This past weekend, Sony’s PlayStation Network experienced an unexpected outage that lasted over a day, marking one of the longest unscheduled downtimes for a major gaming service in recent memory. The network’s services went offline on Friday and Saturday, disrupting gaming plans and sparking genuine concerns about the future of digital game ownership.
The incident sheds light on a looming issue for game owners, as the industry increasingly depends on networked connections and digital copies—a dependency emphasizing the downsides we face during such outages. Alarmingly, even some individuals with physical games found themselves affected. I’d like to share my personal experience with this interruption as well.
With the Super Bowl approaching, I’ve been on a sports gaming spree. Recently, I’ve been engrossed in the hockey roguelite Tape to Tape on my PC, which spurred me to delve deeper into sports simulations available on my PS5. With that in mind, I decided to launch TopSpin 2K25, the latest release in 2K’s tennis series. I was in the mood for a single-player sports game, one where I could immerse myself in captivating sports narratives without juggling multiple players.
That’s when I stumbled upon the issue—as the PlayStation Network was down, nearly every game mode in TopSpin 2K25 became inaccessible. To my surprise, even single-player modes were unavailable. I expected the network outage to affect multiplayer functions, but my solo career mode, which entirely depends on me, was grayed out on the selection screen. Without access to the network, all game modes, except for tutorials and exhibition matches, were locked away.
Shifting tactics, I fired up NBA 2K25 for the first time. Curiously, I was able to install a patch for the game despite the network outage. Fortunately, the single-player modes in NBA 2K25 were functioning. Therefore, I embarked on a personal challenge—running a franchise mode with an expansion team made up of overlooked players. However, not being connected to the network meant skipping the tutorial, and despite being a 2K veteran, I was caught off guard by the new shooting system in 2K25. I didn’t make a single shot in my first game, growing so frustrated that I simulated the remainder and ultimately restarted my progress the next day.
Deciding to end my day productively despite the outage, I turned my attention to Dishonored, a game both my brother and I recently started. Thankfully, Dishonored largely sidesteps any online requirements, which spared it from the network issues—except, I typically play my PS5 titles on my PC using the PS Remote Play app because I like keeping the TV free for my partner’s own gaming or viewing. Initially, Remote Play worked during the outage, but after my first Dishonored session on Saturday, the app logged me out of my Sony account. With the network still down, I couldn’t log back in, effectively barring me from playing the PS5 on my PC.
Realizing the futility of my attempts, I decided to call it quits for PS5 gaming that Saturday, likely a sentiment shared by many others. Thankfully, I didn’t encounter more significant issues—such as those faced by users with physical games, or individuals attempting to game with friends only to be thwarted by connectivity issues. Despite being a minor, though aggravating, hassle, it was eye-opening to realize how dependent some of my games are on an online connection. It’s a concerning glimpse into potential challenges in preserving and maintaining game ownership in the future.
