What happens if you change your PlayStation ID?
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Changing your PlayStation ID can have various effects on your gaming experience, including potential losses of game progress, issues with leaderboard data, and problems with trophy progress, although the extent of these effects can vary depending on the specific games you play. The impact of changing your PSN ID also depends on the console you are using, with PS5 generally being less affected than PS3, PS4, and PS Vita.
Understanding the Implications
General Effects
When you change your PlayStation ID, you may encounter issues with some games, such as lost game progress, including game saved data, leaderboard data, and progress toward trophies. Parts of those games might not function properly, both online and offline. Your previous online ID(s) may remain visible to you and other players in some places.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does changing PSN ID affect anything? You may lose your progress within those games, including game saved data, leaderboard data, and progress toward trophies. Parts of those games might not function properly, both online and offline.
- Will changing my PSN name affect Genshin Impact? Your game progress/characters/etc. will still be there as usual after the name change.
- Does changing PSN ID affect GTA? After Changing your PlayStation Network Online ID, your previous Online ID will be shown to members of your Crew until you sign in to GTA Online and play. There are no other issues associated with changing your Online ID in Grand Theft Auto Online.
- Will my data on my PlayStation on Genshin be the same if I put it on my phone? Characters, primogems, and quest progress are all saved across all platforms, as long as you have linked up your PSN and Hoyoverse accounts.
- Can 2 PS4 users use the same account? Yes, you are able to use the same PSN account on up to 5 consoles. You cannot log in with multiple consoles at the SAME TIME, though.
- What characters are allowed in PSN ID? The online ID must be 3 to 16 characters and can consist of letters, numbers, hyphens (-) and underscores (_). The first character must be a letter. The online ID must not be the same as your password. Letters are not case-sensitive.
- What words are not allowed in a PSN name? It needs to start with a letter, and the only permitted special characters are underscores and hyphens. In addition, words and terms deemed offensive may not be allowed — your PlayStation Network name is publicly visible, so you should try to avoid anything that could cause offense to others anyway.
- How long does it take for PlayStation ID to change? It may take time for some applications or services to update to your new online ID. In some cases, it can take up to a week. If your new online ID is not appearing after a week, please contact PlayStation Support.
- Does changing your online ID on PS4 affect Apex Legends? There are no major issues reported with Apex Legends after changing your PSN ID, but as with any game, it’s always a good idea to check for any specific announcements from the game developers.
- Will I lose games if I change my PSN name? On PS5, no. On PS3, PS4, and PS Vita, you may get some issues with games you played with your previous name: You may lose progress in some of the games, have issues with leaderboards in others, and may have to re-connect your account with other account services like Club Ubisoft.
- How many times can you change your PS4 ID? You can change your online ID as many times as you want. The first time is free. A charge applies for additional changes.
- Can you have two PlayStation IDs? As long as the PS4 is set as the primary console for whichever account subscribes to PlayStation Plus, other PSN accounts on the same console can play online multiplayer, play downloaded games purchased with a PSN discount, and play the free monthly games available to PS Plus members.
- How do I delete a user ID? Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Other users. Select the person’s name or email address, then select Remove.
- Will I lose my games if I delete a user on PS4? You can delete the Account and it won’t delete the games that you’ve purchased. However, you need the licenses associated with that account to access those games if you decide to play them on another Account.
- Can I delete my PSN account and create a new one? You can make a new one, but you’ll lose everything [trophies, purchases, funds] tied to your old account. You can keep the same email if you wish, but you have to first change the email of the old account to free up that email address for use on the new account.