Sony to require age verification for UK, Ireland PlayStation communication features

Sony began notifying PlayStation players in the UK and Ireland that adult accounts will soon need age verification to keep using voice chats, messaging, parties and other communication services on PS4 and PS5. Players will still be able to play games without completing the check, but the social features they already use will not work until verification is done, and the requirement applies only once per adult account registered in the UK or Ireland.

The change reaches beyond the console itself. Sony said the affected features cover communication on the console, the PS App and the web, along with some in-game communication and user-generated content tools. The company also warned that the exact limits can differ by title as games update their own implementations over time, meaning one game may lose chat or creator tools before another does.

To verify age, Sony is offering three options: a mobile number, a facial scan or an ID document, with Yoti handling the process. That setup reflects the wider pressure created by the UK’s Online Safety Act, which has moved from statute into enforcement. The law received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, illegal-content duties came into force on 17 March 2025, and child-safety duties followed on 25 July 2025, including requirements for highly effective age assurance around harmful content.

Ofcom says the law applies to online video game services that allow user interaction, including voice and text chat, matchmaking and livestreaming. It has also warned that providers can face fines of up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, and in serious cases court orders that block services. In March 2026, Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office issued a joint statement on age assurance, a sign that privacy and safety regulators are now moving together as platforms collect more data to prove a user’s age. For Sony, the result is a familiar trade-off: keep gameplay open, but put the communication layer behind a check that UK and Ireland adults will now have to clear.