Update:

It turns out the PSN Status Page was way off in its reporting of the PSN maintenance, as Sony has now announced that the downtime will only last for two hours on Monday, May 11 to “deploy a series of back-end improvements to the network.”

Here’s when the maintenance will actually begin and end:

Starts

May 11 – 9pm PT

May 12 – 12am ET/5am BST

Ends

May 11 – 11pm PT

May 12 – 2am ET/7am BST

For PlayStation 4 owners, you must have it activated as your Primary System and log in to the PSN at least 24 hours prior to the maintenance to continue playing online.

For PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita owners: “As long as you have signed into the network prior to maintenance you will be able to log in and access most games online.”

For all systems, PlayStation Store and Account Management will not be available during the maintenance. You may also receive a maintenance notification when trying to access those services.

On Twitter, PlayStation Europe Community Manager Chris Owen responded to a user who thought the maintenance was supposed to last nine hours. “The consumer facing side of things is only 2 hours,” he replied.

[Source: PlayStation Forums (1), (2)]

Original Story:

After giving us a break in April, Sony announced today that the PlayStation Network will be undergoing a nine and a half hour maintenance beginning on Monday, May 11, and extending to Tuesday, May 12.

Here’s when the maintenance will begin and end:

Starts

May 11 – 7:30pm PT/10:30pm ET

May 12 – 2:30am GMT

Ends

May 12 – 5am PT/8am ET/12pm GMT

If you sign into your PSN account before the maintenance begins (within 24 hours on PS4), you shouldn’t experience any problems with online gameplay during the downtime. However, you should expect issues with Account Management, Video Unlimited, and PlayStation Store for the full maintenance period.

Here’s Sony’s statement on why the maintenance is taking place:

We endeavor to ensure that PlayStation Network services are available at all times. However, occasionally Sony Entertainment Network may need to be taken offline so we can perform essential maintenance. This is to ensure our network continues to run smoothly and securely and to provide you with new and updated services.

We’ll remind you of the maintenance on Monday, May 11.

[Source: PSN Status]