PlayStation Vita, PSP & PS3 Stores Set to Close Indefinitely

Well, it seems to be the end of an era — what with the PlayStation 5 now steaming ahead with very little room for its older siblings. It's because of this, as well as a major loss of interest in older hardware, that Sony has decided to pull the plug on several PlayStation Stores in just a few months. So, if you're still a proud owner of either a PS3, a Vita or a PSP — then you might want to snatch up a final thread of games before your access will be revoked.

Prior to the launch of the PlayStation 5, CEO Jim Ryan made it perfectly clear that it wouldn't support backwards compatibility with anything before the PS4. So, while the PS5 can run up to 99% of PS4 titles, anything outside of the ex-gen line won't make it to scratch. Of course, that leaves Sony with the ultimatum of either keeping a fading community grasping at straws or closing the book and putting all future attention on the here and now. Sadly, as reports have confirmed — the latter appears to be the plan moving forward.

Out with the old, in with the new — so they say.

When will the stores close?

While this does seem to be a rather abrupt card to pull out of the blue, it doesn't technically mean you're left with a matter of hours before losing a few of the stores. In fact, you'll be pleased to know that no threads will be pulled from the spool until July at the earliest.

The PSP and PS3 stores are set to cease trading on July 2nd, and the PS Vita will close up shop on August 27th. After that, you won't be able to purchase any digital games on any of the mentioned platforms. However, that doesn't mean physical copies won't be available in actual stores. If anything, the demand might just skyrocket after the closure of the three online markets. But that's a story for another time.

PlayStation Community Support for the PS4 will also close in April 2021. However, you'll still be able to stay connected with other users via the PlayStation app. Take it or leave it, I suppose. Farewell, PS. You've been good to us these past however many years.