sony's playstation 3 As the console approaches its 20th anniversary, the end of an era is approaching. Sony entered the gaming market and achieved immediate and overwhelming success with the original PlayStation and its successor, the PlayStation 2. The PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling video game console of all time. The PlayStation 3 was ultimately successful, but it certainly had a rockier start than its predecessor.
The PS3 launched at a very high price of $599.99, which, combined with how difficult development was, resulted in a very slow start to the generation. Despite early struggles, Sony stuck with the PS3, and while the console was interrupted for most of its life by the Wii and Xbox 360, it complemented it by building a compelling library of must-play exclusive games on the backend, eventually surpassing sales of the 360 and becoming the second best-selling console of its generation. There are millions of gamers who have fond memories of their PS3, but the console will be losing important features in the near future.
Official PlayStation disc petitions are exploding
Gamers upset over Sony's decision to stop producing physical PlayStation discs have started a petition that is quickly gaining momentum.
When will Sony close the PS3 PlayStation Store?
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Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua – August 2026
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Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries – late 2026
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Everywhere else – July 2027
Sony recently announced that it would effectively end the PlayStation Store feature on the PlayStation 3. “Select markets” will lose access to the PS3 PlayStation Store at some point later this year, with the service scheduled to shut down globally in 2027. After termination, you will still be able to download content you have already purchased from the PlayStation Store for a period of time, but you will not be able to purchase anything new.
Click on the game with a higher OpenCritic rating.
The PS3 PlayStation Store will first close in Mexico, Honduras, and Nicaragua in August 2026. Additional Latin American and Middle Eastern countries will lose access at the end of 2026. And finally, access to the PS3 PlayStation Store will cease in all other countries in July 2027. That said, those in the US have one year to purchase a PS3 digitally, so anyone interested should definitely take their time. Notably, Sony is also discontinuing PlayStation Store support for the PlayStation Vita, with the handheld device also losing access globally in July 2027.
While the majority of gamers have long since moved on to PS4 and PS5, there are some who still enjoy gaming on PS3 and are upset by this announcement. Those who enjoy playing PS1 games will be especially disappointed. That's because the PS3 PlayStation Store has rare PS1 games that aren't easily playable on newer hardware. Additionally, the PS3 PlayStation Store will have a wide range of digitally released games that will become virtually non-existent once they close, which will be a huge blow to those interested in preserving their games.
Sony first attempted to shut down the PS3 PlayStation Store a few years ago, but protests led to a change of course. It's highly unlikely that Sony will change its mind a second time, so gamers should prepare accordingly. Most of the online outrage was directed at that instead, as Sony paired this announcement with confirmation that it would be phasing out physical disc production for the PlayStation.
