PlayStation Network — the brand that put millions of players online with their PS3s back in 2006 — is being retired. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has formally notified developers that both the “PlayStation Network” name and the “PSN” abbreviation will be removed from all SIE assets by September 2026. The change, described as purely visual in the internal developer communication, will not alter any online features, user accounts, friend lists, trophies, or multiplayer access.
The process has already started. A recent PS5 system update replaced “PlayStation Network” with simply “PlayStation” in the console’s network settings menu. The PSN logo has been swapped for a generic PS logo, and Sony’s official server status page — once titled “PlayStation Network Service Status” — now reads “PlayStation Status.” All references to PSN have also been cleared from the Terms of Service pages on PlayStation.com. Developers have been told to comply with an updated Technical Requirements Checklist (TRC) in fall 2026 before shipping any new releases.
Network
IS RETIRING
20 years of PSN ends by September 2026. Your games, account, friends, and trophies stay completely unchanged — only the label goes.
↓ Full Timelinewith PS3
Dec 2025 · Sony Q3 FY2025
deadline
Sony Interactive Entertainment has strategically decided to phase out the terms “PlayStation Network” and “PSN” across our platform in order to properly capture the breadth of our evolving digital services. The upcoming changes are purely visual and will not introduce any technical alterations to our offerings. All features currently associated with PSN, including core network features such as friends, multiplayer, and trophies, will remain unaffected and available to players.
(New name TBA)
Works as Before
Visual Only
PSN launched in November 2006 as a free alternative to Xbox Live. It bundled the PlayStation Store, online multiplayer, PlayStation Home, and social features. PlayStation Plus was added in June 2010 as an optional paid tier — multiplayer remained free on PS3. The April 2011 security breach compromised approximately 77 million accounts and caused a 23-day shutdown, triggering a full infrastructure rebuild.
With PS4, Sony made PlayStation Plus a requirement for online multiplayer in most paid games. PSN stayed the overarching network brand, but PlayStation Plus took centre stage. The PS4 sold over 117 million units lifetime, growing PSN’s monthly active users substantially through the generation.
PS5 launched 12 November 2020 in select markets and 19 November 2020 worldwide. By June 2022, PlayStation Plus was restructured into three tiers — Essential, Extra, and Premium — absorbing PlayStation Now’s cloud catalogue. Sony’s digital ecosystem expanded to PC, cloud, and mobile, making “Network” feel like a relic of the disc-based era.
As of December 2025, PlayStation Network serves a record 132 million monthly active users, per Sony’s Q3 FY2025 earnings report (February 2026). The PS5 has exceeded 92 million cumulative units sold. Sony is retiring the PSN name to unify its platform identity. No replacement name has been confirmed as of March 2026.
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s phase-out of the “PlayStation Network” and “PSN” branding was covered above — from the confirmed September 2026 deadline and the official SIE developer communication, to the UI changes already visible on PS5, and the Technical Requirements Checklist update that all game developers must comply with in fall 2026. The 132 million monthly active users figure, the 20-year history of the PSN brand since its 2006 PS3 launch, and the full breakdown of what stays and what changes were all addressed.
For more on major gaming industry developments, see our coverage of Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2, the Crimson Desert Metacritic 78 score and Pearl Abyss stock reaction, and the confirmed Minecraft Dungeons II for fall 2026. Sony’s official PlayStation Status page — formerly the PSN Status page — remains the place to check for any service disruptions.