PlayStation Store Will Stay Online for PS3 and Vita

Sony has partially reversed course on its decision to shut down the PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita games, canceling the Summer 2021 shutdown plans.


Published: April 19, 2021 1:17 PM /

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PlayStation Store PS3 Vita staying online cover

There's good news for PS3 and PS Vita gamers — Sony has reversed its decision to close down the PlayStation Store this Summer, committing to keeping the store open for these platforms for the foreseeable future.

Earlier this year, Sony made the announcement that it was shutting down the PlayStation Store for PS3, PS Vita, and PSP. This was certainly disappointing for fans of older consoles and games, but there's good news: Sony has announced that it is not shutting down the store for the PS3 and PS Vita in a stunning reversal of its plans.

"Recently, we notified players that PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita devices was planned to end this summer," read a PlayStation Blog post. "Upon further reflection, however, it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here. So today I’m happy to say that we will be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices."

A number of concerns had been raised by longtime fans of Sony's games. One particular problem is that the PS3 was when the digital era for consoles truly started; there were a fair few games that were only released digitally on the platform and that meant that we could have lost a piece of history. This was one of many things that led to an outcry from fans — and it looks like Sony has listened.

"When we initially came to the decision to end purchasing support for PS3 and PS Vita, it was born out of a number of factors, including commerce support challenges for older devices and the ability for us to focus more of our resources on newer devices where a majority of our gamers are playing on," the PlayStation Blog post continued. "We see now that many of you are incredibly passionate about being able to continue purchasing classic games on PS3 and PS Vita for the foreseeable future, so I’m glad we were able to find a solution to continue operations."

PlayStation Store PS3 Vita staying online slice

The PSP PlayStation Store is Still Closing, Sadly

Sadly, not everything was saved by the closure announcement: the PSP PlayStation Store is still shutting down per Sony's original plans.

"PSP commerce functionality will retire on July 2, 2021[,] as planned," the blog post explained.

There are surely some fans of the PSP out there, but it never did quite as well as some may have hoped. The newer PS Vita, in comparison, only officially shut down its production two years ago so there are probably still quite a few units shutting down.

Still, it's more good news than not for PlayStation plans. Sony has not said exactly how much longer it will keep the PlayStation Store open for these older consoles. Considering the dedication from its fans (and the boatloads of money Sony is probably making from PS5 sales), we'll hopefully see the PS3 and PS Vita PlayStation Store sticking around for a very long time, but Sony revealed how quickly the end could come.

Are you happy that Sony decided to reverse course on closing down the store for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita? How much longer do you think these storefronts will stick around? Let us know in the comments below!

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A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
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One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N