PS3, Vita and PSP PlayStation Store closures confirmed, more than 2000 digital-only games impacted

If you still play games using the PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS Vita, you might want to start buying new games and content from their respective stores now. Back in March, rumors that the PlayStation Store would soon close for PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS Vita began to circulate. Now, Sony has confirmed the news that the PlayStation Store closures would indeed happen.

The PlayStation 3 and PSP stores will close on July 2, while the PlayStation Vita store will close on August 27. This means that players using those gaming consoles will no longer be able to purchase anything new from the stores. However, this will not have any effect on purchases they make before the closures happen. Before the whole thing ends, let’s take a little trip down memory lane.

The PS3 was released back in November 2006, and Sony was able to sell a grand total of 87 million consoles during its lifetime. After three model redesigns and 11 long, happy years on the market, Sony finally halted its production and focused on manufacturing the PS4. The PSP is yet another Sony success story, selling a whopping 81 million units since it was released back in March 2005.

The PS Vita, on the other hand, did not fare as well as its two siblings did. The device, which released in December 2011, was patterned after the PSP in that it was also a handheld unit. Despite the PS Vita being loaded with many cool features, only 10-15 million units of it were sold during its lifetime. But it did experience a boost in sales recently when people discovered how convenient the PS Vita is to turn into an emulator. (Read: PlayStation 5 will not natively support PS1, PS2 and PS3)

As mentioned, all three stores will cease operations very soon, so if there are any games you’ve always wanted to get, now is the time to get them. Physical copies of these games will likely still be available from third-party retailers in the future, but they would most likely cost much more.

According to Sony, despite the PlayStation store closures, gamers will still be able to re-download and play games and access content that they’ve previously purchased after the shutdown. They will also still be able to redeem PlayStation Plus vouchers and use PlayStation Plus services as long as they stay subscribed to it.

On the other hand, gamers will no longer be able to make in-game purchases in PS3, PS Vita, and PSP games, which may hinder players’ ability to upgrade in certain games. They will also no longer be able to redeem gift cards or PSN wallet fund vouchers on such devices. Their funds will remain in their PSN accounts, but they can only be used to purchase PS4 and PS5 products.

However, there is a tiny loophole for cross-buy games. Those who cross-buy any PlayStation 4 game with PlayStation 3 or Vita will be granted access to those versions even after the PlayStation store closures. But for this to work, players will have to purchase the games on the PlayStation app, through PS4 or PS5 consoles or the PlayStation web store.

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