Sony is rolling out mandatory age verification for PlayStation users who want to keep using communication features, according to an email from Sony Interactive Entertainment that started landing in player inboxes this week. Messages, voice chat, and party features will all sit behind the new check, with a global rollout planned for later in 2026 and a confirmed start date of June 2026 for the UK and Ireland.

Players who skip the verification step will still be able to play games, earn trophies, and use the PlayStation Store. The restriction only targets the social layer of the platform, which is where most of the regulatory pressure around under-age users has been focused over the past year.

What Sony’s Email Actually Says

The email, first reported by Insider Gaming, frames the change as part of Sony’s compliance with global regulations. It tells users they will need to verify their age later this year to continue using PlayStation communication features such as messages and voice chat, and that other services will remain accessible without verification.

Sony has not attached a specific global date to the notice. The company has, however, locked in a June 2026 start for the UK and Ireland, where the verification page is already live and some users are being prompted to complete the process ahead of enforcement.

Which Features Get Locked Behind Verification

The list of affected features goes further than just console-level chat. Based on the rollout details confirmed for the UK and Ireland, verification will gate communication, broadcasting, and certain in-game functions.

• Joining a party and voice chat
• Text messaging between players
• Third-party chat programs launched through the console, including Discord
• In-game chat inside supported titles
• Sharing user-generated content
• Broadcasting features

Everything outside that social layer, including single-player sessions, online matchmaking that doesn’t require comms, trophies, and PlayStation Store purchases, stays available whether or not a player verifies.

How The Verification Works

Sony is using Yoti, a third-party identity company, to handle the checks in the UK and Ireland. Players in those regions can verify through a face scan or by uploading a government-issued ID. The assumption across reporting is that Yoti will remain the provider when the rollout expands, though Sony has not formally named a partner for other regions.

Yoti markets itself on a privacy-first approach, but the company has a recent record worth flagging. In January, Spain’s data-protection regulator AEPD fined Yoti $1.1 million for mishandling biometric data collected from users. That detail is likely to follow Sony’s rollout into every market it expands to.

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Age Verification Is Becoming A Platform-Wide Trend

Sony is not the first major gaming platform to move in this direction, and the push is being driven as much by regulation as by company policy. Several countries and US states adopted age-verification laws through 2025, framed around protecting minors from inappropriate content. The momentum has carried into 2026, even as privacy researchers continue to raise doubts about whether the laws actually achieve their stated goals.

Discord

Discord announced its own verification system for rollout by March 2026 and faced significant backlash from users worried about data handling. The company pushed its plans to the end of 2026 and now says most users will not need to verify at all, a walk-back tied to concerns about personal data and anonymity.

Roblox

Roblox introduced mandatory verification in January, requiring users to upload a photo before accessing in-game chat. The rollout has not gone smoothly, with ongoing questions about how well the system works and how the collected data is handled.

US Legislation

The US House of Representatives is currently reviewing the Parents Decide Act, which could go considerably further than any platform-level measure by requiring age verification before users can access a computer’s operating system at all.

The Privacy Question Sony Will Have To Answer

Biometric verification at this scale raises the same concerns that have dogged Discord and Roblox. Critics have pointed to the risk that identity data could be leaked, used to track consumer behaviour across apps, or handed to governments without clear user consent. Sony’s choice of provider puts that concern on the record before the global rollout even begins, given the AEPD ruling earlier this year.

For players, the practical trade-off is straightforward. Skip verification and keep playing, but lose access to the social features that define how a lot of people actually use the console. Verify, and trust that Sony and its partner handle the resulting data responsibly.

What Else Is Changing On PlayStation

The verification rollout lands alongside another significant shift. Sony plans to phase out all PlayStation Network branding by September 2026, though the online services themselves are not going anywhere. PSN is expected to return under a new name rather than be dismantled, suggesting a broader rebrand of the platform’s online identity is in motion at the same time the verification system is being introduced.

A firm global date for the verification requirement is still the main missing piece. Until Sony confirms one, players outside the UK and Ireland have time to decide how they want to handle the check, but the direction of travel across the industry makes it clear that opting out of verification will increasingly mean opting out of the social side of gaming.

The post PlayStation Age Verification Is Coming For Chat and Voice Features Later This Year appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

People all over the world are doing the right thing by staying home to help contain the spread of COVID–19.

Sony Interactive Entertainment is deeply grateful to everyone practicing physical distancing and takes responsibility as a home entertainment platform seriously and they are asking their community to continue supporting the safe choice and the need to Play At Home.

As a thank you to all who are doing their part to lessen the impact of this pandemic, Sony Interactive Entertainment is pleased to announce the Play At Home initiative.

Free Games to Play At Home: UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey

As part of the Play At Home initiative, PlayStation is offering free games to try and make those occasionally dull moments more exciting. UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey will be available for free digital download for a limited time from tomorrow, April 16th, 2020 at 11am NZST through May 6th, 2020 at 11am NZST.

For most of you, UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection will need no introduction.

UNCHARTED: The Nathan Drake Collection is a three-game collection from the masters at Naughty Dog includes Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, all meticulously remastered for PS4.

There’s no better time for globe-trotting adventures with Nathan Drake, an iconic cast of characters, and thrilling treasure-hunting action gameplay.

Then there’s Journey, a beautiful, celebrated adventure that is as moving as it is mysterious. The game’s life-affirming message is timeless, and perhaps more important now than ever before.

Independent developers are vital to the heart and soul of the gaming community and PlayStation understand the hardships and financial struggles that many smaller gaming studios are facing.

With that, SIE has developed a fund to support them during this time, having have earmarked $10 million to support their independent development partners.

More information about the fund, including participation criteria, will be made available soon.

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Media Molecule are set to expand your imagination all over again.

The studio that bought us the Little Big Planet series have released Dreams exclusive to PlayStation 4.

And Dreams is exactly what it’s all about – placing your creativity and imagination in to over drive.

Dreams is a game builder title. Via an endless of built-in and player created set of models, paths, narratives, environments and renders gamers can make their own action, platformer, adventure and way more title to play through and share.

Dreams is bigger than big. It is a truly endless digital realm of creativity from PlayStation gamers around the world.

Via in-game menu’s you’ll find virtual libraries of 3D models, varying landscapes with diverse terrain that you can also manipulate to your liking, character renders, items and so on to the point that it is a bit overwhelming at first.

While making your own game and flexing your imagination is something that can take up all of your time if you let it, there’s something satisfyingly rewarding when you complete, play and share, seeing other PS4 Dream gamers around the world playing YOUR game.

Some players have really taken to Dreams and created works of digital art that you are free to use.

To get yourself sorted to begin with I do recommend using existing models, items and environments before you tackle your own in-game objects.

Media Molecule have included a base adventure game, a platformer, which is fun enough but this is not the real intention of Dreams, the in-built platformer can be seen more as an inspiration of what you are able to build (aswell as other PS4 players game’s).

The creators have totally outdone themselves with Dreams and as I was playing, testing, building and playing some more I couldn’t help thinking how they could ever top this one.

There is so much creative content across the Dreams community that there’s no way I can fit even one zillionth of it in to this review.

Dreams is a one stop game for the players, the creators, the PS4 community and most definitely one for you, no matter what genre you normally play.

If you can dream it, you can now build and play it.

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Following another year of successful holiday sales, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) today announced that PlayStation Network’s (PSN) December 2019 monthly active users have reached 103 million, demonstrating that gamers worldwide are enjoying PlayStation’s offerings.

Additionally, the PlayStation4 (PS4) console has sold through more than 106 million globally, and the cumulative sales of PS4 software titles from retailers and PlayStationStore (PS Store) have reached 1.15 billion as of December 31, 2019.

Death Stranding – PlayStation 4

“I am very pleased to see that so many PlayStation fans value the unparalleled entertainment experience on PS4,” said Jim Ryan, President and CEO of SIE. “This has been made possible by the support we have from our partners and fans since launching PlayStation in 1994, and I would like to truly thank everyone. We’ve consistently delivered innovative products like PlayStation VR, which has reached its 5 million unit sales milestone. There is much more entertainment experience to look forward to that the PlayStation ecosystem will provide that we can’t wait to share with our fans.”

SIE WWS will continue to deliver highly anticipated titles such as The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima, further pushing the boundaries of play made possible by the PS4 system as it enters its 7th year.

SIE will also focus on the distribution for amazing games from our partners, including unique experiences from indie game developers.

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“Video Unlimited” and “Music Unlimited,” Sony’s digital video and music services currently offered on Sony Entertainment Network (SEN), will become part of PlayStation Network, and rebranded as PlayStation Video (PS Video) and PlayStation Music (PS Music) respectively.

The companies’ network service offerings have been steadily expanding over the years, and monthly active users of PlayStation Network and SEN have exceeded 64.0 million as of December, 2014.

While PlayStation Network has been synonymous with the best in gaming, it has also evolved to become a premier, comprehensive digital entertainment brand.

By tying the network services under a single brand, SCE and SNEI will aim to further expand the network business by building upon the success of delivering the best all-round digital entertainment, and also extending the ultimate gaming and network entertainment experiences to an arena including movies, TV, and music.

“We are very excited to offer our wide array of network services including games, TV, videos and music, under the PlayStation brand,” said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Group Executive in charge of the Network Entertainment Business. “We look forward to bringing even more compelling experiences, and an unparalleled breadth and quality of digital entertainment services and content to our customers.”

As a unified service platform, PlayStation Network will continue to deliver compelling entertainment experiences through PlayStation Store (PS Store), gaming services such as PlayStation Plus (PS Plus), PlayStation Now (PS Now), and entertainment services including PlayStation Vue (PS Vue), a service that reinvents the television experience, PS Video and PS Music.

Here’s a brief overview of individual services on PlayStation Network as follows:

• PlayStation Store (PS Store)

Since its launch in November, 2006, PS Store has allowed users to discover and download digital game and video content anytime, anywhere from various devices including PlayStation platforms such as PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation Vita (PS Vita). SCE and SNEI will continue to offer PS Store as a premier destination for users to purchase exciting content that can be instantly enjoyed on their PlayStation consoles.

• PlayStation Plus (PS Plus)

PS Plus offers members exclusive features and content, such as “Instant Game Collection,” which give users access to full versions of popular titles with no time limits or extra costs, and “Online Multiplayer,” which allows PS4 owners to play with and challenge other gamers over the network. As of January 2, 2015, over 10.9 million users have been taking advantage of the features and benefits of the membership service. PS Plus has been greatly enhanced since the launch of PS4, and will continue to provide a wide array of exciting content and services to PlayStation users.

• PlayStation Video (PS Video)

The video on demand and transactional service, “Video Unlimited,” will be rebranded as PS Video and will continue to offer over 200,000 movies and TV shows across PlayStation platforms, Sony devices and PCs, in 11 countries and regions. With PS Video, users will have immediate access to buy or rent, not only a deep catalog of content, but the latest releases across movies and TV shows, including exclusive content only available on PlayStation, anytime and anywhere on various compatible devices.

• PlayStation Music (PS Music)

PS Music will represent the music listening destination. SCE and SNEI have entered into a global strategic partnership with Spotify, in order to continuously deliver a best-in-class digital music experience with PlayStation Network. Spotify on PS Music will become newly available in 41 countries and regions this spring^*2. The music streaming service “Music Unlimited” will close in all 19 countries on March 29, 2015.

• PlayStation Now (PS Now)

The streaming game service PS Now, allows users in the US and Canada to instantly enjoy a wide range of PS3 games on various network-enabled devices, by leveraging cloud-based technology. Currently, the service is available on PlayStation platforms including PS4, PS3, PS Vita, and also Sony TVs and Blu-ray players, and select Samsung Smart TVs.

• PlayStation Vue (PS Vue)

PS Vue, first announced in November 2014, is a pioneering new cloud-based TV service that reinvents the television experience. The beta preview has begun in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia for select PS4 and PS3 owners, and will launch commercially during the first quarter of 2015.

PS Vue leverages the power of the cloud to combine the live, on-demand, and catch-up TV content viewers love with a powerful user interface, that delivers unprecedented personalization and simplicity.

Services names and logos on PlayStation Network supported devices will be renewed through a phased transition starting this February.

Through innovative network services and business partnerships, SCE and SNEI will deliver compelling content and experiences to users, and strive to further expand the PlayStation platform.

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