Changes start this year in select markets, followed by global changes in 2027.
After nearly two decades of supporting the PS3 console generation, we wanted to let you know we will be closing the PlayStation Store on PS3, as well as on PS Vita. PlayStation Store on PS3 will close in select markets starting this year, followed by global closures for PS3 and PS Vita next year. That means new content purchases will no longer be possible once the PlayStation Store closes on these devices. To ease the transition, players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the closing date for the foreseeable future.
As the PlayStation Store continues to evolve to support modern commerce systems, including updated payment processing standards, PS3 and PS Vita are no longer able to support these updates at the level required. As a result, we will need to close PlayStation Store on these devices in the timeframes as follows:
- Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua – PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting August 2026.
- Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries – PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting late 2026.
- In all other countries, PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita will close in July 2027.
We know this news may be disappointing to PS3 and PS Vita players who hold a special place in their hearts for this generation of gaming. PS3 and PS Vita represent an important era in our PlayStation history, so this was not an easy decision for us to make.
As we continue to expand the PlayStation experience on newer devices that most of our users are playing on today, we need to focus more resources on delivering the best gaming experiences on these platforms as we look ahead towards the future.
To our amazing players, we want to give our heartfelt thanks for your ongoing passion and support, which has helped inspire us to shape PlayStation into what it is today. We are excited for the future ahead as we continue to push the boundaries of play. We look forward to having you on this journey with us as we explore new game worlds and new adventures that have yet to come.
For an important update on physical disc production for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles announced today, please click here.
Will there still be trophy support on these systems after the store closes?
“We’re ending the ability to purchase games digitally. We’re all announcing an all-digital future for the PS5.”
Do you understand how ridiculous that sounds?
This is why physical media matters. More and more proof that you’re just buying a license that can be taken away whenever companies feel like it.
The bad news keeps coming today.
Can we at least have a useable owned library search function out of this?
Just stripping out everything today from us huh?! How much money is enough for you guys to not make everything worse?
Why is there another announcement of all digital starting 2028. How long until you close that store too?
Announcing this the same day you announced you’re ending support of physical media is beyond parody and proves exactly why physical media is so important.
While I understand why you’re doing this, I do not support this. Closing down one store while going digital only for another. Not for me. This digital only market is not for life long customers.
It’s never been a better time than now to be a PC gamer folks…
PSN has a gigantic profit margin for you; the very least you can do is keep the online stores up, considering how much you make from subscription services.
You’d better walk this back like you did before.
Take discs away from consumers but also shutdown digital storefronts. This industry is cooked.
Understand some things have to end eventually but why do you have to give such short notice for this kind of stuff. Would prefer if it shut down at the end of the year or something. (Not that it should shut down at all.)
Another disappointing decision made in the same day… No matter how many users still use these stores, they should remain open. So much content released digital only even on these platforms, these games will be lost to time.
Imagine what will happen in the future when this same decision is made for PS4, or PS5, or even the eventual PS6 which now looks to be all digital with the announcement of no more physical disc production.
We will own nothing, its truly sad.
Well, it’s been a pleasure, PlayStation.
stupid decision.
You literally cannot be so serious about this. First of all you want to make all PS5 games starting January 2028 and onwards to be digital only, and you want to shut down PS3 and Vita stores later in a year for other countries? This is unacceptable and you completely need to reconsider this.
You said foreseeable future for the PS3 and Vita stores but no. You still want to shut it down.
gee! sure inspires confidence for the all digital ps6 you just announcement. goodness gracious…. I refuse to accept this
N’importe quoi laisser le choix au joueur
So in other words, eventually you’ll steal our digital PS3 games out from under us? Games we paid for? That’s not a good look at all. Feels very anti-consumer. You’re already doing it with digital movie purchases, glad I never got anything from you with that. Man, that Steam deck or a gaming PC is looking more and more appealing by the day. At least there they seem a little more friendly with digital purchases. And I’ve bought every console since PS2 within a few months of release, PS1 in early 1998. Nearly 250 platinum trophies too. Sad to see it come to this. PS5 will likely be tge end for me, exclusives and all. BHope you enjoy the mass exodus this brings.
Thank God PlayStation supports physical games so games/stores getting delisted doesn’t mean some games will just become permanently unplayable on the platform… oh wait.
I feel like there is an extremely simple solution to this. Add a ‘Legacy Console Store’ section on the current Playstation store which will simply allow you to buy the licences which get attached to your account and then the software can be downloaded through the PS# and PS Vita’s downloader. Let’s not blame payment processing since you already solved that by making those two stores points-only purchases.
sony just closing the PS3 and PS vita store and discontinuing physical games because they’re bored, seriously your business strategies are garbage, do investors even like this ?
Yeah as others pointed out this news at the same time you announce you’re going away from physical disc is kind of …special.
“PS3 and PS Vita represent an important era in our PlayStation history, so this was not an easy decision for us to make”.
Yeah, sure. Like we don’t know you’d try to resell remasters and remakes of all your games for 80 or more dollars.
I have pity for those who will have written this, but for the CEOs and such? Nah, you’re not fooling us.
Sad.
PS6 in 2028 confirmed. They need to focus resources to the PS6 by closing these stores, and why release a few physical games for PS6 at the start of a new generation if that generation begins in late 2027 just to go all digital in January 2028?
“As the PlayStation Store continues to evolve to support modern commerce systems, including updated payment processing standards, PS3 and PS Vita are no longer able to support these updates at the level required.”
Absolutely UNTRUE. There isn’t a payment method anymore for credit cards, PayPal, or anything like that on the PS3 now. Its all done from the PSN wallet. The biggest LIE told here. Why on earth can’t Sony just implement the PS3 store content into PS4-5‐Website. The PS3 store is just a giant webpage itself. You could take off the ability to purchase anything on a PS3 console BUT KEEP THE WEBSITE?!! You are literally deleting thousands of DLC’s games, avatars, themes, demos, videos, and more just because “It’s hard to maintain because WE (YOU PSN) made it hard to maintain”.
This is a shame and highlights the problem with digital-only games: when the servers shut down access is cut off forever. Well, at least we’ll always have physical games as an option.
Now let’s check out the next post from today…
Double whammy. What a horrible string of events.
“For the Players”
Bit early for April 1st brother. If it’s not a joke.. and you think you can pull that off. It’s going to destroy playstation. The _only_ reason to buy a playstation is the discs. Other wise everyone will simply move to Xbox or PC. We have no games tied to the ecosystem.. since they are all on disc and can walk out the door very easily. I’m heading to the door right now after 30 years and tens of thousands spent.. You’ll have to change your mind very quickly before I reach it.
Well time for me to actually buy Drakengard 3, Yakuza: Dead Souls and Tokyo Jungle now.
So, let me get this straight. You are shutting the stores down because it doesn’t support modern payment processing standards? You can’t even add funds on the PS3 and VITA! You haven’t been able to add funds on it for years! It’s been limited to the digital wallet for ages! The payment processing standards shouldn’t matter at all for those platforms, this is just an excuse to end the store for these platforms and your covering it up with an excuse that doesn’t even make sense!
So all we clowns that have physical games won’t be able to play them on Ps6? Wonderful news. Thousands of dollars worth of garbage. Thanks.
An absolute shameful joke, play has no limits unless you’re looking for vertical stand / optical drive – now game ownership and accessibility.
Modding is the future apparently, get your games for free everyone!
No more physicals, no more digital store, only free games on modded consoles
Everybody needs to start contacting their lawmakers and antitrust lawyers right now. We need to stand up to fight against what Sony is trying to do here. It’s not just killing ownership, it’s killing any competition for game pricing and killing any game retailers. The killing of digital game stores is exactly the evidence we need in this fight. We cannot just take this. This is evil, anti competitive and anti consumer, and we need to fight against it.
An absolutely embarrassing joke, play has no limits unless you’re looking for a vertical stand / optical drive and now game ownership and conservation.
time to start a bucket list of what to buy a week before the store closes as there are way too many games and profile icons stuck on ps3 (my psn icon comes from one for crying out loud)
Play has no limits, unless it includes a vertical stand, optical drive, and game ownership-
How are you guys announcing no physical discs in 2 years while at same time gutting old last gen stores and removing everyone’s movie libraries without refunding? It seems like plays do infact have limits.
Support PS3 games on PS5 – 👎
Support PS Move on PS5 – 👎
Disable purchases on PS3 – 👍
Sony 😂
This is a catastrophic decision for the preservation of video game history. With Sony shutting down the PS3 and PS Vita stores globally by July 2027 and even ending physical disc production in January 2028 countless games will simply vanish forever. We can only hope they realize what an irreplaceable loss this is for gaming culture before it’s too late.
this decision deserves the heat its going to get.
cant wait to get this nonsense for ps5 games one day, where you literally cant even have physical media.
terrible and anti consumer
Yeah no. This is awful. I’m done after PS5. There is very few incentives to stay on the platform. If only you were as trustworthy as Valve. You keep removing digital purchases from users.
also “foreseeable future” just means that you haven’t decided when to kill the ability to download things you paid for
Right after you sweep away movie purchases with no compensation whatsoever. Coming from someone who’d invested heavily in my digital library on PS3 / Vita back in the days, I am DONE with Sony.
PS5 will be my last PS product and it’s been by far my least used PS hardware ever.
can u js make better decisions or??
Kick rocks.
Ykw? Im moving to pc gaming
I guess as long as y’all allow us to keep/redownload current purchases. Annoying, but at this point you should really have what you want, it’s not like anything will go on sale.