With a week-long protest in August, the community now aims to send a message to Sony that cannot be ignored regarding the company’s recent policies.
At the end of August, the lights are set to go out on millions of PlayStation consoles worldwide for seven days. What sounds at first glance like a planned hacker attack is actually a protest organized by gamers themselves against Sony.
The trigger for the frustration:Starting in January 2028, there will be no more new games on disc for the PlayStation.
Here’s what’s behind PSBlackout
The call for this week of protest comes from Does It Play?, an initiative specializing in game preservation. The rules for the campaign under the hashtag PSBlackout, which is set to take place from August 23 to 30, 2026, are incredibly simple:
- On August 23, starting at 7:00 p.m. German time, you’ll log out completely from the PlayStation Network.
- You will not start a single online game on Sony’s platforms for the following seven days.
- You will not make any purchases on the PlayStation Store—neither for games nor for DLCs or subscriptions like PS Plus.
Does Sony want to abandon its fans? Let’s give them a little taste of their own medicine!
Together with other creators, we’re calling for a 1-week PSBlackout in August. No logins, no gameplay sessions, no purchases on any of Sony’s platforms. pic.twitter.com/v6JvdvbHLD
— Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1) July 26, 2026
The goal of the campaign is to hit Sony’s most important metrics where it hurts the company: daily user numbers and ongoing store revenue. Anaccompanying petitionagainst the end of physical discs has already gathered over 345,000 signatures.
More Than Just the End of Discs
For many involved, however, the planned end of physical discs is merelythe straw that breaks the camel’s back. In the organizers’ statement, the list of grievances reads like a reckoning with the decisions of recent years.
Among other things, critics are pointing to the closure of well-known studios like Bluepoint Games, the focus on failed live-service projects such as Concord, the end of further development for PS VR2, and constant price increases.
The loss of purchased movie and TV show content from user libraries due to expired licenses also continues to cause discontent. Added to this is the desire for long-forgotten franchises such as SOCOM, Resistance, Sly Cooper, and Twisted Metal.
Does the boycott even stand a chance?
With over 120 million active PlayStation accounts worldwide, the uprising would have to reach massive proportions to have any noticeable impact on the bottom line. Even the loss of a few hundred thousand players would account for barely one percent of the total.
On top of that, the lion’s share of all games is already purchased digitally. Whether the protest week will ultimately amount to more than a symbolic gesture from the community remains to be seen at the end of August.
What do you think of this campaign? Will you leave your console turned off for a week at the end of August, or do you think the protest is futile? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
