PlayStation Account Hacked? How to Recover Your PSN Account

If your PlayStation account was hacked, secure the email address you use to sign in first, then reset your password through PlayStation’s official sign-in page. If the hacker changed the email or password and the reset doesn’t reach you, contact PlayStation Support through playstation.com, typed in yourself, and ask for help with a compromised account. Once you’re back in, turn on 2-step verification, sign out of all devices, and check your wallet, saved payment methods, purchase history and primary console setting.

A PlayStation Network account holds your games, subscriptions, trophies, wallet funds and often a saved card, which is why it’s worth stealing. This guide walks through recovery, the cleanup that’s specific to PlayStation, and the scams that lead to most takeovers.

Signs your PlayStation account was hacked

• Emails from PlayStation about a password change, a new sign-in, a changed sign-in ID or a purchase you didn’t make.
• Your password stops working on your console, the PlayStation App or the website.
• Wallet funds are gone, or games, add-ons or in-game currency were bought without you.
• Your online ID, avatar or profile changed, or friends say you sent them messages or party invites you don’t remember.
• Your console is no longer your primary console, so games you own stop working when you’re offline or for other users on your PS4 or PS5.
• A subscription changed, was upgraded, or was used to redeem codes you didn’t buy.

Scammers also send fake “PlayStation security” emails and texts. Don’t use links in those messages. Open the PlayStation App or type playstation.com yourself and check the account there.

Step 1: Secure your email first

Your sign-in ID is usually your email address, and that’s where PlayStation sends password resets and security alerts. If a hacker controls the inbox, they can take the PlayStation account back as quickly as you recover it.

1. Change your email password to a long, unique one.
2. Turn on 2-step verification, a passkey or a security key for the email account.
3. Check for forwarding rules, filters or signed-in devices you didn’t set up, especially rules that hide or delete mail from PlayStation.
4. If the email itself was taken over, recover it before anything else. Our guide for a hacked email account covers the steps.

Step 2: Recover the account through PlayStation Support

If you can still sign in

1. Change your password to one you’ve never used anywhere else.
2. Check your sign-in ID and phone number in account security settings, and restore your own if they were changed.
3. Sign out of all devices. PlayStation’s account security settings include an option to sign out everywhere. That removes the hacker from any console, phone or browser they used.
4. Turn on 2-step verification (see step 3) before you do anything else.

If you’re locked out

1. Try the “trouble signing in” or password reset option on PlayStation’s sign-in page. If your email wasn’t changed, the reset link should still reach you.
2. Look for a PlayStation email about the change. Security notices sent to your old address can help you prove when the takeover happened.
3. Contact PlayStation Support through the support section of playstation.com. Explain that the account was compromised and that the sign-in details were changed.
4. Have your proof of ownership ready. Useful details include your original sign-in email, your online ID, your date of birth as entered on the account, the console you usually play on, and the last digits and date of a card purchase, which you can find on your bank statement.

Recovery through PlayStation Support is free. Keep any case or chat reference number, and reply only through official PlayStation channels.

Step 3: Lock the account down

• 2-step verification. PlayStation offers a second step at sign-in. An authenticator app is stronger than a text message, because it doesn’t depend on your phone number staying safe. Save the backup codes PlayStation gives you somewhere offline.
• Passkeys, if offered. Where your account and devices support a passkey, it can’t be typed into a fake login page, which is the most common way these accounts are taken.
• A unique password. If the old PlayStation password was reused on other game accounts, change those as well.
• Require a password at checkout. PlayStation lets you require sign-in details before purchases on your console. Turn it on, especially if children share the console.

Step 4: Check what the hacker changed

Area	What to look for	What to do
Transaction history	Games, add-ons, currency or wallet top-ups you didn’t buy	Note the dates and amounts for PlayStation Support
Payment methods	Cards or PayPal you don’t recognize, or your own card used	Remove unknown methods; tell PlayStation Support, then your bank
Primary console	A console you don’t own set as primary	Use the option to deactivate other devices, then set your own console
Subscriptions	Upgrades, changed plans or auto-renew switched on	Restore your settings; raise unexpected charges with support
Profile and friends	New online ID, avatar, friends or messages you didn’t send	Fix the profile; warn friends by another channel
Linked accounts	Game publisher, streaming or social accounts connected to PSN	Unlink anything you don’t use; secure the ones you do

Why the primary console matters

Your primary console is the one that lets your games work offline and for other users on that machine. A hacker who signs in on their own PS4 or PS5 can set it as primary, which lets them play your library and can stop your games working properly on your console. Use the device management option on PlayStation’s website to deactivate other devices, then turn the primary setting back on from your own console. PlayStation limits how often you can do this, so do it once, after you’ve secured the password and 2-step verification.

Charges and chargebacks

If wallet funds or your card were used, contact PlayStation Support first and describe the unauthorized purchases. Then contact your bank or card issuer about any charges that aren’t resolved. Filing a chargeback before speaking to PlayStation can lead to restrictions on the account, so ask support how they handle unauthorized charges. Whether wallet funds or purchases can be restored depends on PlayStation’s policies and the details of your case.

Linked accounts: Epic, game publishers and streaming

Many games ask you to connect your PSN account to a publisher account, such as an Epic Games account for Fortnite, or an account for a sports or shooter franchise. A hacker who gets into PlayStation may also have linked their own publisher account, or used yours.

• Review linked services in your PlayStation account settings and remove anything you don’t recognize.
• Check each publisher account you’ve linked. If you play Fortnite or Rocket League, see our guides for an Epic Games account hacked and a Fortnite account hacked.
• If you also play on Xbox or PC, secure those accounts too. Our guides cover an Xbox account hacked and a Steam account hacked.

The scams behind most PlayStation hacks

• Free PlayStation Plus or gift card codes. Sites and videos promising free subscriptions, wallet credit or codes ask you to sign in “to claim”. The sign-in box is fake and captures your password and code.
• “You’ve been reported” messages. A stranger says your account will be banned unless you verify it with “PlayStation staff” on Discord or a website. PlayStation doesn’t handle moderation that way.
• Account sharing and sellers. Buying a “cheap account” with games already on it, or sharing your login with someone offering to boost your stats or trophies, hands your details to a stranger. Selling or sharing accounts also breaks PlayStation’s terms, so the account can be closed.
• Fake security emails and texts. “Unusual sign-in detected, confirm your account” messages lead to lookalike login pages.
• Reused passwords. If your PlayStation password was used on another site that was breached, criminals can try it automatically. You can check whether your email appears in known breaches with Have I Been Pwned.

For parents: a child’s PlayStation account

If your child has their own account in your PlayStation family, you can manage it from the family manager account. Change the child’s password, check spending limits, and look at who they’ve been talking to while the account was out of your hands.

• Make sure the child account’s email is one a parent controls, so resets come to you.
• Set a monthly spending limit and require a password at checkout on the console.
• Check communication and content settings, and whether the hacker added friends or sent messages to your child’s contacts.
• Talk calmly about what happened. Kids who fell for a “free V-Bucks” or “free PS Plus” page are more likely to tell you next time if they’re not in trouble this time.

Our guide to parental controls covers the wider settings worth changing across the apps children use.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative, not a real client. Priya gets an email saying her PlayStation sign-in ID was changed. She didn’t change it. When she tries to sign in on her PS5, the password no longer works, and her bank app shows a wallet top-up she didn’t make.

1. She changes her email password and turns on 2-step verification for the inbox. She finds a forwarding rule she didn’t create and deletes it.
2. Because the hacker changed her sign-in ID, the password reset goes to the wrong address. She contacts PlayStation Support through playstation.com and explains the account was compromised.
3. She provides her original sign-in email, online ID, date of birth and the date and amount of her last card purchase from her bank statement.
4. Once support restores access, she sets a new unique password, turns on 2-step verification with an authenticator app and signs out of all devices.
5. She deactivates other devices, sets her PS5 as primary again, removes a PayPal account she doesn’t recognize and asks support about the wallet top-up before contacting her bank.

She later remembers entering her details on a “free PlayStation Plus” page the week before. That page was the entry point.

Common mistakes

• Recovering PlayStation before the email. The hacker can reset it again.
• Skipping “sign out of all devices”. A changed password doesn’t always remove a session that’s already open.
• Forgetting the primary console. The hacker’s console can keep playing your library.
• Filing a chargeback first. Talk to PlayStation Support before your bank where you can.
• Paying a “recovery expert”. Only PlayStation can restore a PlayStation account, and it does so for free. Our guide to recovery scams explains how these offers work.

For the general checklist that applies to every platform, see our hub on what to do when your account was hacked. If the hacked account posted or messaged things that are now tied to your name, gamer tag or streaming brand, our social media reputation management team can help with the cleanup.

Frequently asked questions

How do I recover a hacked PlayStation account?

Secure your email, then try the password reset on PlayStation’s official sign-in page. If the hacker changed the sign-in ID or password, contact PlayStation Support through playstation.com and provide proof of ownership, such as your original email, online ID, date of birth and a recent card purchase on the account.

Can PlayStation refund purchases made by a hacker?

It depends on PlayStation’s policies and your case. Report unauthorized purchases to PlayStation Support as soon as you can, with dates and amounts, and ask how they handle them before disputing the charges with your bank.

How did someone hack my PSN account?

Most often through a fake login page promising free codes or subscriptions, a reused password from another breached site, or a scam message that tricked you into sharing a code. 2-step verification with an authenticator app or passkey stops most of these.

Will I lose my games if my PlayStation account was hacked?

Usually not if you recover the account, because purchases stay with the account. The bigger risks are spent wallet funds, a changed primary console and the account being banned for something the hacker did, which you should raise with PlayStation Support.