A digital PlayStation game you bought years ago could soon put a little credit back in your account. Sony’s proposed $7.85 million settlement would compensate eligible U.S. customers for certain PlayStation Store purchases, with automatic payments for those whose accounts are still active.
Here’s how to check whether you’re included and what happens next.
Which PlayStation purchases qualify?
The settlement covers people in the United States who purchased an eligible digital game through the PlayStation Store between April 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2023.
The official list of eligible games includes The Last of Us Remastered, Until Dawn, No Man’s Sky, and NBA 2K18. Specific editions matter: The Bloodborne entry, for example, covers the Complete Edition Bundle.
The restrictions stem from a class-action lawsuit filed in May 2021 over Sony’s decision to stop third-party retailers from selling game-specific download vouchers in April 2019. Plaintiffs argued that the change forced customers to buy those digital games through the PlayStation Store, reducing competition and raising prices. (Sony denies wrongdoing.)
According to the settlement notice, qualifying games had retail download vouchers available before April 2019, at least 200 voucher redemptions before that cutoff, and a price increase of at least 50 cents after discounts between the periods examined in the case. The official list can help you identify which games meet those requirements.
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Do you need to submit a claim?
If you qualify, have an active PlayStation Network account, and did not opt out, no claim form is required. Your payment would arrive automatically as PlayStation Store wallet credit after final approval.
Customers with deactivated accounts had a separate process. The official notice gave them until August 27, 2026, to provide qualifying purchase information and a current mailing address to request a check. (That deadline has passed.)
Lawyers reported in a Sept. 3 court filing that there appeared to be 438 check requests from eligible customers with closed accounts.
How much could you receive?
There is no fixed payment per customer. Your share will depend on how many qualifying games you purchased, with more eligible purchases resulting in a larger payment.
Payments will come from the amount remaining in the $7.85 million fund after court-approved deductions. Those include attorneys’ fees of up to 25 percent, legal and administrative expenses, and any awards to the named plaintiffs. Notice and administration costs alone are estimated at $180,000 to $190,000.
When will the credits arrive?
The final approval hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2026, but the settlement still needs approval before distribution can proceed.
Once deposited, the credits will not expire and can be used for any product available for sale in the PlayStation Store, according to the plaintiffs’ September filing. Players would not have to spend them on the games that originally qualified them for compensation.
For now, the next date to watch is Oct. 15, when the court will consider final approval — bringing eligible players one step closer to seeing the credit in their accounts.
Matt Binder joined Mashable’s tech vertical in 2018, where he covers social media, tech policy, cybersecurity, online scams, cryptocurrency, AI, creator news, weird tech, and other related tech beats.
Oliators, media, movies, beauty, and more. Based in New York, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Cut, Teen Vogue, Complex, and Interview Magazine. She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from NYU and a Bachelor’s from the University of Michigan. She also runs Fan Mail, a weekly pop-culture newsletter
