A district court granted preliminary approval for a proposed class action settlement between Sony PlayStation and millions of its users last month, signaling a potential end to a years-long legal battle.
Saveri Law Firm, the team representing the plaintiffs in the case, announced on April 29 that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California preliminarily approved a proposed class action settlement of $7.85 million.
A subsequent hearing to finalize the settlement is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2026. Here’s what to know about the case.
Years-Long Legal Battle
Back in 2023, a class action lawsuit was filed against Sony PlayStation over its decision four years earlier to stop selling digital download cards, otherwise known as game-specific vouchers, through third-party vendors such as Amazon, GameStop and Walmart. Instead, PlayStation games had to be exclusively purchased through the PlayStation Store.
Without that market competition, the plaintiffs argued, gamers were coerced into paying higher prices, effectively allowing Sony to monopolize the sale of its digital PlayStation games. Sony denies the allegations.
The settlement went through several revisions dating back to 2024.
In July 2025, a judge denied a similar proposed settlement, arguing it lacked certain details, such as a comprehensive breakdown of how the settlement funds would be distributed, according to a court document.
Sony and the plaintiffs eventually landed on a final version in February 2026.
Throughout the legal battle, Sony has maintained that its practices did not violate antitrust laws. The company said it wanted to settle “to avoid the further expense and distraction of continued litigation,” as Reuters previously reported.
Who Is Eligible for Compensation?
Various eligibility criteria were detailed in court documents, including:
The settlement is only open to U.S. residents.
The game-specific voucher purchased between April 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2023, had to be available through a third party before April 1, 2019.
At least 200 vouchers for a game had to have been sold before April 1, 2019.
A game’s price increased by an average of 50 cents after vouchers were no longer available through third parties.
Numerous top titles qualify, such as “Madden NFL 17,” “Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China,” and “The Last of Us Remastered.” A full list of eligible games is currently available on the PlayStation Network Digital Games Settlement website.
More than 4.4 million people wound up automatically added to the lawsuit, according to court documents. Anyone who doesn’t want to be included can voluntarily exclude themselves by filing a written request with the court and submitting it to Saveri Law Firm by July 2, 2026.
What Can Class Members Expect?
Those who remain part of the lawsuit can expect compensation to be deposited into their PlayStation Store digital wallet. Those who are no longer active on the PlayStation Network will be able to receive their payment in the mail.
It’s unclear how much will go to each individual. Up to 25% of the $7.85 million settlement will go to attorneys’ fees. Additional money will go to those who spearheaded the lawsuit, according to the settlement’s official website.
The remaining settlement money will be distributed to each class member, based on the qualifying titles they purchased.
However, April’s ruling was just the first step. A final hearing on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2026.
No action is required for those who want to be part of the settlement. However, individuals can visit the official PSN Digital Games Settlement website for the latest information on the final hearing.
