Sony has agreed to pay $7.85 million as part of a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit over inflated digital game prices on the PlayStation Store between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. Eligible users can claim credits for qualifying purchases, with refunds going only to specific games that saw price increases after transitioning from vouchers to digital-only sales. The settlement, if finalized after a hearing on October 15, will cover costs and legal fees while distributing the remaining funds among affected PlayStation Network members.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
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same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In a class-action lawsuit settlement, Sony agreed to pay out $7.85 million in PlayStation Store credit to affected users. The lawsuit alleged that Sony's practices violated federal antitrust laws by controlling the market for certain digital games and keeping prices artificially high between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023. Specifically, the settlement applies to purchases of games that were previously sold as physical vouchers and saw a price increase of at least 50 cents after transitioning to digital-only sales between January 1, 2017, and March 31, 2019. If finalized, eligible users will receive credits directly to their PlayStation Network account wallet following the final approval hearing in a California federal court.
Written for “PlayStation Settlement” on 2026-09-14,
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 9256 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-14
It ready to be “game on” for PlayStation users, after Sony agreed to pay $7.85 million as part of a preliminary settlement in a class-action lawsuit over purchases made on the PlayStation Store.
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Sony → agree → Store
Sony was sued three years ago by users who claimed the company unfairly controlled the market for certain digital PlayStation games and used that control to keep prices higher than they should be.
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they → sue → prices
The lawsuit argues that Sony’s practices violated federal antitrust laws and some state competition laws by limiting how and where those games could be sold.
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games → argue → laws
Sony has not admitted wrongdoing, and no court has ruled on the underlying claims, though a federal court in California has given preliminary approval to the settlement.
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court → admit → settlement
If finalized, eligible users could receive refunds for qualifying purchases.
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users → finalize → purchases
If a PlayStation user meets all the criteria to be part of the settlement, credits will be added directly to their PlayStation Network account wallet after the final approval hearing.
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credits → meet → hearing
The settlement covers select PlayStation Store purchases made between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2023, but only for certain games that used to be sold as store vouchers and saw a price increase of at least 50 cents after they moved to digital-only sales between January 1, 2017, and March 31, 2019.
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they → cover → January
The eight affected titles reportedly include major franchises such as The Last of Us, Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, The Hill reports.
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Hill → affect → Duty
While the total settlement fund is $7.85 million, individual payouts are expected to be modest due to the large number of eligible users.
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payouts → expect → users
It is not yet clear how much each person will get.
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person → get → much
Up to 25 percent of the $7.85 million will go to legal fees, taxes and costs, with the rest split among all eligible users.
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rest → go → users
A final fairness hearing is scheduled for October 15, after which distribution details will be finalized.
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details → schedule → which
Those who have deactivated their PlayStation Network accounts can apply for a cash settlement payment by emailing qualifying purchase information and their current address to info@PSNDigitalGamesSettlement.com.
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who → deactivate → info@PSNDigitalGamesSettlement.com
They can also call with the information at (877) 777-9145 or mail it to PSN Digital Game Settlement, P.O. Box 173046, Milwaukee, WI 53217.
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They → call → Settlement
Users who do not wish to participate must submit a written request to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, by July 2.
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who → wish → July
The Independent has contacted Sony for comment.
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Independent → contact → comment
Meanwhile, a UK class-action lawsuit also claims Sony overcharged millions of PlayStation users by forcing digital game purchases through its own store, thereby limiting competition and driving up prices.
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Sony → claim → prices
Sony denies the accusations and says its system is fair and common in the gaming industry.
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system → deny → industry
Rachel Dobkin contributed to this report.
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Dobkin → contribute → report
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