Sony’s PlayStation 3 is nearing the end of an era as the console approaches its 20th anniversary. Sony entered the gaming market and found instant, overwhelming success with the original PlayStation and its successor, the PlayStation 2, which remains the best-selling video game console of all time. The PlayStation 3 eventually found success as well, but it definitely got off to a rocky start compared to its predecessors.
The PS3 launched with an extremely high $599.99 price tag, and that, combined with how difficult it was to develop for, resulted in a very slow start to the generation. Despite early challenges, Sony stuck with the PS3 and while the console was trounced by the Wii and Xbox 360 for most of its life, it made up for it in the back-end by building an enticing library of must-play exclusives, eventually surpassing the 360’s sales and becoming the second best-selling console of its generation. There are millions of gamers that have fond memories of their time with the PS3, but in the near future, the console will be losing significant functionality.
Official PlayStation Disc Petition is Blowing Up
Gamers upset about Sony’s decision to cease production of physical PlayStation discs start a petition that is quickly gaining steam.
When is Sony Shutting Down the PS3 PlayStation Store?
- Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua – August 2026
- Additional Latin America and Middle Eastern Countries – Late 2026
- Everywhere Else – July 2027
Sony recently announced that it will be effectively sunsetting the PlayStation 3’s PlayStation Store functionality. “Select markets” will be losing access to the PS3 PlayStation Store at some point later this year, with a global shutdown planned for 2027. For an undetermined time after the shutdown, already-purchased content will still be downloadable from the PlayStation Store, but it will be impossible to buy anything new.
Click on the game with the higher OpenCritic rating.
The PS3 PlayStation Store will first shut down in Mexico, Honduras, and Nicaragua in August 2026. Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries will lose access in late 2026. And finally, all other countries will lose access to the PS3 PlayStation Store in July 2027. That means those in the US have a full year to make PS3 digital purchases, and so anyone interested in doing so should definitely make time to do it. Notably, Sony will also be shutting down the PlayStation Vita’s PlayStation Store support, with the handheld also losing access worldwide July 2027.
While the vast majority of gamers have long moved on to the PS4 and PS5, there are still those that enjoy gaming on PS3 and will be upset by the announcement. Those that enjoy playing PS1 games will be especially disappointed, as there are some rare PS1 games on the PS3 PlayStation Store that are not readily available to play on modern hardware. There are also various games that were only ever released digitally on the PS3 PlayStation Store that will effectively cease to exist when it shuts down, which will be a devastating blow to those that care about game preservation.
Sony first tried to shut down the PS3 PlayStation Store years ago, but the outcry caused it to reverse course. It’s unlikely that Sony will change its mind for a second time, so gamers should prepare accordingly. Sony bundled this announcement with confirmation that it was phasing out PlayStation physical disc production, so most of the online outrage has been directed at that instead.