Message that Pass Jeux could not be processed

yes that is what it means. There are bridges open including Pont Sully so you can get across and of course can cross by metro but much of the area along the Seine is off limits as part of the security lockdown for the opening ceremonies.

You don’t say where exactly your hotel is, but it seems it’s outside the grey or red zones. If that’s the case you need a valid reason to be in the grey zone, to receive the Pass Jeux. A valid reason could be a ticket to a museum located in the grey zone. Wanting to walk along the Seine is not a valid reason.
Please note that when you are on foot, only the grey zones are off limits without a Pass Jeux. By bike or on foot, you are allowed to enter the red zone without a Pass Jeux.

I personally find the use of colors rather confusing. The color grey is used to indicate the zone with the most restricted access. You need a Pass Jeux for that zone whether you are on foot or by car. The red zone is less strict, you only need a Pass Jeux if you want to enter that zone in a motorized vehicle not if you want to enter on foot. To me that feels counter intuitive, as the color red is what signals “no go” to me, not the color grey.

Dutch_traveler has explained it very well. (And I totally agree about the nonsensical use of grey rather than red to delineate the most-restricted zones)

Basically, far fewer people will actually need a Pass Jeux than I think most people suspect. You have to really be down there within the very restricted zones to need one. Most pedestrians will be able to go most places - except for the places that are literally closed off for construction etc. etc.

And the most restrictions are only in place July 18-26. So if your visit is outside of those dates, it’s even less likely that you would need a QR code.

But I applaud you for looking into all of this now as it means you’re paying attention and know that things are not going to be normal ! You’re already way ahead of the game just being aware that disruptions are numerous.

And p.s. no, there’s not going to be any strolling along the Seine in the evening for anybody that week before the opening ceremony, so you’re not missing out on anything there. They are building out all the bleachers for ceremony attendees and joggers have already been shooed away (and we’re still in June).

The bridges that will remain open:

Invalides

Footbridge passage Sedar-Senghor

Notre Dame

Sully

Iéna

Unless you have a specific reason to access the restricted areas; i.e. tickets to games, museum reservations, or other specific requirements, it will apparently be challenging to get a pass.

Thank you, everyone. I've marked my map with the bridges that will be open and will keep an open mind about figuring out the red and gray zone restrictions as I encounter them. We usually walk the Pont Louis-Philippe and Pont St Louis bridges to get to the Left Bank so it looks like we'll take Pont de Sully instead or the metro if the weather is particularly warm as July can often be. Thanks again for all the advice.

Thanks Kim for confirming my thoughts. And thanks for the handy list of bridges that remain open.
I’m going to be in Paris for the Olympics and arrive in Paris on July 23. Due to the confusing use of the colors it took me a while to figure things out, but I’m happy to know that I got it right!

I'm only going to be in Paris for one day (July 23) and I'm also a bit confused. I see that the footbridge passage Sedar-Senghor will be open, but since both sides are in the gray zone, does that mean I can't cross without a Pass Jeux? I'd hoped to buy a Big Bus hop-on, hop-off ticket, given that I will only be there one day, but my sequence for "hopping off and hopping on" are going to depend on what areas I can access without a Pass Jeux.

That is correct. Anything in the grey / silt zone is off limits without a pass in those days prior to the Opening Ceremony. I am not even sure the Big Bus will be running that close to the OC. I know the river cruises will not be running but am not sure about the Big Bus HOHO? You might need to cross with the subway or find a bridge that is not in the grey zone. The grey zone expands the closer it gets to July 26th so the day you are there might be ok. It's all pretty confusing so I wish you luck.

We applied on June 27th and have yet to receive a response more than a week later. About how long did it take to get a response? We are staying at a hotel within the gray zone and so the Pass Jeux is critical.

I read on reddit (so take that as you may) that someone emailed the Pass Jeux people and they said they would start sending out approvals 2ish weeks before the closures (as many people did the application as soon as they opened and haven't heard anything back either). That is about now, so let's hope they start coming soon!

My guess is that it would be very difficult indeed for the HOHO bus to be operating on July 23. Traffic is an enormous mess anywhere in the center, and that week prior to the Opening Ceremony it is only going to be a million times worse.

So I don't think your problem is going to be getting to the HOHO bus - my guess is there isn't going to be any HOHO bus to ride.

we applied for a pass Jeux and DO have a river cruise booked on the 18th of July. We have been waiting for a response though for over 2 weeks. We emailed them today to see what the hold up is because we received an email from our Seine cruise saying it was imperative to have one, but we had submitted copies of our reservations at the same time which was all that we were told was needed.
We managed to get tickets to the Eiffel Tower for that Saturday, but those took forever to go up too. The last time we were in Paris our children could not go on the Eiffel Tower due to COVID-19 so they were adamant about it this time.
The Louvre STILL does not have tickets so we have both phoned and emailed them to which they said they are waiting for the Olympics to tell them when and how they can sell tickets during that time period but it is now less than 2 weeks away so this seems disorganized. They have apologized and told us that they are eager as well to know when people can visit and during what times, etc.

We do love going to Montmartre and surrounding areas so this should be accessible. We just need to know about this Pass Jeux and why the hold up!

In Le Figaro today, there is an article in which they mention that authorities say they have received 500,000 requests for a Pass Jeux and have delivered 140,000 of them.

It took five weeks to receive our Pass Jeux approval and we received them last week. Because I was getting nervous, I was able to find info on who to contact if you're still waiting: https://anticiperlesjeux.gouv.fr/ , scroll down a bit to "Is your request pending or denied?". I emailed them prior to applying and they we're very prompt with a response.

Here are the bridges that will be open during the July 18-26 time frame. But you'd have to get into the SILT perimeter to access it I believe. So those who are already within that perimeter should be able to cross over. Otherwise, if you don't have a Pass Jeux, the metro is most likely the only way to cross the Seine. All bridges downstream from Pont d'Iena and upstream from Pont d'Austerlitz will be open.

The Paris.fr site states:

WARNING : Games Passes will not be granted if you simply need to cross
a perimeter. This free and personal QR code will be your pass to
getting through access points around these perimeters. Identity checks
and bag searches will be operated by police and security forces.

Also, both Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis are restricted areas from July 18th-26th (unless you have an appointment requiring a Pass Jeux to access, for example, Saint-Chapelle). It'll be open before and after those dates.