Sony is finally going to show you how to change your online PSN ID. Last week, reports began to surface suggesting that select developers were preparing for PlayStation Network name changes, and Sony has now made it official.
You have been asking how to change your online PSN ID basically ever since the service hit around 11 years ago, and you’ll soon be able too. Microsoft has allowed this for around a decade now by comparison. While it is likely more of a difficult problem to solve than it sounds, clearly this is a feature the service’s 70 million monthly active users would have appreciated a long time ago. But better late than never.
Sony will soon be launching a PSN Online ID Change beta for select users in the PlayStation Preview program. The testing will kick off shortly before wrapping up in late October. As of right now, the feature will see a wide roll out come early 2019. In other words, after 11 years of waiting, you’re going to have to wait at least another 3 months here.
But it’s going to cost you, sort of
When it comes to how to change your online PSN ID, it won’t be quite as simple as it sounds. While you’re first ID change is free, it will cost $10 a pop thereafter. PlayStation Plus members also get one free change and can pay $4.99 for additional changes moving forward.
Obviously Sony has to create a nice balance here so as to allow for legitimate name changes while hindering trolls trying to ruin your online session. The pay wall will certainly help there.
You’ll be able to choose whether or not you also display your previous PSN ID as a sort of subtitle alongside the new one. But once you make the decision to display the old one or not, you won’t be able to change your mind after completing the new name process.
Compatibility
Well, we know how to change your online PSN ID but is it going to work on all games. The short answer is no. The weird part is that Sony doesn’t sound overly sure here either. The new name will work with all PS4 games released after April 1st, 2018 as well as many of the most popular PS4 titles that were released before that. It also sounds like gamers could “encounter issues or errors in certain games” and reverting back to your old gamer tag may, or may not resolve the issue.
Be sure to go hit up the recent PS Plus PSN sale and this morning’s games deals right here.
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