Changing your name isn’t as easy as it sounds

The long promised for ability to change your PlayStation Online ID will be available this week but it may not work flawlessly.

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You probably only spent a couple of seconds thinking up your PSN ID, when you first went online with a PlayStation console, and yet you’ve been stuck with that decision for years, with no way to change it – until now.

Sony has been promising the ability to change the name for ages and now it’s finally possible, with the option available now in America and from tomorrow, 11 April, in the UK.

But the process might not be as straightforward as you’d imagine, with Sony warning that some older games might not take well to your sudden change of name.


Change of Online ID is here! From tomorrow, you can change your ID on PlayStation Network. Here’s everything you need to know: https://t.co/7dEbkvvrU9 pic.twitter.com/G8D6Jy67uI — PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) April 10, 2019



Most recent games should be fine, but anything published before 1 April 2018 might not accept the change in PSN ID.

There’s a list of potential problem cases here, with titles such as Everybody’s Golf, LittleBigPlanet 3, and Onrush identified as having ‘critical issues’.

A critical issue can include losing progress or in-game currency, while other games have more minor problem such as resetting options or not showing the right name – they include the likes of The Last Of Us and Titanfall 2.

It kind of sounds like after all this wait it might not be worth the trouble, but the first name change will be free and after that £8 (or £4 if you’re a PS Plus member).

Making the change isn’t any more difficult than going to Settings > Account Management > Account Information > Profile > Online ID on your console.

Or you can make the change on your PC by visiting the PlayStation website and clicking the PSN Profile option on the menu on the left.

There’s also more detailed information and a FAQ on the PlayStation Blog.

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