What to Know About Sony’s $7.85 Million PlayStation Settlement

Sony, owner of the PlayStation brand, has been accused of antitrust practices. The lawsuit was originally settled in 2024 but was rejected twice during the approval process. Last week, a judge approved a preliminary reopening of the settlement.The suit, brought before the San Francisco division of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses the company of allegedly limiting third-party retailers from selling PlayStation titles via “game-specific vouchers.” That means preventing customers from buying games elsewhere and forcing them to make digital purchases solely on Sony’s PlayStation Network, where it controls prices without worrying about competitors.The settlement means the company wasn't accused of any wrongdoing, but it will have to pay nearly $8 million to affected players. Unfortunately, that might take quite a while.Here's what to know about the settlement and whether you'll be able to get any money out of it. (The full details are at the PlayStation Digital Games Settlement website.)Am I Eligible for a Payout?If you bought a digital game on PlayStation Network between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023, then yes, you are likely eligible for a cut of the settlement.What Games Are Covered?You can find a full list here of games that are eligible for a settlement payout.If you've played anything around that time and bought it from the PSN store, chances are you'll have a shot at being included. Games include The Last of Us, Resident Evil 4, and lots of sports games, such as several generations of Madden, NBA 2K, and FIFAHow Do I Get Paid?Thankfully, you won’t have to do very much. When the settlement finally goes through, the funds will be deposited into the payment accounts linked to all of the eligible PSN profiles.If you’d like to exclude yourself from the payout, or object to it entirely, you can do so by filing a written request. That's not necessary unless you have a moral issue with the payout, or you plan to sue Sony about this very same issue later. Accepting the payout now by default means you waive the right to sue Sony for this in the future.What If I Don’t Have My PSN Account Anymore?If your PSN account is deactivated or otherwise MIA, but you know you’ve bought games that meet the conditions of this settlement, you still have options for getting some recompense. You can call (877) 777-9145 or email [email protected]. You can also send your qualifying purchase information and current address to:PSN Digital Game SettlementP.O. Box 17304Milwaukee, WI 53217The deadline to submit that request for a check is August 27, 2026.How Much Money Will I Get?Probably not a lot, unfortunately. That $7.85 million will be split across legal representatives who argued the settlement, then evenly spread across potentially millions of people’s PSN accounts. It’s hard to tell exactly how much that will amount to, but it’s likely to be a few dollars at best.I’ll Take What I Can Get. When Will That Cash Roll In?The settlement hearing won’t happen until a Fairness Hearing, currently scheduled for October 15, 2026. If that is finalized, the money could take additional weeks or months to be doled out.Class action lawsuits aren’t super consumer-friendly most of the time. They certainly don’t tend to be timely. This particular settlement was first arranged in December 2024, but two requests for approval had been rejected. The language in the settlement originally said the payments would be distributed after April 1, 2025. As you can probably tell, the wait isn’t over yet.