RIP SingStar, the PlayStation karaoke game that defined a generation's birthday parties

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You couldn't have a party without a SingStar

(Image credit: Sony)

Sony will be shutting down both SingStar's servers and your popstar pipe dreams early next year. A post on the official PlayStation website states that the SingStore servers will be shut down on January 31, 2020, effectively axing the major components of the popular karaoke games. 

After January 31, there will be no more online support for SingStar - that means no more new songs or online play, permanently unavailable online leaderboards, and a permanent loss in SingStar dead space of all the old songs purchased by PS3 players (unless you download them to your console before the cut-off date). Anyone still in possession of a PS2 and the physical SingStar disc will be able to enjoy a previously selected list of songs ad infinitum. However, PS4 players will be able to redownload any songs they've purchased and deleted from their systems even after the servers go dark - if there are any SingStar PS4 players. 

SingStar reached its zenith during its time on the PS2, as the best-selling home console coupled with the karaoke classic ushered in an era of casual party gaming. Your 14th birthday party was woefully inadequate if you didn't have a SingStar, even if your mother's eardrums remained intact. SingStar's popularity waned as the music hero genre waxed - Guitar Hero and Rock Band on the PS3 effectively killed it, and the game was shipped without its iconic mammoth microphone in favor of smartphone compatibility.

No matter how you shake it, this is the end of an era. Sony will also be shutting down online services for Driveclub, Driveclub VR and Driveclub Bikes on March 31, 2020, but Driveclub didn't make or break your birthday party, did it?

We can't help you bring back SingStar, but we can help you find a new PS4. Check out our PS4 Black Friday deals. 

Alyssa Mercante
Alyssa Mercante

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.