PlayStation customers in the United States may be eligible to claim part of a $7.85 million settlement tied to how Sony sold digital games. The money comes from a class-action lawsuit that accused Sony of locking customers into its own storefront by eliminating competition from other retailers.
According to a report by CNET, the lawsuit, Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment, alleged that Sony "unlawfully eliminated competition and monopolized the market for [its] digital games" by discontinuing the sale of game-specific vouchers that had allowed PlayStation owners to buy digital games from other online retailers. The lawsuit alleged that this caused "consumers to pay more for certain digital games than they otherwise would have paid on the PlayStation Store."
Games cited in the lawsuit include PlayStation exclusive titles such as The Last of Us, as well as third-party titles like Mass Effect Trilogy and Resident Evil 4. The core allegation is that by cutting off outside marketplaces, Sony violated antitrust law and forced customers to pay inflated prices on its own platform.
The case has moved slowly. The lawsuit was initially settled in 2024, but the settlement was rejected twice during the court approval process. The most recent rejection came in July 2025, when the presiding judge said the proposed plan did not provide an estimated recovery or a range of potential recovery for class members. The approval process was restarted in April of this year.
Sony denied any wrongdoing and denied that settlement class members were damaged by its actions. The court has not decided whether the company violated any laws. Despite that, the court has preliminarily approved the $7.85 million settlement payment, pending a final approval hearing.
That hearing is scheduled for October 15. It is meant to confirm the settlement amount, allocate up to 25 percent of the funds for attorneys' fees, and create a distribution plan for the remaining money.
Eligible customers who are still active PlayStation Network members will receive their share added directly to their PSN account wallets after the final hearing. Customers who have deactivated their PlayStation Network accounts can apply for the settlement by sending qualifying purchase information to [email protected] and will receive cash payments instead.
The deadline to opt out of the settlement and retain the right to sue Sony separately has already passed. That deadline was July 2. Anyone who did not submit a written request to the court by then will remain part of the settlement class and will receive whatever portion the court approves.
The settlement website is currently live, and eligible customers can visit it to check their status ahead of the October 15 hearing.
