PS3 and PS Vita stores will remain online as Sony reverses course

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The PSP store will still close this July as planned

PS3 Future Owns
(Image credit: Future)

Sony will no longer close the PS3 and PS Vita stores this summer following outcry from PlayStation legacy fans and video game preservationists alike. 

"Upon further reflection, however, it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here," president and CEO Jim Ryan said in a new blog post. "So today I’m happy to say that we will be keeping the PlayStation Store operational for PS3 and PS Vita devices … 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. 

"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. I’m glad that we can keep this piece of our history alive for gamers to enjoy, while we continue to create cutting-edge new game worlds for PS4, PS5, and the next generation of VR."

Ryan didn't specify how long the PS3 and PS Vita stores will remain online, but they won't be on the chopping block for at least "the foreseeable future." However, the PSP store will still be retired on July 2 as originally planned, so if you've had any games on your wishlist for 16 years, now's the time to get them. 

We've reached out to Sony for additional details on the future of legacy PlayStation stores and will update our reporting if we hear back. 

The web versions of the PS3 and Vita stores will seemingly remain offline, but you'll still be able to download games directly from your console.  

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.