Sony is facing a major antitrust challenge in the UK over how it runs the PlayStation Store, with a class action lawsuit seeking almost £2 billion (about $2.7 billion) in damages for alleged overcharging of PlayStation users.
The case centres on Sony’s control over digital game sales and in-game purchases on PlayStation consoles, and whether its business model unfairly inflates prices for UK consumers.
The class action, covering an estimated 12.2 million people, argues that Sony “occupies a dominant position in relation to the digital distribution of PlayStation games and in-game content” and has been “unfairly charging its UK customers too much” for digital titles and in-game purchases made through the PlayStation Store.
According to the claim, Sony “has a near monopoly” over both full digital games and add-on content on its platform. Because PlayStation users are effectively steered to the PlayStation Store for downloads, the lawsuit contends that Sony is able to set prices and take a 30 percent commission on these digital transactions.
The action is seeking compensation for anyone in the UK who:
- Owned a PlayStation console, and
- Bought digital games or made in-game purchases via the PlayStation Store
during the period from August 19, 2016 to February 12, 2026.
The case is being brought as an opt-out collective action, meaning eligible PlayStation users in the UK are automatically included and do not need to sign up individually. If the lawsuit succeeds, each affected person could receive around £162 (about $217), based on current estimates.
Sony has argued that restricting downloads to its own PlayStation Store and not allowing third-party stores is justified on security and privacy grounds, according to reporting cited from the Financial Times. The company also maintains that its digital sales commission helps offset the thin margins on console hardware, which it says is often sold at minimal profit.
The PlayStation case lands against the backdrop of recent antitrust scrutiny of other major platform operators in the UK. A similar class action involving Apple’s App Store fees resulted in a key ruling last October, when the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal concluded that Apple had abused its dominant market position and overcharged App Store users. In December, Apple lodged an appeal against the £1.5 billion (about $2 billion) fine arising from that case.
The outcome of the Sony lawsuit will now test how far UK courts are willing to extend that reasoning to console platforms and their digital stores.