A PlayStation server outage left millions of gamers scrambling for alternative ways to pass the time last Friday evening.
The outage, which began around 6:30 p.m., affected PlayStation consoles worldwide, preventing users from accessing popular online games like Fortnite and Marvel Rivals. The disruption prompted widespread frustration, with many players venting their complaints on social media.
Gone are the days when video games were stored physically, allowing players to enjoy them at any time. Now, with games stored online on servers, any server downtime means players are locked out of their purchased content.
This was not the first time PlayStation experienced such an issue. The last major outage occurred in 2011, when PlayStation servers were hacked and went offline for 23 days, compromising personal data from over 77 million accounts.
During the outage, many users, including this reporter, turned to alternative hobbies to fill the void. After nearly 20 hours, PlayStation users received good news: PlayStation’s X account announced that service had been restored, and PlayStation Plus members would receive five extra days of service at no charge.
Sony later stated that the outage was caused by maintenance, though the timing—during peak server hours on a Friday—raised some concerns among users.
For now, gamers can return to their consoles, hoping the outage won't happen again
