Sony PlayStation Store $7.85 Million Settlement: Automatic PSN Credits, Hearing October 15, 2026

The case is Caccuri, et al. v. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, Case No. 3:21-cv-03361-AMO, before U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín in the Northern District of California. It was filed in 2021 and litigated for about five years; Sony's motion to dismiss was denied and document discovery was largely complete when the parties settled.

The plaintiffs alleged Sony violated federal antitrust laws and certain state laws by monopolizing the market for digital PlayStation games. The case centered on game-specific vouchers (GSVs): physical cards or electronic codes sold by outside retailers that let players download a specific game from the PlayStation Network. According to the class's final approval motion, the claims focused on Sony's decision to stop the sale of game-specific vouchers by outside retailers in 2019, which the plaintiffs said let Sony charge more for digital games.

Sony denies that its conduct violated any law, and the court has not decided whether it did. The case does not claim that PlayStation games are defective. Class counsel estimated class damages at $29.6 million, so the settlement recovers roughly 26.5% of that estimate.

You are a class member if you are in the United States and, between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023, you bought one or more digital games through the PlayStation Store that meet all three tests:

• A game-specific voucher for that game was available at retail before April 1, 2019.
• At least 200 vouchers for that game were redeemed before April 1, 2019.
• The game's post-discount price rose by at least 50 cents between January 1, 2017 to March 31, 2019 and April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2023.

Buying a PlayStation game during the class period is not enough; the game itself must be on the eligible list posted on the settlement's Court Documents page. Class counsel told the court that dropping the 200-redemption rule alone would have added more than two million class members and cut most credits to under a dollar. Sony's records identify who bought eligible games, and notice was emailed to the addresses on those PSN accounts.

After fees, costs, service awards, and administration are paid, the rest is divided pro rata based on each class member's eligible purchases, so people who bought more eligible games get more. Spread across the roughly 4.4 million accounts that were emailed notice, a net fund of under $6 million works out to an average in the range of $1 to $1.50, though actual credits vary by purchase history. That is our rough estimate, not a figure from the settlement.

The credit is cash-value money in your PSN wallet and can be used on any content in the PlayStation Store, at any price. If funds are left after the initial distribution, the plan sends them to a cy pres recipient approved by the court. Our guide on why class action payouts are often smaller than expected explains the math.

There is no claim form in this settlement. Class counsel described the process as frictionless: Sony distributes credits directly to eligible accounts.

• Active PSN account: do nothing. The credit will appear in your PSN wallet after the settlement becomes final.
• Deactivated PSN account: you had to contact the administrator by August 27, 2026 with qualifying purchase information and a current address to request a check. As of the September 3, 2026 final approval motion, 438 people with closed accounts had requested checks.

The settlement administrator is A.B. Data, Ltd.: PSN Digital Games Settlement, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 173046, Milwaukee, WI 53217, phone 877-777-9145, email info@PSNDigitalGamesSettlement.com. Beware of emails asking you to log in to claim PlayStation money; see our guide to settlement scams.

As of September 2026, the settlement is awaiting final approval and no credits have been issued. The motion reported nine opt-out requests and three objections. The hearing is at the federal courthouse at 1301 Clay Street in Oakland; check the settlement site for the courtroom, since it has been listed differently in different notices.

The deadline to opt out or object was July 2, 2026. If you did not opt out by July 2, 2026, you are bound by the settlement and release Sony from claims based on the facts in the complaint, whether or not you ever use the credit. Objectors who filed on time and want to speak at the hearing must file a notice of intent to appear by October 1, 2026.

Because this is an automatic-payment settlement, there is nothing more for most class members to do. If you think you bought eligible games but did not get a notice email, contact A.B. Data and give them the email tied to your PSN account. For how class settlements bind members, see can you be bound by a class action settlement.

Other gaming settlements include the Fortnite FTC refund program and the Google Play children's privacy settlement. Separate lawsuits over game design are also pending; see our page on video game addiction lawsuits. Check the official settlement website linked above after October 15, 2026 for approval and credit timing.