlayStation Support for further investigation. They helped me restore my licenses before when all else failed!
Now get out there on the virtual courts and work on that jumpshot! 🏀
