PlayStation Store shutdown dates for PS3, PS Vita and PSP officially announced

Sony has confirmed that it will close the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 and PSP on July 2, 2021, and the PSN Store for the Vita on August 27, 2021. This according to an email sent to PlayStation customers, including IGN According to a blog by PlayStation support, customers will still be able to re-download and play previously purchased games and videos, while continuing to use PlayStation Plus games and vouchers.

However, new PS3, Vita, and PSP purchases will cease, and players will no longer be able to make in-game purchases or use PSN Wallet funds on PS3, Vita, or PSP after stores close.

In an email sent to PlayStation customers, the company announces the closure of the respective PlayStation stores “in an effort to focus our resources for the PlayStation Store on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, which will allow us to further enhance the experience. customer. Thank you for your support on these platforms over the years. “

The owned content will be accessible via the download list on the respective devices; but given the new deadlines, if anyone wants a game for the PS3, Vita, or PSP that they don’t currently own, players will need to purchase those titles before the July and August shutdown dates.

News of the impending Sony store closures for PS3, Vita and PSP was reported earlier this month by TheGamer, but Sony has remained tight-lipped on the situation. The news was greeted with dismay by advocates for the preservation of video games after learning that many games that were inherited from the PS1 and PSP era would no longer be available after a certain date.

There are many digital-only PlayStation games that now have an expiration date. So if anyone wants to play some PlayStation 1 classics, now is the time to get them on some legacy PlayStation consoles.

Matt TM Kim is editor-in-chief of IGN.