Want to Change Your PlayStation Username for Free? Here's How  

A woman plays ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission at a Playstation VR display at the Sony Exhibit at the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES 2019 in Las Vegas on January 9, 2019. DAVID MCNEW—AFP/Getty Images

Keeping a promise it made last year, Sony is finally providing PlayStation 4 players the option to change their username — meaning you can finally ditch the scourge that is “L33TMoocher420,” or whatever else you thought was funny in high school.

Sadly, changing your PlayStation username is not as simple as typing in a new name and getting back to your favorite game. Thanks to some software issues, it gets a bit more complicated depending on the games you still play.

You’ll need either your PlayStation 4 console or access to a web browser in order to change your PlayStation Network ID, also known as a PSN ID — or more generally, your PlayStation handle.

From your PlayStation 4, go to Settings -> Account Management -> Account Information -> Profile -> Online ID. You’ll be able to make the change there. Alternatively, on the web, sign in to your PlayStation Network account, select your profile in the menu bar, and hit the Edit button.

There are a few other things to know about changing your PlayStation username:

Not every game supports PSN ID changes

Sony notes that, while a majority of popular PlayStation games support changing your username, not every title will play nice with your revised handle.

According to Sony, games released after April 1, 2018 are capable of handling your new identity. “However, since they have not all been specifically tested with the feature, we cannot guarantee that they will support it,” Sony said in its announcement of the update.

Since not every game is supported, that could spell the end of your time spent playing your favorite title. Luckily, Sony has a list of tested games to peruse. If your game of choice is one of the titles with critical issues, Sony recommends you not change your username if you want to continue enjoying it.

The first change is free

Sony is giving every user one PlayStation username change on the house. But should you want to make yet another tweak to your PSN ID, it’ll cost you $9.99. If you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber, that drops to $4.99.

You can always go back

Hate your new name? Don’t worry. As long as your name doesn’t violate Sony’s rules (nothing profane, racist, or insensitive, among other restrictions) you can always revert back by contacting Sony’s customer service department.