PS5 online services appear to be down after today's update

Returnal
(Image credit: Housemarque)

The PlayStation Network is reportedly suffering outages around the world.

Earlier today on March 23, PS4 and PS5 users began to note that the PlayStation Network appeared to be suffering errors. As per the website DownDetector, which tracks user reports of various networks the world over, the PSN is indeed suffering from outages, although it's not clear what's causing said issues.

At the time of writing, GamesRadar+ has experienced issues when attempting to connect to the online functions of games like Apex Legends and Returnal. In particular, a PSN error seems to be locking users out of content via parental controls, saying that they don't have permission to access online content.

So far, we've seen users from the U.S., U.K., and Japan report issues with the PSN. Additionally, the issues with the network don't appear to be limited to any certain games, as errors have been reported with the PSN when attempting to play first-party games like Gran Turismo 7, and third-party titles like Final Fantasy 14.

Right now, there's no clear indication as to what the overarching problem with the PSN could be. We've yet to hear any official comment on the matter from either Sony or PlayStation, either through official press release channels or via various social media platforms.

This all follows a PS5 update earlier today which focused on UI changes and improvements. Right now, there's zero indication as to whether the update has had an effect on the PSN, but users are noting that the errors first started after the update launched earlier today.

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Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.