Evolving the PlayStation Store Experience

Since its launch during the PS3 console generation, the PlayStation Store has become a central way for game creators to connect with the millions of players in the PlayStation community. With curated game collections, free demos, a range of detailed filters, and a hub for sharing game screenshots and trailers, PlayStation Store is a key destination for our players to discover new gaming experiences.

Over the past few years, we’ve continued to evolve how players experience digital offerings on PlayStation Store, with the ultimate goal of making it easier for players to find their next favorite game. Read on for a look back at some of the features we have introduced to the PlayStation Store experience since the launch of the PlayStation 5 console.

Apple Pay support on console

Our teams at Sony Interactive Entertainment recently introduced Apple Pay support for PS5 and PS4 players, providing an easy, secure, and private way to pay to millions of players worldwide. This integration bridges the convenience of Apple Pay with the immersive PlayStation experience. 

Integrating a native payment experience for a gaming console’s UX differs from integrating for web browsers or mobile apps. When bringing Apple Pay to the on-console PlayStation Store experience and designing a new console-native flow for PS5 and PS4, we prioritized a user-friendly experience. We wanted to make it as seamless as possible, so when it’s time to checkout with Apple Pay, players will only need to scan the code with their iPhone and use their device to biometrically authenticate using Face ID or Touch ID to complete their Apple Pay purchase.

We’ve been thrilled with the response of our players so far, who are now able to use Apple Pay using their iPhone to make easy, secure and private purchases from PlayStation Store.

Star Ratings on PS5 consoles and web

Choosing the next game to add to your PS5 Library can be a tough choice. With thousands of games to choose from, we wanted to make this process easier for players by providing a meaningful and informed purchase experience. In November 2023, we introduced Star Ratings to PlayStation Store for PS5 consoles and on web browsers, amplifying the voices of real players to help others feel more confident in their gaming decisions. 

When bringing Star Ratings to the PS5 console and web, our team wanted to make sure that players viewed ratings as a trusted source of information. When developing this feature, we designed it so that players must own the game before submitting a rating to avoid situations where players submit false reviews, while allowing players with various playtimes to share their personal experience. As the Star Ratings feature was previously available on PS4 console, we also included legacy ratings shared by the PS4 community for a complete picture of how players have experienced select titles.

Since launching this feature, we’re happy to share that over 6.3 million Star Ratings have been submitted via PS5 and web browsers. The majority of ratings have been overwhelmingly positive, with most falling in the 4 or 5 star range as players have been eager to share their positive experiences with others.

Accessibility Tags for PS5 consoles

At Sony Interactive, we’re committed to making gaming more accessible to all. To spotlight the great accessibility features that game creators are bringing to their titles, we introduced Accessibility Tags on PlayStation Store for the PS5 console in April 2023, providing a way for players to discover games with accessibility features that suit their gameplay preferences. 

Here are a few of the more than 50 Accessibility Tags available for game creators to choose from, across six categories:

• Visual accessibility features, such as clear text, large text, color alternatives, audio cues and directional audio indicators. 
• Audio features, such as volume controls, mono audio, screen reader and visual cue alternatives.
• Subtitle and caption options, including subtitle size, clear captions, and large captions.
• Control options, including button remapping, thumbstick sensitivity, and ability to play without button holds, rapid button presses or motion control.
• Gameplay options, such as difficulty settings, skippable puzzles, simplified quick time events, and game speed.
• Online communication options, such as text or voice chat transcription and ping communication.

Since the launch of Accessibility Tags, players can easily see if the game they want to play aligns with their gameplay preferences. As of 2025, there are over 700 games featuring Accessibility Tags and counting! We look forward to seeing how game creators continue to weave in these key features within their games.

Passkeys for PlayStation accounts

A key part of the PlayStation Store experience is maintaining the safety of our global player community. In February 2024, we rolled out passkeys for PlayStation accounts globally as an alternative option to passwords. This provided a more secure and convenient way for PS5 and PS4 players to log into their PlayStation account, including on PlayStation Store.  

Passkeys are a modern evolution to passwords that allow players to access their account without a password by signing in through their device using convenient methods, like a fingerprint, face or PIN.

With the introduction of passkey, we saw a 24% reduction in web sign in time. Passkey is another way we’re continuing to evolve our efforts for protecting players and providing players with more choice in how they secure and access their PlayStation account. Learn more about the introduction of passkeys on here on SIE.Blog

We hope you’ve enjoyed the features we’ve introduced to PlayStation Store during the PS5 console generation. Keep an eye out for even more improvements that we’ll be working on to continue evolving the player experience.