So this is what was possibly included in that mysterious PS4 System Software 6.00 update that rolled out a couple of days ago… maybe.
Once just designed to stream PS2, PS3 and PS4 games over the internet to a PlayStation Now-enabled device (like the PS4 or PC these days), the PlayStation Now service will now offer subscribers the ability to download and play full copies of games to a PS4 from the service beginning today. Nice!
So that means Bloodborne, God of War 3 Remastered, Until Dawn and many, many others that are available in the quite large PS Now library will be playable locally and offline.
See the announcement from the PS Blog and/or below.
We are excited to announce that starting today, you will be able to stream as well as download PlayStation Now games to your PS4 system so that you can play both locally and offline, all with a single subscription. Almost all PS4 games in the service, including Bloodborne, God of War 3 Remastered, NBA 2K16, and Until Dawn, will be available for download, in addition to the PS Now lineup of classic PS2 games remastered for PS4. This feature will be gradually rolled out to PS Now subscribers over the next couple of days, so if you don?t see the feature on your PS Now today, make sure to check back again soon.
Downloaded PS Now games will support all user-purchased DLCs, microtransactions, and add-ons, as well as PS4 Pro enhancements for subscribers using a PS4 Pro system. And remember, you do not need a PlayStation Plus membership for online multiplayer on PS Now ? which stays the same for both streaming and downloaded games.
If you?ve already started a game via streaming on PS Now and want to continue playing locally on your PS4, you can transfer your save file from the PS Now cloud to your console with a PS Plus membership (sold separately). This is done by transferring the save file from the PS Now cloud to your PS Plus cloud storage, then transferring it from the PS Plus cloud storage to your PS4 system. Check out this page for step-by-step instruction videos on how to transfer your game saves.
Note that you will need to connect your PS4 system to the internet every few days to verify your PS Now subscription, even if you?re only playing downloaded games.
A quick reminder that there are a few days left to get in on our summer price promotion, which ends September 25. Try PS Now for a full month at just $9.99 (new subscribers only) with our special intro offer, or get a full year for just $99.99 USD. And if you?re a PS Plus member, you can take advantage of the exclusive discount on the 3-month pass for PS Now for just $29.99 ($44.99 regular price). Although note that in order to take advantage of the $9.99 intro offer, you will need to purchase that directly, as the 7-day trial will transition into the standard monthly subscription.