The PlayStation Network (PSN) is currently experiencing a significant worldwide outage, leaving PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 users unable to access digital games and online services.
The disruption, which began on Friday evening around 4:30 AM IST, has affected multiple aspects of Sony's gaming network, including account management, gaming and social features, PlayStation Video, PlayStation Store, and the PlayStation Direct website.
According to Sony's PSN status page, users are encountering difficulties launching games, accessing apps, and utilizing network features. The outage has particularly impacted players' ability to load purchased digital games, view friends lists, access trophies, and check online status on their consoles.
While PlayStation's English-speaking support service, Ask PlayStation, has acknowledged the situation, their response has drawn criticism from the gaming community.
The official statement, which claimed that "some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN," has been characterized as understating the scope of the problem, as reports suggest the outage is affecting the entire PSN infrastructure and potentially all PS5 and PS4 users.
PlayStation Japan has also addressed the situation, confirming that the company is investigating the issue and thanking users for their patience.
The widespread nature of this outage is particularly notable, as major PSN disruptions have become increasingly rare in recent years. The last significant outage occurred in October, lasting approximately eight hours, followed by a partial outage in May.
User reports on Downdetector peaked with nearly 70,000 complaints, though the volume has begun to decrease.
The gaming community has been particularly vocal about the disruption, with an r/PlayStation thread about the outage garnering over 1,600 comments.
As of the latest update, Sony has promised to resolve the issues "as soon as possible," though no specific timeline has been provided. The company has yet to release an official statement regarding the cause of the outage or an estimated time for service restoration.