Is PlayStation Network down?

The PlayStation Network is the beating heart of the PlayStation 4, controlling not only access to online games but also the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Now and even your account management. So, when it goes down, it goes down in a big – and noticeable – way.

Here, we show you how to check the current status of the PlayStation Network to check whether your problems are localised or worldwide.

How to check the PlayStation Network service status

So, you think PlayStation Network is down? Before we show you how to check the service status, it’s probably worth making sure that it isn’t down to your local internet connection. Make sure that your PS3/PS4 is connected to Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable, and double check that the internet is active on another device if possible. It’s also worth making sure your PS4 software is up to date. 

If your console is connected to the internet and your connection isn’t the issue, the next step is to check the official Sony website for any official status news.

Visit the PlayStation Network Service Status website

As mentioned above, the first port of call when you think there are issues with the PlayStation Network is to check its dedicated service status website. It’s a handy website run by Sony that displays the current status of the PlayStation Network, including individual statuses for each of its services:

• Account Management
• Gaming and Social
• PlayStation Now
• PlayStation Video
• PlayStation Store
• PlayStation Music

It’s also where you can find out about upcoming scheduled maintenance.

So, head over to the PlayStation Network Service Status website and check whether all services are okay – ideally, all services should have a green icon next to them. When a service goes down, Sony will update the page to reflect the issue.

If there are issues with the PlayStation Network, there’s not much you can do apart from sit and wait for Sony engineers to fix the issue. This doesn’t usually take long, but it depends on the nature of the issue.

Visit a third-party status checking website

While Sony’s PlayStation Network Service Status page is helpful, it isn’t the only place you can go to find out information about the service. There are a range of crowdsourced third-party service checking sites available online, including the likes of Down Detector which has its own dedicated iOS and Android apps.

Down Detector’s PlayStation Network status page provides a handy graph showing outages over the past 24 hours, along with a live heat map showing where the outage is occurring (some services go down in specific regions) and even a comments section where you can talk to others having the same issue.