- Sony pays nearly $8 million to PlayStation players in the United States
- This is part of a deal for its digital game sales from April 2019 to the end of 2023.
- You should receive a payment automatically unless your PSN account has been closed
Sony is paying a share of nearly $8 million to PlayStation owners in the United States as part of a settlement reached in a class-action lawsuit in California over its digital game sales practices. Getting your payment should be easy, but don’t expect it to be heavy on your bank account.
The lawsuit alleged that Sony violated U.S. federal antitrust law and certain state laws by “unlawfully eliminating competition and monopolizing the market for Sony digital games” by limiting third-party retailers’ ability to sell PlayStation game vouchers, meaning they could only purchase digital games from Sony’s own digital store.
The dispute was initially settled in 2024, but some problems in the approval process meant that a new deal was only reached recently. In this agreement, Sony does not admit any wrongdoing, but agrees to provide the plaintiffs with a share of $7,850,000.
Assuming it goes through the fairness hearing in October this year, you should receive your payment shortly after.
Below you’ll find out if you’re eligible, how to make a claim if your PSN account has been closed, and how to opt out if you wish.
What will my payment be?
A payout of almost $8 million seems big, but once the legal fees are taken out and distributed among all eligible PlayStation customers, you might be lucky to get a few bucks. It’s better than nothing, but unfortunately it’s not your big salary.
The fine should ideally deter Sony from taking similar actions in the future, although $8 million doesn’t even seem like the harshest slap on the wrist, given that PlayStation’s operating profits were $2.9 billion for last year.
How do I know if I am eligible and receive my payment?
You are eligible for a settlement payment if you purchased any of the covered digital games on PlayStation Network between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023. You can find the full official list here, but it includes games like Dragon Quest Builders, NieR: Automata, FIFA 17, Star Wars Battlefront, The Last of Us Remasteredand much more — so it’s probably very likely that you’ve purchased at least one title from this selection.
If so, you should already be automatically included in the settlement. When Sony finally pays, your portion of the payment will be deposited into the payment account linked to your PSN account.
The hardest part will be if you closed your PSN account or don’t have access to it for another reason. Instead, you’ll need to manually find proof that you purchased one of these games and then contact the PSN settlement team. You can call them at (877) 777-9145, email [email protected], or send a letter (with your proof of purchase and current address) to PSN Digital Game Settlement, PO Box 17304, Milwaukee, WI 5321. The deadline for these manual approaches is August 27, 2026.
Why would I want to unsubscribe and how can I do so?
The two main reasons you may want to opt out of the settlement agreement are if you have a moral objection to the outcome or if you plan to sue Sony over the same issue.
By accepting payment, you agree not to sue Sony in the future for this matter.
If you decide to opt out, you must do so in writing by July 2, 2026, providing full details in Section 11 of the Official Class Action Settlement Notice.
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds.
The best game consoles
