There are a couple of steps you can take to play games when PSN is down

ps5-logo-and-dualsense.jpg

Best answer: Other than waiting for Sony engineers to fix any lingering PSN problems, you can always try going offline to play your games or resetting your router to see if that fixes the issue.

How do I know when the PlayStation Network is down?

Sony has a website dedicated to the service status of PSN. If all services are up and running, you should be good to go. Sometimes only a specific service — like accessing your games and social — will be down. This may not be updated right away, so it’s also smart to check the PlayStation subreddit to see if anyone else is reporting issues. If the service is down for everyone, you’ll hear about it on social media.

Alternatively, you’ll know when you try to log in to your account and suddenly can’t connect to anything or play any games.

How long will it be down?

Each outage is different, and there is no way to predict how long the network will be down. Usually, an outage will only last a few minutes to a few hours at most. However, in extreme cases, like during a DDOS attack or around the holidays when everyone is flooding the network, it could take a few days before PSN is working properly.

Is my account at risk when PSN is down?

Generally, no. Your account should not be at risk because the network is down. However, there are cases where hackers have gotten a hold of personal information through PSN in the past.

What are common error codes when PSN is down?

  • WV-33899-2 or E-82000168 (Could not connect to PlayStation Network)
  • NW-31201-7 (Could not connect to the network)
  • NP-31952-0 (Network connection has timed out)
  • E-8200013A (Can’t Access PSN Server)
  • CE-33945-4 (Connection to server failed)
  • CE-34861-2 (A network error has occurred)

Is there anything I can do and how do I fix this?

If the entire PlayStation Network is down, there isn’t much you can do. You can try going offline to access your games that way, but that may not work in every case — and it certainly won’t allow you to play multiplayer. Also, to play your digital games offline, the console you are using must be set as the primary system tied to your account.

The problem isn’t always PSN, though; it may be your internet. If this is the case, try resetting your router and reconnecting your system to your Wi-Fi network. You can perform an internet connection test by going to Settings > Network > Test Internet Connection on your console. If that doesn’t cut it, you may also want to consider connecting your PS4 or PS5 to the internet with an Ethernet cable.

Troubleshooting online connection problems on PS5 usually doesn’t take too long. And if it doesn’t work, you’ll know that the problem is on Sony’s end.

Our pick

PlayStation Plus 12-month

ps-plus-12-month.jpg

$60 at Amazon
$60 at Best Buy
$60 at Walmart

Free games and online multiplayer.

PlayStation Plus gives players the most out of their online experience with access to multiplayer gaming, more Cloud storage, two free games every month, and exclusive discounts across the PlayStation Store.

Related posts

Latest posts

Apple’s Vision Pro is getting the M5 chip, but that’s not what it really needs

Apple’s M5 chip is coming to the Vision Pro, but that’s not the change the headset really needs. Instead, Apple should be prioritizing a more affordable model.

This music app is doing something different in the Apple App Store

A new music app called Practice Pro has decided against the popular freemium model, and gone in a different direction to attract downloads.

The U.K. wants unchecked access to all iPhones worldwide

Using an infamous legal provision, the UK government has reportedly ordered Apple to let it access encrypted cloud data of all iPhone users across the globe.

This One UI 7 update just made my Galaxy S25 Ultra way more fun

Good Lock's updated Home Up module brings new ways to experiement with your home screen on the Galaxy S25 series, and I'm hooked.

Your smartwatch will soon be able to detect signs of heart failure

Fresh research details a method than can detect congestive heart failure (CHF) using smartwatch ECG data with an impressive 90% accuracy in patients.

This Acer Predator gaming PC with RTX 4070 Ti Super is $350 off

The Acer Predator Orion 5000 gaming PC, featuring the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card and 32GB of RAM, is on sale from Best Buy at $350 off.

New iPad Air incoming? There’s a low stock warning

The next iPad Air could be revealed in just a few weeks.

Samsung might return to all-Exynos for its Galaxy S26 lineup

Samsung has seen successful early yields with the Exynos 2600, its in-house chip slated for use with the Galaxy S26.

Google Messages might let you unsend awkward messages in RCS chats

Google Messages could receive a "delete for everyone" feature, allowing you to recall messages, but only in RCS enabled chats.

Grab this Lenovo Legion gaming PC while it’s under $1,000

The Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 8 gaming PC with the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 processor, AMD Radeon RX 7600 graphics card, and 16GB of RAM is a steal for under $1,000,