PS3 PlayStation 3 80029509 80029721

Sony is shutting down the PlayStation 3’s storefront on 2nd July, and that’s prompted many to fire up their last-last-gen console in order to make a few purchases before it’s gone forever. While you’ll still be able to download any titles that you’ve picked up in the past, the closure of the PS Store will mean that there are numerous games you won’t be able to buy ever again, as they never received a physical release.

Of course, with so many scrambling to complete their digital software collections, there’s increased emphasis on PS3’s storefront right now – and it’s not holding up particularly well. The web is absolutely ablaze with users complaining about two very specific errors: 80029509 and 80029721. These codes appear when trying to download software, whether it’s a new purchase or something older from the user’s download list.

Sony appears to be doing a terrible job providing customer support, too, as a large proportion of its staff are trained to deal with PS5 and PS4 problems – and not necessarily PS3 ones. Having read through dozens and dozens of social media posts and forum threads, we’re still yet to find a conclusive answer. A handful of users have had success toggling two-factor authentication on and off, but many others have reported this doesn’t work.

It could be a case that PS3’s servers are simply experiencing unprecedented traffic right now; Sony may have scaled down support for the system over the years, but now there’s been a sudden surge in activity it’s struggling to cope. Whatever the case, the manufacturer will need to find a solution, because it’ll have a scandal on its hands if these issues aren’t resolved adequately prior to 2nd July. We’ll continue to investigate, and will update if we learn more.