Published
April 29, 2026
Updated
October 16, 2026
PlayStation Store customers who bought eligible digital games between April 2019 and December 2023 are due automatic PSN credits from Sony’s $7.85 million antitrust settlement, which went before a federal judge for final approval on October 15, 2026. No claim form is needed, and credits are due within five business days after the court grants final approval.
Latest Update: Fairness Hearing Held October 15, 2026
Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín held the fairness hearing on the $7.85 million settlement on October 15, 2026. As of October 16, 2026, no final approval order had been posted to the official settlement website, so the settlement is still awaiting the court's ruling and no PSN credits have been issued. Credits are due within five business days after final approval.Two facts from the final-approval filings matter for class members. First, a September 24, 2026 joint status report says the administrator received check requests from 438 people who said their PSN accounts were closed, but Sony's data team matched every request to an account that is still open. None of those people qualify for a check; if they are otherwise eligible, their payment will arrive as PSN credit like everyone else's, and the administrator is notifying them. Second, the final approval motion reports that 4,404,989 email notices were sent (240,692 bounced), and that nine class members opted out and three filed objections, including one from an objector named Scheffler that class counsel answered in a September 24 reply.
What Is the Sony PlayStation Store Class Action Settlement About?
The Sony PlayStation Store antitrust class action settlement resolves a long-running federal lawsuit captioned Caccuri, et al. v. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, Case No. 21-cv-03361-AMO, pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, before Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin. The case alleges that Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (commonly known as SIE or simply Sony) engaged in anticompetitive conduct that monopolized the market for digital PlayStation games and caused consumers to pay higher prices for digital games on the PlayStation Store than they otherwise would have paid in a competitive market.The factual heart of the case sits on a single date: April 1, 2019. Before that date, PlayStation users could buy digital game download codes (called Game-Specific Vouchers, or GSVs) from third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop. Those retailers competed on price and routinely offered discounts on the same digital games sold directly on the PlayStation Store.
On April 1, 2019, Sony stopped allowing those third-party retailers to sell PlayStation digital download codes, effectively making the PlayStation Store the only place to buy digital PlayStation games. The plaintiffs allege that the resulting elimination of price competition allowed Sony to charge supracompetitive prices and that consumers paid more for digital games than they would have in a competitive marketplace.
Sony has denied any wrongdoing throughout the litigation, and the court has not decided whether Sony violated any laws. The case is being settled, not adjudicated. The class action is a federal antitrust case brought under Section 2 of the Sherman Act and parallel state-law theories, and the lawsuit does not claim that any PlayStation games are defective or that the PlayStation hardware itself is at issue.
Status
Awaiting Final Approval
Fairness hearing held October 15, 2026 · no ruling posted yet
Settlement Amount
$7,850,000
distributed as PlayStation Network account credits
Estimated Per-Account Payout
$0.91 to $33.66
in PSN store credit, varies by qualifying purchase volume
Claim Form
Not Required
automatic credit to active PSN account wallets
Opt-Out / Objection Deadline
July 2, 2026
deactivated-account payment request deadline August 27, 2026
How Much Money Will I Get From the Sony PlayStation Store Settlement?
According to estimates filed by Interim Lead Counsel Michael M. Buchman of the Joseph Saveri Law Firm LLP, the recovery range for individual class members is between $0.91 and $33.66 in PlayStation Network store credit. Where any given class member lands inside that range depends on how many qualifying digital games they purchased during the class period and how the Plan of Allocation distributes the net settlement fund across approximately 4.4 million eligible PSN accounts.The full $7.85 million settlement amount will be reduced by court-approved attorneys' fees of up to 25% (so roughly $1.96 million), reasonable costs and expenses, and aggregate service awards of $30,000 split among the three named plaintiffs.
Whatever remains, less administrative expenses, is the net fund that gets divided across class members' PSN account wallets. The August 18, 2025 motion for preliminary approval (ECF No. 207) estimated the average credit at about $1.14 per eligible account, assuming a 25% fee, roughly $660,000 in expenses and about $160,000 in administration costs. The money is split pro rata by the number of "Covered Games" each account bought, and the motion said Sony's preliminary analysis found about 103 Covered Games and 4,407,533 eligible accounts. Accounts that bought many Covered Games land toward the top of the $0.91 to $33.66 range; most land near the bottom. These are estimates; the final amounts depend on what the court approves.
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Are PlayStation Store Credits the Same as Cash in This Settlement?
No. This is one of the most important things for class members to understand. The Sony settlement pays out in PlayStation Network account credits, not cash. The credits do not expire, are not transferable to other people, and can be used on any product available in the PlayStation Store (not just digital games, but also DLC, subscriptions, in-game currency, and other content).The court itself questioned whether PSN-only credits qualified as a true monetary benefit. At the preliminary approval hearing, Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin pressed Class Counsel on whether account credits should be treated as real money or as a coupon (which would be subject to much stricter scrutiny under the Class Action Fairness Act).
Class Counsel Michael Buchman argued that the credits function as monetary value because there are nearly 2,000 games on the PlayStation Store priced under $2 and over 100 games priced at $0.19, meaning even a small credit can buy a complete digital game with no out-of-pocket cost. Judge Martinez-Olguin ultimately granted preliminary approval, setting up the October 15, 2026 fairness hearing.
For class members, the practical implication is that the settlement check shows up as a number in the PSN wallet, not a check in the mail or a deposit to a bank account. If the class member does not actively use their PSN account, the credit may sit there unused indefinitely, but it does not lapse.
Who Qualifies for the Sony PlayStation Store Class Action Settlement?
The settlement class is defined as all persons in the United States who purchased through the PlayStation Store one or more video games for which a Game-Specific Voucher was available at retail prior to April 1, 2019, for which a total of at least 200 GSV redemptions were made prior to April 1, 2019, and for which the post-discount price increased by at least fifty cents from: (a) the period between January 1, 2017 and March 31, 2019; as compared to (b) the period between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023.That definition is precise but dense. In plain terms, three things have to be true for a digital game purchase to qualify:
• The purchase happened through the PlayStation Store between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023 (the class period).
• The same game was historically sold as a Game-Specific Voucher at brick-and-mortar retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, or GameStop, and at least 200 of those vouchers were actually redeemed before April 1, 2019.
• After April 1, 2019, the digital price of that game on the PlayStation Store rose by at least 50 cents compared to the average pre-April-2019 price.
Most casual PlayStation buyers will not know any of these things off the top of their head, which is why Class Counsel published an official list of eligible games. If your past PlayStation purchases include any titles on that list, your PSN account is likely a class member. If your purchases do not include any titles on that list, your account is likely not a class member.
List of Eligible Games for the Sony PlayStation Settlement
The official list of eligible PlayStation digital games is published by the Notice and Settlement Administrator at the case website. The list below is reproduced from the authoritative PDF for easy reference, but the official PDF remains the controlling authority.Class members do not need to print, save, or submit the list as part of any claim process. Sony's internal sales records will identify which class member purchased which qualifying game during the class period, and the Plan of Allocation distributes the credit accordingly. The list below exists so individual class members can spot-check their own purchase history against the case parameters.
View the official PDF: PSN Digital Games Settlement Eligible Games List (PDF). The list below is current as of the April 29, 2026 publication of this article and may be amended by the Settlement Administrator if additional qualifying titles are identified.
Qualifying PlayStation Digital Games (Alphabetized)
- Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
- Battlefield Hardline Standard Edition
- Beach Buggy Racing
- Bloodborne Complete Edition Bundle
- Bound
- Call of Duty Classic
- Dead Nation Apocalypse Edition
- Demon's Souls
- Destiny - The Collection
- Destiny 2: Forsaken - Legendary Collection
- Dragon Quest Builders
- EA SPORTS FIFA 17 Standard Edition
- EA SPORTS NHL 17 Standard Edition
- The Elder Scrolls Online - PS4
- FINAL FANTASY XIV Online - Starter Edition
- Flower PS4
- Freedom Wars
- GOD EATER: Resurrection
- God of War Collection
- God of War III Remastered
- God of War: Ascension
- God of War: Collection PS Vita
- God of War: Origins Collection
- Gravity Rush
- Here They Lie
- Human: Fall Flat
- inFAMOUS Festival of Blood
- inFAMOUS First Light
- inFAMOUS Second Son
- The Invisible Hours
- The Jackbox Party Pack
- The Jackbox Party Pack 2
- The Jackbox Party Pack 3
- The Jackbox Party Trilogy
- Jak and Daxter Collection
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle
- Journey
- Justice League VR: The Complete Experience
- Killzone Shadow Fall
- Killzone: Mercenary
- Knack
- Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
- The Last of Us
- The Last of Us Remastered
- The Last of Us: Left Behind Stand Alone
- LIMBO
- LittleBigPlanet 3
- Madden NFL 17
- Mass Effect Trilogy
- MLB The Show 16 - MVP Edition
- MotorStorm Apocalypse
- NBA 2K18
- NBA LIVE 18: The One Edition
- NBA LIVE 19: The One Edition
- Need for Speed Most Wanted
- Need for Speed Rivals
- NieR: Automata
- No Man's Sky
- Okami HD
- The Order: 1886
- Persona 4 Golden
- Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale PS Vita
- Primal Carnage: Extinction
- Ratchet & Clank
- Ratchet & Clank Collection
- Ratchet & Clank: Collection (PS3)
- Resident Evil 4
- RESOGUN
- Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle
- Saints Row 2
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
- Skullgirls 2nd Encore
- Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition
- Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
- The Solus Project
- Special Delivery
- Sports Champions 2
- STAR WARS Battlefront
- Super Mega Baseball
- Toukiden 2
- Trials Fusion
- Trine 2: Complete Story
- Tumble VR
- Twisted Metal
- UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception (Game of the Year Digital Edition)
- UNCHARTED Greatest Hits Dual Pack
- UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss
- UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection
- The Unfinished Swan
- Until Dawn
- The Witness
- WWE 2K17 Digital Deluxe
- WWE 2K18 Digital Deluxe Edition
- WWE 2K19
Do I Need to File a Claim Form for the PlayStation Store Settlement?
No. Unlike most consumer class action settlements, the Sony PlayStation Store settlement does not require active class members to file a claim form. Sony Interactive Entertainment will automatically distribute the net settlement amount, in the form of PlayStation Network store credit, to the PSN account wallets of all class members who do not exclude themselves from the settlement.This automatic-distribution structure is unusual and is one of the reasons the settlement is attractive to consumers despite the modest per-account recovery. Most class action settlements see only a small percentage of eligible class members ever file claims, with industry-wide claim rates often falling between 1% and 10% in consumer cases.
Because Sony's records already identify which PSN accounts purchased which qualifying digital games, the settlement bypasses the claim-form bottleneck entirely. Effectively, the claim rate for active PSN accounts is close to 100% by default.
The single exception involves class members whose PSN accounts are now deactivated. Those class members must take action by submitting qualifying purchase information and a current address to the Settlement Administrator on or before August 27, 2026 in order to receive any settlement money they are entitled to. Deactivated-account class members will receive their payment in the form of a check rather than PSN credit, since they no longer have a wallet to credit. That deadline has passed. According to a September 24, 2026 joint status report, all 438 people who asked for a check turned out to have PSN accounts that are still open, so none of them qualifies for a check; eligible members among them will receive PSN credit instead.
When Will the Sony PlayStation Settlement Pay Out?
Active-account class members will receive their PlayStation Network credit within five business days after the date the court grants final approval to the settlement, or July 1, 2026, whichever is later. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California held the fairness hearing on October 15, 2026. As of October 16, 2026, no final approval order had been posted to the official settlement website.That means credits can arrive within days of a final approval order. Until the court rules, nothing is being paid, and three objections, including one class counsel answered in a September 24, 2026 reply, are part of what the court is weighing.
If the court denies final approval, requires further amendments to the settlement agreement, or if a class member files a notice of appeal after the order, the timeline could extend by months or even into 2027. The settlement has already gone through one significant revision (the Second Revised Settlement Agreement, dated February 26, 2026) after Judge Martinez-Olguin initially expressed concern about the credit-only structure, so a second round of court scrutiny at the fairness hearing is expected but not guaranteed to be friction-free.
Why Were Earlier Sony Settlement Proposals Rejected?
The $7.85 million deal is the third version the court reviewed. Judge Martínez-Olguín rejected the first request for preliminary approval in July 2025 after questioning the value and treatment of PlayStation Network wallet credits, the anticipated distribution, class information and other settlement details. A renewed proposal was not approved after a January 2026 hearing, in part because of issues involving the proposed class representatives and service awards. The parties revised the agreement again in February 2026, and on April 8, 2026 the court found the third version sufficient for notice and preliminary review. The second rejection is covered in PlayStation settlement rejected a second time.Sony PlayStation Antitrust Case Timeline
Here is the full procedural history of the case from the original complaint through the October 2026 fairness hearing.Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment Timeline
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May 5, 2021Original class action filedCaccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC filed in N.D. Cal., alleging Section 2 Sherman Act monopolization of PlayStation digital game market
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July 15, 2022Initial complaint dismissedCourt dismisses original complaint on refusal-to-deal grounds, with leave to amend
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2024Motion to dismiss denied on amended complaintReported at Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Ent. LLC, 735 F. Supp. 3d 1139 (N.D. Cal. 2024); case proceeds to discovery
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November 14, 2024Original Settlement Agreement signedInitial $7.85 million settlement reached after extensive discovery
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December 4, 2024Revised Settlement Agreement filedParties revise settlement structure to address initial court concerns
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August 18, 2025Second Consolidated Amended Complaint filedClass definition refined; preliminary approval motion filed at ECF 207
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February 26, 2026Second Revised Settlement Agreement filedFinal settlement structure addresses Judge Martinez-Olguin's concerns about PSN-credit-only payout
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April 2026Preliminary approval granted; class notice issued Current PhaseNotice plan begins; class members start receiving notice via email and the PlayStation Store
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July 2, 2026Opt-out and objection deadlineLast day to file written exclusion request or objection
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August 27, 2026Deactivated-account payment request deadlineLast day for class members with closed PSN accounts to submit address and qualifying purchase information
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September 24, 2026Joint status report on check requestsAll 438 check requests matched to open PSN accounts, so none qualifies for a check
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October 15, 2026Fairness Hearing heldBefore Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; no ruling posted as of October 16, 2026
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After final approvalPSN credits distributed to active accountsWithin five business days of final approval, or July 1, 2026, whichever is later
How Do I Opt Out of or Object to the Sony PlayStation Settlement?
Class members who do not want to be bound by the settlement have two options other than doing nothing: opting out (excluding themselves from the settlement) or objecting (staying in the settlement but raising concerns with the court). Both must be in writing, and both have a single deadline: July 2, 2026.Class members who opt out give up the right to receive any portion of the settlement amount but retain the right to sue Sony separately for the conduct alleged in the class action, subject to applicable statute-of-limitations rules. Class members who object remain part of the class and remain eligible for the credit, but their objection becomes part of the record the court reviewed at the October 15, 2026 fairness hearing. The court can take objections into account when deciding whether to approve the settlement, modify the terms, or send the parties back to the negotiating table.
Most class members will not opt out or object. The economics of opting out only make sense for class members who believe their individual damages are substantially larger than the credit they would receive (which would be unusual given the $0.91 to $33.66 estimated range), or for class members who object to the overall structure of a digital-credit settlement on principle. The vast majority of the approximately 4.4 million eligible accounts will simply do nothing and receive their automatic PSN credit after final approval.
Is the Sony PlayStation Class Action Settlement a Scam? How to Spot Fake PSN Credit Emails
Whenever a major class action settlement involves automatic payouts to a large consumer base, scammers send fake "you have an unclaimed PSN credit" emails and texts asking recipients to click a link, log in to a spoofed PlayStation site, or pay a small "processing fee" to claim their settlement money. A few signals separate the real Sony PlayStation Store settlement from a scam:• The real settlement requires no claim form for active PSN accounts. Anyone telling you to fill out a claim form, click a link to "verify your eligibility," or log in to a non-PlayStation site to claim Sony settlement money is not running the real case.
• The official case website is PSNDigitalGamesSettlement.com, maintained by A.B. Data Ltd. as the court-appointed Notice and Settlement Administrator. Anything else is not the case.
• The real settlement never asks for your full Social Security number, banking passwords, credit card numbers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or up-front fees of any kind.
• Settlement credits are deposited directly to your PSN account wallet by Sony itself. There is no separate "claim portal" or "PSN settlement payment site" that processes credits outside of Sony's own infrastructure.
• If a text or email asks you to click a shortened or unfamiliar link to receive a PlayStation settlement credit, treat it as a phishing attempt and do not click. Always type PSNDigitalGamesSettlement.com directly into your browser to check the case status.
What Should PlayStation Owners Do Right Now?
With the fairness hearing held on October 15, 2026 and the court’s ruling still pending, here is the short checklist for PlayStation owners who think they may qualify:• Bookmark the official case website (PSNDigitalGamesSettlement.com) and check it through October 2026 for any schedule updates or amended deadlines.
• If you have an active PSN account, do nothing. If your account purchased qualifying games during the class period, Sony will credit your wallet automatically after final approval.
• If your PSN account is deactivated and you believe you purchased qualifying games during the class period, you must submit qualifying purchase information and a current address to the Settlement Administrator before August 27, 2026.
• If you want to confirm your eligibility, review the eligible games list at the official case website and cross-reference against your PlayStation Store purchase history (which is visible in your PSN account transaction history under Account Management).
• If you have a serious objection to the credit-only structure or believe you were damaged in an amount substantially greater than the $33.66 high-end estimated recovery, you have until July 2, 2026 to file a written opt-out or objection. Most class members will not need to do this.
Lawyers Representing Class Members
The court has appointed Michael M. Buchman of the Joseph Saveri Law Firm LLP as Interim Lead Counsel for the Settlement Class. Class members are not personally responsible for paying Class Counsel. As permitted by federal law and the Settlement Agreement, Interim Lead Counsel intends to seek a reasonable fee of up to 25% of the $7.85 million Settlement Amount, plus reimbursement of reasonable costs and expenses, with the fee paid out of the Settlement Fund rather than charged to class members. The court will decide at the fairness hearing what amount, if any, to award.Class Counsel may also seek service awards in the aggregate amount of $30,000 to compensate the three named plaintiffs for their time and effort representing the class. Service awards are subject to court approval and would be paid from the Settlement Fund or from the attorneys' fee award. Class members retain the right to submit written comments or objections to the court regarding the fee application and to appear at the October 15, 2026 fairness hearing.
Sources
• Proposed Class Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Approval (ECF No. 207), filed August 18, 2025• Joint Status Report (ECF No. 242), filed September 24, 2026, and Class Plaintiff's Motion for Final Approval (ECF No. 239), filed September 3, 2026, both posted on the official settlement website
• Official Case Website: PSN Digital Games Settlement Site
• Official Notice of Class Action Settlement: Sony PlayStation Class Action Settlement Notice (PDF)
• Official Eligible Games List: List of Eligible Games (PDF)
• United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Caccuri, et al. v. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, Civil Action No. 21-cv-03361-AMO, Hon. Araceli Martinez-Olguin presiding
• Plaintiffs' Notice of Motion and Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement, ECF 207, filed August 18, 2025
• Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Ent. LLC, 735 F. Supp. 3d 1139 (N.D. Cal. 2024)
Case Information
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news site. We report on filed complaints, court orders, and preliminarily approved settlements. We are not a law firm, we are not Class Counsel, we are not the Settlement Administrator, and we do not process or decide claims. The information in this article is based on the publicly filed Notice of Class Action Settlement, the official case website, and federal court records. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC denies any wrongdoing, and the court has not decided the merits of the plaintiffs' claims.
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Settlement Amount
$7,850,000 in PSN account credits
Case Title
Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment, LLC
Case Number
21-cv-03361-AMO
Court
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Final Approval Hearing
Held October 15, 2026
Before Hon. Araceli Martinez-Olguin, N.D. Cal.
Administrator
A.B. Data, Ltd.
Official Website
PSN Digital Games Settlement
