Millions of PlayStation network users across the United States could receive compensation after Sony reached a proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit tied to digital game sales on the PlayStation Store.
The US District Court for the Northern District of California gave preliminary approval to the $7.85 million settlement on April 8. The Saveri Law Firm publicly announced the agreement on April 29. The lawsuit accused Sony of limiting competition in the digital gaming market after the company stopped allowing retailers to sell game-specific PlayStation download vouchers.
The case dates back to 2023, but the dispute itself started several years earlier. In April 2019, Sony ended sales of digital game vouchers through outside retailers such as Amazon, Walmart and Target, reported Rolling Out. Before that change, players could buy vouchers for specific PlayStation games from retail stores and redeem them online through the PlayStation Store.
After Sony removed those vouchers from third-party sellers, consumers could only buy digital PlayStation games directly through Sony’s own online store. Plaintiffs argued that the decision removed price competition and gave Sony greater control over digital game prices.
Details of lawsuit
The lawsuit focused on claims of market monopolization. Plaintiffs said that Sony effectively blocked retailers from competing on digital game prices once it stopped selling game-specific vouchers outside the PlayStation store.
According to court filings, average prices for affected digital games increased by at least 50 cents after April 2019 compared with earlier pricing when vouchers were still widely available through retailers.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that even small price increases became significant when multiplied across millions of purchases over several years. The lawsuit claimed Sony benefited financially from reduced competition because consumers no longer had alternative places to buy discounted digital game codes.
Sony agreed to settle the case but did not admit wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
The proposed settlement applies to US residents who purchased certain digital games through the PlayStation Network between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023.
Not every game qualifies for compensation. Eligible titles must meet specific conditions. The game must have previously had large-scale voucher sales through retailers before Sony stopped the practice in 2019, reported Rolling Out. Court documents state that at least 200 vouchers for a game had to be sold before the cutoff date. The average digital price for that game also had to rise by at least 50 cents afterward.
Several major PlayStation titles fall under the settlement. Eligible games include first-party releases such as “The Last of Us Remastered,” “God of War 3 Remastered” and “inFAMOUS: First Light.”
Third-party games on the list include “No Man’s Sky,” “Until Dawn,” “WWE 2K17,” “WWE 2K18,” “WWE 2K19,” “NBA 2K18,” “NBA 2K19,” the “Mass Effect” trilogy and “Madden NFL 17.”
A complete list of eligible titles appears on the official settlement website.
How much money could Playstation users receive?
Individual payouts will likely remain small. After attorney fees and legal costs are removed from the settlement fund, remaining money will be divided among eligible users based on qualifying purchases.
Court documents estimate that users could receive between $1 and $3 in PlayStation Network wallet credit for each qualifying game purchase. People who bought several eligible titles may receive multiple credits.
Sony will issue compensation as PSN wallet credit rather than direct cash payments.
The settlement still requires final approval from the court. A fairness hearing is scheduled for October 15. Eligible users will only receive compensation after the hearing takes place and the judge grants final approval.
The lawsuit arrives during a period of growing legal pressure on large digital gaming platforms. Sony faces similar cases in the United Kingdom and other European markets over accusations tied to digital pricing practices and online store competition.
Critics of the settlement say that the $7.85 million payout represents only a small fraction of the money Sony earned through digital game sales after ending third-party voucher sales in 2019.
Sony’s digital gaming business has expanded significantly over the past several years as more players shifted toward downloadable games instead of physical discs sold in stores, reported Rolling Out.
For PlayStation users in the United States, the immediate step involves checking the official settlement website to confirm whether their purchases qualify before the court makes a final decision next year.