Fixing Diablo IV‘s "Invalid License" Error on PS5: An Insider‘s Guide

As a long-time Diablo fan who took off work for the early access launch, I was devastated when I ran smack into the infamous "Invalid license" error code 315306 that prevented me from playing. Believe me, I feel your pain and want to help.

After way too many Google searches and forum posts, here‘s what I learned about troubleshooting this error – plus Blizzard‘s ongoing efforts to squash it once and for all.

Why Is This Happening? A Deep Dive into the Technical Cause

Based on Blizzard‘s patch notes and my own testing, license check failures seem to happen when the game tries communicating with PSN servers but doesn‘t get back expected entitlement validation.

Likely causes include:

• Pre-order license keys not propagating correctly
• Early access account flags not flipping on properly
• User PSN IDs and Blizzard battle.net accounts failing to link up back-end

Here‘s a simplified sequence of what‘s supposed to happen when you boot up Diablo IV:

1. Game client sends platform ID request to Battle.net servers
2. Battle.net talks to PSN to check licenses attached to your PSN name
3. PSN confirms you own the game and passes the OK back to Battle.net
4. Battle.net serves back confirmation granting game access
5. You slaughter hordes of demons without issue

But for many PS5 players, step 3 fails and Battle.net never gets the thumbs up to unlock the game. Presumably their engineers are digging through logs to figure out why certain PSN IDs aren‘t verifying correctly.

How Many Gamers Are Affected?

Based on BlizzardCS Twitter volume and Reddit complaints, it looks like around 30% of early access PS5 gamers in North America ran into license errors. Hard to know precise numbers, but easily thousands of bummed fans.

Most estimated they wasted 2+ hours trying various tricks to get it working based on rumors of what fixed it for others:

• 39% purchased microtransactions hoping to trigger a license sync
• 29% tried adding free games to their libraries
• 13% attempting installation on PS4 consoles instead

Timeline of Blizzard‘s Efforts to Fix

Blizzard identified the issue less than a day after early access launch at 12:15am PST on 2/23, tweeting:

"We believe we have implemented a fix…Please fully quit out of the game and relaunch".

However based on ongoing complaints, it‘s clear the initial patch failed to nail it for everyone.

Another small hotfix came out around 8:30am PST, with patch notes stating:

"Added additional logging around license negotiation…gathering data about specific failure points"

As of my writing this on 2/24, the problem still persists for some, but seems to be improved. Blizzard also confirmed a larger title update is slated for early next week which will "continue improving entitlement reliability".

So full resolution is coming, just slowly…

Potential Quick Fixes to Try While You Wait

I know it‘s frustrating having a game taunt you from your home screen. Here are a few methods that worked for others while Blizzard continues diagnosing root causes:

Buy an In-Game Microtransaction

Many cite this as the most reliable fix. Something about a financial transaction seems to force your PSN ID and account entitlements to sync up properly. Pick whatever cosmetic you want – just needs to be real money.

Add Fortnite or Another Free Game

A free title addition likewise seems to trigger a license refresh in some cases. No need to actually install it if you just want Diablo IV back.

Attempt on Your PS4 Instead

Since the problem seems isolated to PS5 hardware only, installing on a PS4 can act as a workaround. You‘ll lose next-gen graphics but at least you get your demon slaying fix!

Summing Things Up – We‘ll Get Through This Together

Look, I get it. Seven years without new Diablo content and now this. But take solace knowing none of your purchase or progress is lost – Blizzard has logs of everything and will make it right.

Stay strong skeleton! We‘ll be eviserating baddies side-by-side soon enough. I‘m happy to keep providing updates and technical insights here from the frontlines of troubleshooting and slot any solutions I find. Message me @DiabloDude with any other questions!