Tag: PSN

  • News New PS5, PS4 Passkey Feature Means You Don't Have to Remember Your Password Anymore

    Sign in with a PC or smart device

    Logging into your PSN account is already pretty secure thanks to two-factor authentication (you should really activate that if you haven't, by the way), but if you find it a hassle entering your password every time, you're in luck. PlayStation now supports sign-ins via a passkey, allowing you to use your computer or...

  • News PS5, PS4 Pull in an Incredible 123 Million Monthly Active Users

    Up over 11 million year-over-year

    Console sales are crucial, and Sony will be pleased it’s shipped almost 55 million PS5s to date – but monthly active users are also an important metric for organisations these days. Platform holders want customers to be logging in often, because when they’re engaged, there’s a good chance they’ll spend...

  • News PS5, PS4's Monthly Active Users Is Increasing

    An impressive improvement year-over-year

    There were more people playing PS5 and PS4 in the quarter ending 30th September than a year ago. Sony’s latest earnings report reveals that 108 million users connected to the PlayStation Network during the three-month period, compared to the 102 million users in 2022. That’s actually a significant...

  • News PSN Suffered an Enormous Outage Over Night

    Down and out

    There’s a good chance if you were trying to play your PS5 last night, you may have been hit by some server issues. There was a widespread global outage during the middle of the night in the UK, which affected the peak evening window in the United States. All of the issues were resolved within a couple of hours or so, but obviously you...

  • News Get These Excellent New PSN Avatars for Free

    You just need a code

    To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Sony's PS Plus refresh, which introduced PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium, you can grab some splendid new PSN avatars to customise your profile with. All five of them are free, you just need to

  • News PSN Licence Issues Prevent PS5, PS4 Owners from Playing Their Games

    Can't use content

    Update: According to Sony’s official website, the PSN licence issue has been resolved. However, many are still facing problems, rendering their catalogue of digital games unplayable. One solution we’ve seen suggested is to completely reboot your console, which worked for our very own Robert Ramsey overnight. We’ll continue...

  • News Marvel's Spider-Man PC Promises PS Studios Bonuses with PSN Connection

    Login to PSN on PC for extras

    Sony wants you to login to PSN while you play its PC games, and as part of a new update to Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, it’s laying the groundwork. While this was discovered in the port’s source code previously, the title’s latest patch actually adds the functionality – even though it’s not quite working...

  • News Don't Be Surprised if Sony Brings PSN Integration to PC Games

    Code in Spider-Man suggests it's coming

    As it currently stands, Sony’s expanding list of PC games are not integrated with the PlayStation Network. However, with the platform holder planning a bevy of live service games – many of which will likely end up on PC – it stands to reason that the organisation will, eventually, allow you to login to...

  • News PSN Offline Issues Mostly Now Resolved

    Down and not out

    Update: As has been the case for some time, Sony has been prompted resolving its minor PSN outage from earlier in the day. All services are now back online and working as intended. Original Story: It’s not been a good day for PSN and Sony’s online services, with its licensing mishaps once again ruining the release of Final...

  • News PSN Licence Issues Seem to Be Fixed on PS5, PS4

    Phew!

    Update: Thankfully, an odd PSN issue that was preventing PS5 and PS4 users from playing digital games seems to have been mostly fixed, roughly two hours after reports started coming in. You can read more about the unusual problem in the original article below. Original Story: Over the last hour or so (at the time of writing), reports of...

  • News PSN Back Online After Being Hit with Account, Social, and PlayStation Store Issues

    PSN problems fixed after 3 hours or so

    Update (23:50 BST): Phew, it looks like the PSN is finally back on its feet after around three and a half hours of issues. Let's hope that it's smooth sailing from here. Update (22:40 BST): It's been over two hours since the PSN started falling apart, and PlayStation is yet to acknowledge the situation on...

  • News PSN Brought Back Online, Service Restored to Users

    Gaming returns

    Update #2: Try to head back online on your PS5 and PS4 consoles and you should be able to connect once more. After a DNS server error, the worldwide web and many services are coming back online. PSN included! Everything should all be back to usual now. Update #1: The PSN service status website now reads: "PlayStation Network...

  • News PS5 Pushes New 'Be Back Soon' Message When PSN Is Down or Having Difficulties

    FYI

    Here's something that we've never noticed before: on PlayStation 5, if you attempt to sign in to the PlayStation Network, and the network is experiencing technical difficulties, you'll get a small pop-up message that states "Services are busy right now. We'll be back soon." How thoughtful! No, but seriously, it's good that something like this...

  • News PSN Offline for Many PS3 Users, Sony Currently Investigating

    Error 8002A537 causing trouble

    If you're trying to play online on your PlayStation 3, you might be out of luck. Lots of users are reporting trouble logging into PSN on their PS3 consoles, with the error code 8002A537 popping up on screen. It seems as though this is affecting quite a large number of people around the world, with the PS3 subreddit...

  • News PSN Slowly Coming Back Online Following Widespread Outage

    Phew

    Update: The PlayStation Network is slowly coming back to life following an outage that lasted around two hours or so. Just about everything went offline, with users unable to sign in, access online features, or play online games. Hopefully that's the end of that. Original Story: The PlayStation Network is having difficulties, it seems...

  • Guide How to Enable 2 Factor Authentication on PS5, PS4

    How to get 2FA on PSN

    How do you enable 2FA on PS5 and PS4? With two-factor authentication — or two-step verification — you can make your PlayStation Network account more secure. How do you set it up on your PS5 or PS4? In this guide, we're going to explain how to enable this feature. If you're looking for How to Enable 2 Factor Authentication...

  • News PSN Errors Ongoing for Some PS5, PS4 Players

    Can't launch games and more

    According to ongoing reports, the PlayStation Network has been experiencing issues for several days now — although they don't appear to be very widespread. The official PSN Service Status page lists problems with the 'gaming and social' side of the network. The page reads: "You might have difficulty launching games,...

  • News PSN Service Restored for PS5, PS4 Players

    Can't sign in

    Update: Three hours after first publishing this article, the official PSN Service Status page now says that there are no known issues to report. We assume that's the end of that, but this has still been one of the most widely reported PSN problems in a long time. Hopefully just a blip! Original Story: The PlayStation Network is...

  • News PlayStation Network Pioneer to Leave Sony Interactive Entertainment

    John Kodera moving to a different role within Sony

    The man behind many of PlayStation Network’s flagship services, including PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Now, and PlayStation Store, will leave his current role at Sony Interactive Entertainment at the end of the current fiscal year. John Kodera – who you may recall

  • News PS5, PS4 Survive Xmas PlayStation Network Onslaught

    Stayin' online

    A huge shout out is owed to the PlayStation Network engineers who kept us playing happily over the holidays. While it’s been a while since Sony’s servers faced any serious outages, it’s always worth remembering that for some unlucky technicians, Christmas is the most challenging period of the year. With new PlayStation 5...

  • News PS Vita Network Issues Solved After 24 Hour Outage

    Can now access the PS Store again

    Update: PS Vita is now back online and working correctly, meaning you can once again access the PS Store to purchase and download games for the device. You can also transfer software from your PlayStation 3. It took a while to get fixed, but all's well that ends well. Original Story: It’s flying under the radar...

  • News Sony Adds a Bunch of New Avatars to PSN for Free, Including Spider-Man, Horizon, Demon's Souls

    A nice new batch

    As promised, Sony has added a load of new character-centric avatars to the PlayStation Network, and they're all free. Just head over to account management on your console and you should find all of the new pictures under the avatar section. Avatars based on Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, Sackboy: A Big...

  • News Sony's Unifying All Accounts with Single PSN Login

    One Sony

    Sony’s unifying all of its accounts, meaning that you’ll only need a PlayStation Network login moving forwards. The long overdue change will see PlayStation services such as PlayStation Store and PlayStation Now fused with Sony Mobile, Sony Electronics, and Sony Rewards. All you need to do is login to any of the company’s services...

  • News PSN Down in Select Regions as Users Report Various Issues

    Sign-in affected

    Numerous reports are coming in across the globe that the PlayStation Network is currently suffering from some pretty substantial problems, to the point where users are no longer able to access the network itself. The outage appears to be taking place largely across the UK, Australia, Japan, Spain, and both the east and west coasts...

  • News Seems Sony Will Pay You to Hack PS4, PSN and Report Security Flaws

    Seriously

    Fans are going to try to hack the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Network regardless, and Sony appears to be embracing that idea with the PlayStation Bug Bounty program. This is a little mind blowing, so let us give it to you straight: the manufacturer is willing to pay $50,000 or more to anyone who can uncover critical security flaws in its...

  • News Sony Believes PSN's Resilience Should Not Be Questioned Anymore

    Network navigates lockdown surge

    The days of fans poking fun at the PlayStation Network for its reliability should be “consigned to history”, according to boss Jim Ryan. Speaking with Games Industry, the gaffer explained that since the world went into lockdown, the “levels of engagement are just off the radar screen, both in terms of the...

  • Random The Best (And Stupidest) Recommended PSN Names We Could Find

    Updated with even more nonsense

    Around one year ago, Sony introduced the option to change your PlayStation Network username, and with that option came the potential for hilarity. Well, maybe not hilarity, but some of the names we found were at least mildly amusing. You see, changing your PSN ID lets you click through a bunch of recommended...

  • News Did You Know There's a Website That Tracks PSN Prices Over Time?

    Always get the best deal on PS Store

    Update: As mentioned in the comments, another site named PSPrices.com tracks the price of games both on the PlayStation Store and at retail over time, so you can check whether it's more cost effective to go physical or digital. Despite the name, it also covers Microsoft and Nintendo platforms. Well worth checking...

  • News PSN Download Speeds Are Starting to Slow for Some PS4 Users

    Sony's coronavirus plan kicking in?

    The PlayStation Network appears to be dealing with the coronavirus situation quite well. Sony's online infrastructure seems to be holding up despite what must be a significant increase in usage as people are forced to stay at home. However, back at the end of March, PlayStation did state that PSN download speeds...

  • News PSN Continues to Cope Admirably with Coronavirus Crisis

    Stayin' online

    PlayStation Network may have earned a reputation for being unreliable in its earlier days, but Sony’s really shored up the service in the past five or so years. We’ve got to give the company kudos for keeping the console online these past couple of months, then, as the ongoing coronavirus crisis means there’s more people playing...

  • News Sony Hyping PS Store's Spring Sale, Will Get Underway 1st April

    No joke

    We could all do with a bit of spring cheer at the moment, couldn’t we? Between the weather and the current global climate, it’s all rather depressing right now. Fortunately, that’s where the PlayStation Store’s big upcoming Spring Sale is scheduled to step in. Sony’s been boasting about the big upcoming event in emails to...

  • News PSN Download Speeds Slowed in USA and Europe to Preserve Internet Bandwidth

    Coronavirus restricts PlayStation Network speeds

    Earlier this week, Sony announced that it will be restricting the PlayStation Network's download speeds in an attempt to preserve Internet access for as many people as possible, and lessen the impact on service providers during the coronavirus outbreak. Initially, this incentive was limited to...

  • News PSN Download Speeds Restricted as Sony Works with Internet Providers in Europe

    Coronavirus situation continues

    With so many people stuck at home due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, the internet is taking a beating. Services, such as Netflix, have already confirmed that they're limiting things like streaming quality in order to lessen the impact on internet providers. And now, Sony is also having to take action. In an...

  • News Will PSN Be Restricted to Save on Internet Bandwidth?

    What about PlayStation Now?

    Netflix has lowered its streaming quality across Europe for the next 30 days, as coronavirus quarantine has prompted those in isolation to guzzle up more bandwidth than usual. While ISPs have been eager to stress that they can cope with the increased demand, the streaming giant has reduced picture quality across the...

  • News PSN Steady Despite Increased Demand Worldwide

    Coronavirus causing more to login

    While it endured a somewhat shaky start to the generation, the PlayStation Network has generally been reliable for the past few years. That proved true over the weekend, when millions of people opted to stay home and play games rather than go out and further the spread of coronavirus through their communities...

  • News PSN Earned $12.48 Billion for Sony in 2019

    That's a lot of money

    How big is the PlayStation Network? Well, it’s $12.48 billion big, according to data crunched by ResetEra via Sony’s latest sales report. The Japanese giant raked in an eye-watering $9.28 billion in 2019 through the PlayStation Store, with the sale of full games, add-ons, and microtransactions. It then made a further

  • News PSN Surpasses 100 Million Monthly Users, More Than a Third Subscribed to PS Plus

    Just think of the moolah

    We weren't expecting too much to come out of Sony's CES 2020 press conference, but as it turns out, Jim Ryan took to the stage to share some juicy details on PlayStation and what the future holds. The PlayStation Network is going to play a large part in all of that, and the SIE president shared on stage that the...

  • News PSN Survives Christmas Day Relatively Unscathed

    Stayin' online

    Did you have a good Christmas Day? Spare a thought for the Sony engineers who’ve spent the majority of their Xmas keeping the PlayStation Network’s servers online. Historically unstable, it’s fair to say that PSN is much more reliable these days, and while it’s not without its hiccups – well, it’s been a fairly flawless...

  • News PSN Appears to Be Coming Back Online Following Short Downtime

    Is PSN under maintenance?

    Update: Blimey, that was quick. The PlayStation Network seems to be coming back online after a short period of downtime. We're able to reconnect on our own PlayStation 4 systems, so it might be worth trying to do so yourselves again. Let's all breath a sigh of relief. Original story: At the time of writing, the...

  • Guide How to Change Your Facebook Publish Settings on PS4

    Subduing spam

    Once you’ve connected your Facebook account to the PlayStation 4, you can choose to share as much or as little information with your friends as you like. If you decide that you’d like to publish more or less posts, you can change this in the console’s settings. Here's how to do it. Go to Settings Once you’ve logged into your...

  • News PSN Appears to Be Working Again After 3 Hours of Downtime

    Errors galore

    Update: The PlayStation Network appears to be back up and running again. It was down for around three hours or so. Original story: Over the past hour or so, we've been seeing numerous reports of PSN going down for users - with many unable to access the PlayStation Store, see Friends lists, or play games online. The Network Service...

  • News PSN Reaches 94 Million Active Users, with Over One Third Subscribed to PlayStation Plus

    Holy moly

    That's an insane number, isn't it? Sony revealed in its recent investor meeting that the PlayStation Network now has a whopping 94 million active users, with 90% having connected to the internet at some point in the past 12 months. PlayStation Plus can boast of impressive numbers too, with over 36 million subscribes at the end of March...

  • News Verified PSN Accounts Are Having Trouble Changing Their Usernames

    Jeff Gerstmann explains

    We're sure you follow a couple of verified PSN accounts on your PS4 - it's always nice to see the likes of Shuhei Yoshida pop up in your What's New feed. Greg Miller anyone? Or maybe even Neil Druckmann? There's a whole list of people that are probably worth a follow, but did you know that they're having trouble changing...

  • Poll Have You Changed Your PSN Name?

    Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

    After years of waiting, you can now change your PlayStation Network ID whenever you like. What a crazy world we live in. Sony introduced the functionality earlier this week, and we know a few people who have already taken advantage of it. Well, aside from our own Ant Dickens, whose very name is deemed inappropriate. Ant's a lost...

  • News If Your PSN Name Breaks the Rules, You No Longer Get Banned Right Away

    A step forward

    If you haven't already heard, you can now change your PlayStation Network ID, which is great, but the good news doesn't end there. Indeed, the new functionality has allowed Sony make changes to its policy on usernames that are flagged as offensive or inappropriate. Previously, if your PSN ID was found to be breaking the rules, your...

  • Guide How to Change Your PSN Username

    How to get a new PlayStation Network ID

    How do you change your PSN username? Sony’s rolling out PlayStation Network online ID changes from 10th April in North America and 11th April in Europe, but you may be wondering how you can claim your new name. Fortunately, the platform holder’s made things pretty straightforward, allowing you to swap out...

  • News How LittleBigPlanet Specifically Is Dealing with PSN Name Changes

    Messy but acceptable

    LittleBigPlanet, and LittleBigPlanet 3 in particular, has ‘Critical Issues’ according to Sony’s rather scary PlayStation Network name change list. The reality, however, is a lot less frightening, as Media Molecule has published an FAQ explaining how exactly the developer is dealing with players who decide

  • News Major PS4 Exclusives on PSN Name Change Critical Issues List

    Everybody's Golf and LittleBigPlanet 3 among the affected

    Beginning from today in some territories, you’ll be able to change your PlayStation Network name. However, the procedure does not come without caveats – as expected. Due to last year’s beta test, the platform holder has identified a list of titles with ‘Critical Issues’ – and,...

  • News PSN Name Change Functionality Finally Launches Today and Tomorrow

    All the details are here

    The time has finally come! Following a lengthy beta period, the ability to change your PlayStation Network ID is going to be made available to everyone very soon. And by very soon, we mean today (10th April, 2019) in North America, and tomorrow (11th April, 2019) in Europe. Here's a rundown of the key points you need to...

  • News Sony Renews Patent That Hints at Digital Game Trading for PlayStation Users

    That growing digital maket

    What's all this, then? A US patent that Sony first filed back in 2015 has been renewed, and it's already sparked a load of speculation across the web. The patent's wording is rather technical, but the gist of it is that Sony has been investigating the possibility of digital game trading. Supposedly, this could even work...