Online ID Change on PSN: Your Questions Answered

523 2
Online ID Change on PSN: Your Questions Answered

The long-requested feature officially launches today.

We’re excited to announce that the online ID change feature on PSN is officially launching to all PlayStation 4 owners later today. You’ll also be able to change your online ID via a web browser, and that feature will also be available starting today. Thanks to all of you who participated in the beta preview program back in October/November and who gave us your feedback!

We do want to take this opportunity to clarify one point – as a result of the preview program, we’ve found an instance where a game did not fully support the feature, even though it was originally published after April 1, 2018, contrary to what we mentioned in our . All PS4 games originally published on or after April 1, 2018 have been developed to support the online ID change feature. However, since they have not all been specifically tested with the feature, we cannot guarantee that they will support it. For more details and information, we encourage you to refer to the before making a change to your online ID. Do keep in mind that the large majority of most actively played PS4 games support the feature.

We’re sure you have questions about this long-awaited feature and how it all works. This FAQ should have the answers you seek, but if not, just leave us a note in the comments below. We’ll do our best to update this document or respond in the comments section.

There’s also a section on our PlayStation support page that may help answer additional questions, which you can check out .

Now without further ado, on to the FAQ!

Q: Where and how can I change my online ID?

You can either change your online ID on your PS4 or web browser.

PlayStation 4:

  • Step 1: From your PS4 go to [Settings].
  • Step 2: Select [Account Management] > [Account Information] > [Profile] > [Online ID].
  • Step 3: Enter an Online ID of your choice or choose from one of the suggestions.
  • Step 4: Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the change.

Web browser:

  • Step 1: Sign in to your and select PSN Profile in the menu.
  • Step 2: Select the Edit button that’s next to your Online ID.
  • Step 3: Enter an Online ID of your choice or choose from one of the suggestions.
  • Step 4: Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the change.

Q. Can I change my online ID on my PS3 or PS Vita?

No. The change can only be made through a PS4 system or web browser.

Q: Do I have to pay to change my ID? How much will it cost?

The first change is free, and changes after that will cost $9.99 USD / CAD. For PlayStation Plus members, it will cost $4.99 USD/ CAD for each change after the first one.

Q: Will my friends be able to find me with my new online ID?

When changing your online ID, you’ll have the option to display your old ID next to your new ID in your Profile for 30 days. This will make it easier for your friends to notice your ID change. You can only select this option at the time you are changing your online ID.

Q: How many times can I change my ID?

In general, there are no restrictions to the number of times you can change your online ID.

Q: Can I revert back to my old ID?

You can as long as the old ID doesn’t violate the . You can revert back to any of your previous IDs by contacting PlayStation Support.

Q. Do I have to pay to revert back to an old ID?

No, reverting back is free.

Q: What happens to my old online ID? Can someone else take it?

No, your old online ID is only available to you.

Q: If I change my online ID multiple times, can I revert back to any of my past IDs?

Yes, you can revert back to any of your previous online IDs, as long as those IDs do not violate the .

Q: How many times can I revert back to an old ID?

In general, there are no restrictions to the number of times you can revert your online ID.

Q: Can any account change their online ID?

Child accounts cannot change their online ID.

Q: Do all games support online ID change?

A large majority of the most-played PS4 games that we tested support the feature. We recommend that you before you make the actual change. PS3 and PS Vita games are not supported.

Q. What do you mean by a game supports the online ID change if it was ‘originally published’ on or after April 1, 2018?

The game must have launched for the first time on or after April 1, 2018, to support the online ID change feature. For example, a game that first launched back in 2013 that has since been re-mastered or re-sold as a ‘complete edition’ in 2018 does not apply.

Q: Why is it that only games published after April 1, 2018 were developed to support online ID change?

Games published after this date were developed using tools that support online ID change at a system level.

Q: Will all PS4 games released in the future support the feature?

All PS4 games originally published on or after April 1, 2018 have been developed to support the online ID change feature, but we do not guarantee that all games will fully support the feature.

Q: I saw that there are a lot of potential issues and risks associated with changing my online ID. How do I know that I won’t run into these?

We recommend that you before you make the actual change. A large majority of the most-played PS4 games that we tested support the feature, and we expect major issues to occur only in a small number of games.

Q: What kind of issues could I potentially run into?

Below are some of the issues you may encounter. We expect major issues to occur only in a small number of games.

  • Your previous Online ID may remain visible to you and other players in some areas.
  • You may lose progress within games, including game saved data, leaderboard data, and progress towards Trophies.
  • Parts of your game and applications may not function properly both online and offline.
  • You may lose access to content (including paid-for content) that you may have acquired for your games including content like add-ons and virtual currency.

Q: What should I do if I encounter an issue by changing my online ID?

If you experience any issues while playing a game that is not on the , we recommend that you revert back to your previous online ID that did not have those issues. Reverting back should resolve most issues.

Comments are closed.

523 Comments

2 Author Replies

  • I feel disappointed with this news. I have always wanted to change my name for the last 13 years and wish we had a way. At this point im not sure if I would want to get a new name if i could possibly lose stats and even worse trophy progress. I am a level 18 and wouldnt be happy to lose anything. I think there could of been in way to make sure all trophy progress stays put and doesnt get lost.

    • Same here! I am level 18, and wouldn’t want my 29 platinums to just disappear.

    • I don’t understand why PlayStation is making this so difficult, although I will never go back to Xbox, they had the name change system down perfectly for years. No lose of stats or trophies, no issues with other games. Just a simple ID change. I don’t understand why this is so hard for PlayStation to figure out and get right.

    • Im not seeing the edit button on my ps4 menu or on the web browser version. When will we actually be able to do this????

    • concordo. tantos problemas para mudar o nick nn está sendo bem aceito já que é da sony q estamos falando

    • The name change isnt showing up for me, does anyone have a solution?

    • I was going to ask if anyone has done this and to see if the progress has been lost. I want to change mine sooooooooo bad im level 16 but if it means keeping my rap sheet then I will have to live with it.

    • Same.
      Sony, you need to do more with your “answers”…
      When you put out there that we could lose actual monetary purchases/dlc/movies?/tv shows?..
      You should say that you are looking at way to prevent this.
      The name change was not ready to release with it being so confusing and at risk of stealing money that we have spent.
      It is the lack of confidence and lack of any concern in your “questions answered” about losing our purchases.
      I already lost movies that I purchased from the PS3 to the ps4… I would recommend that Sony does a far better job addressing this issue.

  • There is no edit button next to mine name, why.
    Please help me Sony.

    • i second that! i dont yet have the option… when is it actually going to be available??????

    • Yeah I can’t find any way to change this. It’s starting to piss me off. Also, I can’t even leave my own comment on this guide!! I can only reply to others.

    • SOMEONE HELP, there isn’t an option to change my online ID? so when is this gonna actually launch?

    • Having the same issue..

    • Same here, no edit option is yet available and I’m also not able to leave my own comment on the blog. If anyone finds out the issue please share. Good Wednesday all!

    • same and i cant even comment also its rly annoying bc i cant change my name to my old account name thats diff

    • Same here, no edit options for me

    • Me as well.

    • it hasn’t come out yet and i am ….. a little anxious especially given my rather unfortunate name (made when i was 6)

    • I likewise have the same issue. Its not available for me on my playstation4 or my browser.

    • the feature is only unavailable for child accounts right now and its a pisstake because despite being registered as a child account i’m not a child and now i cant change my ID

    • @P00pn…
      Forgive me but I could not help it and I had to laugh really hard.
      :\

    • @Band_Guy_2477 :
      “the feature is only unavailable for child accounts right now and its a misstake because despite being registered as a child account i’m not a child and now i cant change my ID”

      If you are now over 18 you can change it into an ordinary account I think. May be this need be done from the master account though. (?)

      Of course if you also did not register with a correct birth date, it goes only along with whatever that second mistake was too.

    • If that happens that is because your account is on child account and you cant change your username if it is under that :/

  • If I currently have mk11 preordered, would that be affected?

  • Let me know when it is available and if it is worth it, the only game that I see that would matter to me is GTA V especially GTA Online.

  • Very interesting!!! Still undecided because I’ve had this name for years and years..

    The 311 in my name is because I used to really really like the band 311, but I don’t really listen too them much anymore. (At least it’s not a band tattoo, haha)

    Does anyone know if MLB The Show 19 is affected by the name change??? A bunch of the older games are listed in under the “critical issues” category of games tested and one game is located under “issues identified”.

    This leads me to believe that it’s inevitable that MLB The Show 19 (the new one this year) will have the same type of issues if all the previous games are having issues..

    • Yeah I got Slipknot as my psn name and Im in the same boat but i dont want to lose my level 16 trophy system. Has anyone switched over ans seen if it really screws everything up? Please advise

  • So what time is this going to be released today?

  • A que hora estará disponible??????????

  • Is there any chance of losing trophy history? I understand the potential for loss of trophy progress, but what about trophies that have been earned over the past decade or so?

    • SAME!?!?!? I absolutely HATE my PSN name. If I lose my over a decade worth of work then I’ll bite the bullet and keep it. But if not then Ill change it in a heartbeat

  • Does apex legends have problems with online Id change

  • Got to say the whole online ID change…. Does not work! It doesn’t give you the “Online ID” option to change your online name, I have done it step by step… So if anyone can give me any kind of information how to??? Everything of mine is up to date and speed!!!

    • I believe it isn’t live yet.. just posted a thread and asked the same… I’m assuming it’s coming soon.. *impatiently waiting……..

  • What if I just want to capitalize a few letters? Solidmgsnake -> SolidMGSnake

    • Note: Not a how to, just speculation!

      Maybe changing to a completely new one, then reverting back to the old is the way?

      Guess it would depend on how it all works. Like for example if the previous one have to be retyped again (but now with different caps) like when first registering or changing name, or if it is chosen from a list of earlier name.

  • Is it live yet? Why isn’t it giving me the option to edit my ID? I’ve tried via browser and PS4.. Just curious if it has gone live yet, or it’s coming, or if there’s an issue. Like I said, it’s not allowing me to edit the PSN ID.

    • Well its 4pm on the east coast and still not available so it’s getting pretty late it if going to be out today, what’s the deal?

    • Same issue, we’ve checked if it was the parental controls put in place from my dad but we cant find somewhere to edit it on the device or in browser

  • So will i lose any trophies for games that are on ps3 and ps vita?

  • Ok, now can Sony please focus on letting us be able to delete whatever trophies we want from our list……. been waiting for this feature for a very long time. I don’t mean just 0% games, I don’t mean being able to hide them.

  • I can’t change it. There’s no “Edit” button next to my Online ID on the site.

  • Will i lose my trophies for games i own that are on ps3 and vita?

  • Yeah too many risk for me to EVER do this. And you need to make your refund policy like Steam and allow a grace period of an hour after you download something to get a refund.

    You aren’t sly restricting refunds to those who haven’t downloaded something yet. And you’ll face issues on this anti consumer b.s..

  • Hi I was just wondering if WWE 2k19 and any of the new wwe 2k games will be ok with the name change as I saw it only support 2k15-2k18 I was just wondering if 2k19 and the future wwe games will be able to be played and supported with the name change.

  • I’d just like to add my voice to the opinion that there should eventually be a way to reclaim inactive account names for use. There are already a ton of inactive accounts, and it will only get worse as time goes on.

  • How about region (country) change? It happens to people to move…

  • I want to change my embarrassing Online ID. I can’t see the “Edit” bar aside my Online ID, and I’m not a child. How can I solve this? Need help ASAP.

    • I understand you and others here, but what you could do in the mean time when planning a group effort, if they games you play allow so, provide a short explanation that this does not or does not anymore reflect your behaviour. At the same time, I would think that there is a healthy amount of players who would base their decisions on more than solely the playername.

  • Quiero cambiar mi ID , pero aun no esta habilitada verdad?

  • Is there any way to link or join 2 accounts? I have two accounts. One had my first and last name on it and I have the most trophies with it; I wanted to change my online ID back in 2015 but I found out it could not be done. Then, for privacy concerns, I was forced to create separate account (this one). Now I have 2 accounts with split trophies.

    • This is an interesting question for some of those who have multiple accounts but as this might require perhaps even more effort than this feature here from practically all developers, I would assume that such a feature may not be imminent and that it might, for better or for worse, be offered as a purchaseable feature.

  • What about if you own the name you want to switch too, ie another account?

  • PRAISE THE LORD!! Seriously thank you, all of you who made this a possibility. I can’t wait to change my name. But now… I need to seriously consider what it’s going to be…

  • Why is there no Edit option next to my PSN name like you say in the instructions?

  • is fortnite listed on the tested games list because i cant open it right now , i don’t know why , by the way if it’s listed have someone tried changing his account name and played fortnite after? if yes did anything change?

  • When I try to change my Online ID i don’t have the option to change it please help

  • (x) Doubt

    I don’t see an edit button on my username in my settings.

  • Waste of time and resources but that’s Sony champion at doing the unnecessary.What about your ever glitched activity feed,being unable to upload videos to YT and videos STILL skipping themselves after nearly 3 years that an update brought it?…you’re not fixing those right?

    Good job in making the PSN a mess…only $10 after the first change?…and it can be changed how many times you want?…Jesus Sony who plans these things?…guess $10 from thousands of people around the world who are dumb enough to not think before deciding on something they’ll use for life is more important than keeping PSN a decent place and fixing your broken hardware,oh yeah it’ll fill your pockets.

    Can’t wait to see the mess this will make on PSN.

    • at least they provide the first for free. XBorx charges you $10 for the first, no freebies

    • Sorry to burst your bubble but the gaming community is die-hard about display names as much as it is about customization freedom. Players on Xbox, Steam, Epic and other gaming platforms have always been able to change their display names and Root ID’s for years.. So to answer your question about “Who plans these things” That would be people who have listened to the feedback about name changes and watched as people constantly are losing data because of a display name that bothers them later on or they have grown out of it. 90% of us aren’t 10 year olds anymore.

    • @Beniamino
      I agree with you that the loss of progress and purchases is not acceptable, however and beyond a technical sense I would at the same time say that it is necessary for our decisions and actions to be linked with responsibility and a certain amount of consequence regardless of a certain age.

  • poor me, it’s not available for me yet :/

  • So… I went to go change it and there is no option for it. Says that once its set, its set forever and I can’t change it.

  • When Does It come Out For People in The Us

  • Quick question. If someone is blocked and changes their ID will they remain blocked?

  • Can i change my name from the mobile Playstation app?

  • Awhile ago my account was insta-banned due to a payment issue, so I made a new account with a better name to play on until it was reactivated via the cards I emailed in.
    I’m wondering if I can somehow delete that account and switch it to my main? Someone asked this earlier and they didn’t get an answer.

  • it doesnt work

  • If I change my ID, will I lose Access to my Digital PS3 and Vita games???

  • do we know when we will be able to do this? still dont have the option on my ps4

  • Hey i was wandering what time is the update supposed to be released im very excited and wanna know, thanks

  • $10 to potentially lose game progress and paid content? Sounds great! I wanna rush right into this as soon as it’s released!

    At least the first chance to screw up your account is free. I have too much money invested in digital content to even bother with this. As tempting as it is, I hope people think this over before trying it. Unless you’re one of those people who play the same game all year and you know it’s supported, then I would pass.

  • guys they say: tested games okay where is the list!! they took me to this page https://asia.playstation.com/ and i dont see any list!!
    can u pls help me with the list?

  • The option still isn’t available. I’m in no rush to change it but prefer to get it out of the way and just change my PSN. My PSN gamertag/ID is as you can see, many have assumed I’m some hoodlum…. I understand that, I see many whacky, misspelled, PSNs and they’re mostly hood trash or just uneducated and overtime it made me self-conscious lol. Teh is just internet slang or a typo of The, I spelled Finezt that way because idk why lol, perhaps to sound hip or something. Joker is because of laughing so much and sometimes cracking jokes at right moments that my friends have deemed as golden Joker moments and the X is 10 in Roman Numeral and 2010 happens to be the year I made this PSN. Im keeping Joker but the rest will be changed. The X also has to go unfortunately but if this feature was released in 2020, I would’ve put 2 X’s, heck that could reference my favorite Megaman series, X which was set in 21XX with the first game.

    • Oh yeah, found some info on when the PSN ID change, it will rollout at around 5PM PST so for us in the East coast, that’s at 8PM. If you’re not sure at what time it’ll be released for your own time zone then google it yourselves.

  • Will I have licensing problems with Mortal Kombat 11 if I change my id?

  • My current account that I play on has the name Prime_Curbside, I also have another account that has my original name, the account name is CurbsideAsh, I want to be able to change the name to something else and then change my original accounts name to CurbsideAsh, but the account still possess the ID, and I cannot change my main accounts ID to it. will there be any way to take my PSN ID and remove it completely from the account in the future?

  • This a lie !!

  • Well this works for me I just want to use capitalize letters my name.

  • How hard would it be to select “Surrender (Make available)” old ID when changing to a new one? Somebody has an ID I want, and even if they agreed to surrender it they cannot. Double the agony. “Yeah, I dont even use that ID anymore, but you still cannnot have it!”. Not well thought out.

    • Since even the new soft alias ID is still essentially treated as an old hard ID it probably wouldn’t be very popular to do so anyway. As that would mean losing any purchases made with it.

      Sure, a new secondary sub alias would probably not have any such values attached. But how would anyone distinguish. It would be confusing to no end, as indicated by just this name change procedure here already.

      It would likely also spark a wide array of pressuring or trolling on the network.

      As much as I like the core idea, (it would sure solve an issue for me) it does come with problems.

  • I didn’t notice it in the listing of games, but what about Elder Scrolls Online?

  • When is this going to happen?

Please enter your date of birth.

Date of birth fields