Photo : Sony

Last week, we told you that game developers were preparing for PlayStation Network name changes to arrive. Now, the news is official, with Sony announcing this morning that users will be able to change their old PSN IDs starting in early 2019.


The first change will be free, Sony says, and subsequent changes will cost $10 a pop (or $5 if you’re a PlayStation Plus member). Beta testing for the service will start soon, if you’re part of PlayStation’s preview program and want to try it out.

The catch? Not all PS4/PS3/Vita games are going to support your new ID. Explains Sony:

When you change your online ID, you will have the option to display your previous ID with your new ID, so your friends can recognize you. Once you decide to display your old ID or not, you won’t be able to adjust this after completing the online ID change process. This feature is compatible with PS4 games originally published after April 1, 2018, and a large majority of the most-played PS4 games that were released before this date. However, please note not all games and applications for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita systems are guaranteed to support the online ID change, and users may occasionally encounter issues or errors in certain games. If for any reason you experience issues after changing your ID, you can revert back to your original ID for free at any time (you will only be able to revert once during the preview program). Reverting back to an old ID will resolve most issues caused by the ID change. In addition, when this feature officially launches, a list of compatible games published before April 1, 2018, will be provided on PlayStation.com for reference before you make a change.


This has been one of the most-requested PlayStation 4 features for nearly 12 years now, since the PlayStation Network first launched in 2006.