The PlayStation Store has long been Sony’s core digital front for games and associated media. It’s transcended several generations of PlayStation consoles and is the backbone of PS5 digital media, but some of the more archaic shops are about to be closed down.
Following the shocking news that Sony will stop producing discs for new PlayStation Games in 2028, we’ve now learned that some of the brand’s PS Stores are about to be shut down for good.
Sony Says Goodbye to PS3 and PS Vita PlayStation Stores
Here’s the full statement, courtesy of a July 1 Sony PlayStation blog:
‘After nearly two decades of supporting the PS3 console generation, we wanted to let you know we will be closing the PlayStation Store on PS3, as well as on PS Vita. PlayStation Store on PS3 will close in select markets starting this year, followed by global closures for PS3 and PS Vita next year. That means new content purchases will no longer be possible once the PlayStation Store closes on these devices. To ease the transition, players will still be able to download previously purchased content after the closing date for the foreseeable future.
As the PlayStation Store continues to evolve to support modern commerce systems, including updated payment processing standards, PS3 and PS Vita are no longer able to support these updates at the level required. As a result, we will need to close PlayStation Store on these devices in the timeframes as follows:
In all other countries, PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita will close in July 2027.
Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua – PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting August 2026.
Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries – PlayStation Store on PS3 will close starting late 2026.’
It appears the PlayStation 4 storefront will remain, which makes sense as the old-gen hardware continues to receive new releases—although they are lessening as the years go by.
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However, if you still enjoy your PS3 or PS Vita, you won’t be able to make any new purchases from either store, but older purchases will be available.
With news of a PS6 handheld that has a GPU more powerful than an Xbox Series S, and the inevitable arrival of the PS6, it makes sense for Sony to move forward.
What do you make of recent PlayStation changes? Let us know via the official Insider Gaming Discord Server.
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Andy is Insider Gaming's Senior Evergreen Editor and has been in the games journalism sphere in one way or another for over 7 years. His video game taste is as…
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