Sony PlayStation settlement may deliver small store credits to eligible US accounts
More than 4.4 million PlayStation Network accounts could receive automatic credits if a US court grants final approval to Sony’s proposed US$7.85 million antitrust settlement.
Sony is expected to issue prorated PlayStation Store credit to eligible US PlayStation Network accounts under a proposed US$7.85 million Sherman Act class-action settlement. Credits would be deposited automatically, with no claim form required, but only if the agreement receives final court approval.
A fairness hearing is scheduled for 15 October 2026 before Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Any distribution could also be delayed by an appeal.
More than 4.4 million accounts have been identified for the settlement. Estimated recoveries range from US$0.91 to US$33.66, while typical payments are expected to be about US$1 to US$2 per qualifying purchase after legal fees and other costs.
Eligibility is limited to specified games that had retail download vouchers available before 1 April 2019, recorded at least 200 voucher redemptions and rose in price by at least 50 cents after Sony ended the programme. Purchases of other digital games during the relevant period do not qualify.
The lawsuit, filed in 2021, alleged that Sony eliminated retail price competition by stopping retailers from selling download codes for PlayStation games in April 2019. The case later proceeded as a consolidated class action after surviving attempts to dismiss or block it.
Sony’s proposed settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing. Retail vouchers would not return, and the PlayStation Store would remain the sole source for digital PlayStation games. Up to 25 per cent of the fund may be allocated to legal fees, alongside expenses, service awards and administration costs.
