PlayStation Network has been active for over a decade. That means many people are stuck with the PSN ID they hurriedly made for themselves as teenagers or children. Finally, the less fortunate among us have the option to right the wrongs of their younger selves. As of writing, PSN ID changes will officially go live later today on the PlayStation 4.
Sony announced the news on the PlayStation Blog. Of course, there are a few caveats that PlayStation fans may want to consider before jumping at the chance to switch things around. Sony has noted in the past that every PS4 game published after April 1, 2018 should adhere to the PSN ID changes. However, this isn’t a guarantee, as not every title has been tested with the name change feature. Don’t fret, though. As Social Media Director Sid Shuman noted in the blog post, “the large majority of most actively played PS4 games support the feature.”
There are only two ways players can implement a name change: Via PS4 settings or in a web browser. The first name change will be offered free of charge. However, each time thereafter will cost players $9.99, and there’s no limit to how many times a name change can be applied. For those who change their PSN ID and later decide they want to revert back to the previous one, this, too, can be done for free.
As with anything this monumental, there are risks to changing a PSN ID. Some of the more worrying issues that players may encounter include a loss of Trophy progress, leaderboard data, and saved game progress. Additionally, some DLC, including that of the paid variety, may no longer be accessible following a name change. A list of games that are officially compatible with the online ID changes has been provided on the PlayStation website.
For more information on the matter and an FAQ rundown, be sure to visit the aforementioned PlayStation Blog post.
Now Loading - PSN Name Changes October 2018
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Now Loading - PSN Name Changes
Will you be changing your PSN name now that Sony has announced the feature?
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Lucas White
My gut reaction is to go ahead and do it, if only because the option will be available, and I can change it to match my personal branding or whatever. However, I’m cautious due to the announcement mentioning errors and such with older games, so I’ll probably hold out to see what that means in more detail. Luckily my PSN ID isn’t “xXx_NarutoCloudGoku_420” or whatever so I’m not powering through years of lingering shame like so many others seem to be.
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Annette Polis
If only someone in Japan hadn't registered it first! They are still using it so I won't be making any changes to my account. (PS. Hey Sony, when will you let me change my country of residence?)
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Blake Grundman
My PSN name will never change. It has been my online handle for over two decades, long before it was ever my PSN ID. That isn’t going to change anytime soon.
I wonder if my wife would be pissed if I had it etched into my headstone... -
Cameron Teague
I love my PSN name, so I see no reason to ever change it.
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Chandler Wood
I go back and forth. On the one hand, my name does have some meaning behind it, on the other, it hasn't been my active nickname in a number of years now (plus it has numbers in it, which also do mean something, but I don't know if I like).
I may change it to match a more updated username, but I'll have to see how it all plays out once the feature rolls out wide. If it doesn't look all that stable, I'm okay keeping my original one.
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Janet Garcia
Nope. I don't game online much or have many PSN friends to begin with.
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Jenni Lada
It is nice to know the option will be there, but I won't be changing mine either. I already know it and frankly, it is so undesirable that I do not have to worry about someone wanting to steal it. I already had someone try to steal my Gmail address, probably due to it being short and having no numbers. I don't want to have to worry about someone trying to take my PSN account too.
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Keri Honea
Totally changing it so it matches the rest of my online monikers.
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Zarmena Khan
My PSN ID is simply my name spelled backwards so I see no reason to change it. But I'd eventually like the option to change my country. I moved a while back and it sucks when I can't redeem certain codes that come with my locally purchased games.
