PlayStation Stars Has Ended: What Happened to Your Points, and the Best Alternatives
November 1, 2026 · Updated November 2, 2026
PlayStation Stars, Sony's free loyalty programme, officially ended on 2 November 2026 and is no longer accessible. Sony stopped taking new members on 21 May 2025, and members could earn points and collectibles until 23 July 2025. After that they could only redeem points they already had, until those points expired or the programme closed. Points that weren't spent by the end are gone. Digital collectibles are different: Sony says they're yours to keep, even after the programme ends.
If you're here because the Stars section has vanished from your PlayStation App, that's why. This guide explains the full timeline, what happened to points and collectibles, what Sony has said about the future, and the practical ways to keep earning PlayStation Store credit now that Stars is gone.
Key facts
- Sony stopped accepting new PlayStation Stars members on 21 May 2025.
- Earning points, collectibles and status ended on 23 July 2025, as reported when the closure was announced.
- The programme closed for good on 2 November 2026; Sony's page says it is no longer accessible after that date.
- Members could redeem points until they expired under the Stars terms, or until the programme ended.
- From 21 May 2025, cancelling a membership meant losing any unused points, with no way to rejoin.
- Digital collectibles stay with your account, even after the programme ended.
What PlayStation Stars was
PlayStation Stars launched in 2022 as a free loyalty programme inside the PlayStation App. Members earned points by completing campaigns, such as playing a particular game or earning certain trophies, and by buying from PlayStation Store. Points could be spent in a Rewards Catalog on PlayStation Store wallet funds and selected games and add-ons. Members also collected digital collectibles, virtual figures and items shown in a display case in the app, and moved up through status levels.
It was popular with trophy hunters, because it rewarded things many of them did anyway. But compared with the money people spend on PlayStation, the points were modest, and the rewards catalogue varied by region.
Why Sony shut it down
When Sony announced the closure in May 2025, it said it would "refocus" its efforts and wind down the current version of PlayStation Stars. It thanked players for supporting the programme since its 2022 launch, and said it was looking at what it had learned to shape future loyalty efforts. Sony didn't give a more detailed reason, and as of the official end date it hasn't announced a replacement.
What happened to your points
This is the part that matters most if you still had a balance.
- Earning stopped in July 2025. After 23 July 2025, campaigns ended and no new points were added.
- Redeeming continued. Sony's page said current members could keep redeeming points until they expired under the PlayStation Stars Terms of Service. Points carried expiry dates under those terms, so many balances ran out before the programme itself closed.
- The programme closed on 2 November 2026. After that date it's no longer accessible, so any points left over can't be used.
- Cancelling forfeited points. From 21 May 2025, Sony warned that cancelling meant losing unused points and being unable to rejoin.
- Unaccepted terms blocked access. Members who joined before May 2025 but never accepted the updated terms from 24 October 2024 couldn't take part or earn points. Sony said accepting them before 2 November 2026 would restore access to unexpired points.
If you didn't spend your points before the end, there's no route to recover them. That's the harsh lesson of any loyalty programme: points are a promise from the company, not money you own.
What happened to your digital collectibles
Sony's answer is clear: your digital collectibles are still yours to keep, even if you cancelled your membership and after PlayStation Stars ended. They have no money value and can't be traded or sold. They're a record of the games and events you took part in.
Wallet funds and games you redeemed are safe
Anything you redeemed while Stars was running isn't affected by the closure:
- PlayStation Store wallet funds from points are ordinary wallet money. They stay in your wallet and work like money from a gift card. Our guide to checking your PSN wallet balance shows where to see it.
- Games and add-ons redeemed through the Rewards Catalog are in your library like any purchase.
Is PlayStation Stars coming back?
Not as it was. Sony has only said it's looking at what it learned from the programme for future loyalty efforts. It hasn't announced a new programme, a date, or what a replacement would look like.
Be careful with anything claiming otherwise:
- "PlayStation Stars 2.0" sign-up links, especially in messages, social media ads or Discord, are a classic phishing lure. They ask you to sign in with your PlayStation account on a fake page.
- "Recover your expired Stars points" offers are scams. Sony doesn't offer this.
- Websites selling "Stars points" are scams too. Points were never transferable.
If Sony launches something new, it will appear on the official PlayStation Blog, playstation.com and inside the PlayStation App. Don't sign in through links you didn't go looking for. Our guide to PSN and Xbox account hacks explains what to do if you already entered your details somewhere suspicious.
If you never got round to joining
Plenty of PlayStation players never signed up, and some only heard of Stars when it closed. You haven't lost anything you can get back now, and there's nothing to claim. What still matters is the rest of this guide: the practical ways to stretch PlayStation money, and how to spot the scams that use the Stars name to look official.
Lessons from Stars for any rewards programme
PlayStation Stars wasn't unusual. Loyalty programmes change their rules, raise prices and close down all the time. A few habits protect you on every one:
- Spend points regularly. A balance sitting in a programme is exposed to expiry, price rises and closure. Converting points into something concrete, such as wallet funds or a gift card, moves the value out of the programme's control.
- Read the expiry rules. Many programmes expire points after inactivity or a fixed period. Know the rules when you join, not when you try to redeem.
- Don't cancel to "reset" anything. As Stars showed, cancelling can wipe your balance.
- Value points in real money. Work out what a point is worth at the best reward you can afford. If it takes thousands of hours to reach anything useful, the programme isn't worth chasing. Our guide to what reward points are worth shows how to work it out.
- Treat changes as signals. When a programme stops recruiting or ends campaigns, it's usually winding down. Redeem early.
The same applies to gaming reward sites. Our guide to whether reward points expire compares the common policies, and explains XPReward's.
The best alternatives for PlayStation players
There's no like-for-like replacement for Stars, but there are realistic ways to get PlayStation Store credit or games for less. Here's an honest look at each.
PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus is Sony's paid membership. It isn't a points programme, but it's where most of Sony's ongoing perks now live: monthly games on the Essential tier, game catalogues on higher tiers, and member discounts during sales. If you used Stars mainly for free games and discounts, Plus is the closest thing Sony still runs, though you pay for it. Our guide to paying for PS Plus with gift cards shows how to fund it without a card.
PlayStation Store sales
Sony's regular sales, including the big seasonal ones, can save far more than Stars points ever did. Combine a sale with wallet funds from gift cards and you get much of the Stars benefit without needing a programme at all. Waiting for a sale is the single cheapest way to buy most games.
Reward sites that pay in PSN gift cards
Reward sites pay you in gift cards for completing tasks such as offers or surveys. They're the closest thing to Stars in spirit, because you earn something for activity. They need far more effort, and the time it takes varies a lot by country. Our guide to the best reward sites for gamers compares the main ones honestly, and our guide to free PSN gift cards covers the legitimate routes.
XPReward is one of them. You earn points by completing offers in the XPReward Offers box and redeem them for PSN, Steam or Xbox gift cards at 144 points per dollar of face value. The smallest card is $25 (3,600 points), and points currently don't expire. To be clear about the trade-off: reaching a $25 card through offers can take a while, especially outside the US where fewer offers are available. It's a way to turn spare time into PlayStation credit, not a quick payout.
What about Microsoft Rewards or Steam Points?
If you also play on other platforms:
- Microsoft Rewards is still running and pays Xbox gift cards, but it doesn't pay PlayStation credit. Our XPReward vs Microsoft Rewards comparison explains its 2026 changes.
- Steam Points reward Steam purchases with cosmetics only. They can't buy games or wallet funds. See Steam Points explained.
Neither helps a PlayStation-only player directly.
Things to avoid
- "Free PSN code generators". They don't exist. They're scams built to collect personal details or push malware. Our guide to gift card generator scams explains how they work, and the same applies to PSN.
- Heavily discounted PSN codes from marketplaces. Some are stolen or bought with stolen cards, and Sony can suspend accounts linked to fraud. See is it safe to buy discounted gift cards.
- Anyone asking for your login to "add rewards". Never give out your PlayStation password or codes.
Making your PlayStation money go further without Stars
A few habits replace most of what Stars gave you:
- Buy in sales. Wishlist games and wait. Most drop in price within months.
- Use wallet funds from gift cards rather than a card, so you only spend what you planned.
- Pick the right PlayStation Plus tier, or skip it in months you won't use it.
- Share games on one console. With PS5 Console Sharing and Offline Play, one purchase covers everyone who uses that console. Our game sharing guide explains it.
- Check refund rules before you buy. Sony's refund policy is strict, so a bad purchase can't always be undone. See our PlayStation Store refund guide.
- Set a family spending limit if children use the account, so wallet money isn't spent by accident. See our PlayStation family spending limit guide.
A five-minute account check after the shutdown
If you were a Stars member, take a few minutes to confirm everything you earned is where it should be:
- Check your wallet balance in PlayStation Store or Account Management. Funds you redeemed from points should be there, unless you've spent them.
- Check your game library for games and add-ons you redeemed. They should be listed like any purchase and can be downloaded again.
- Look through your transaction history for the dates you redeemed rewards, so you know what came from Stars.
- Update the PlayStation App. Running the latest version avoids confusion over screens that no longer work.
- Ignore emails or messages about "unclaimed Stars rewards". With the programme closed, there's nothing to claim. Messages saying otherwise are phishing.
If something you redeemed is missing from your wallet or library, contact PlayStation Support with the date you redeemed it. Wallet funds and content are tracked like normal transactions.
What trophy hunters lost
For many players, Stars' real appeal was that it rewarded trophy hunting, something they did anyway. Its campaigns turned "play this game" or "earn this many trophies" into points and collectibles.
Trophies themselves aren't affected. Your trophy list, levels and platinums stay on your account exactly as before. What's gone is the extra reward layer on top. No official Sony programme currently pays you for trophies. If someone offers points or gift cards for trophies through a website that asks for your PlayStation login, treat it as a scam.
How to judge a rewards programme before you invest time
Stars closing is a good moment to think about where your time goes next. Whether it's a platform programme, a reward site or an app, ask these questions first:
- Who runs it, and how long has it existed? A programme run by the platform is the most reliable payer, but it can still close. An independent site should be open about who it is.
- What is the smallest reward, and how long will it take to reach? A low points-per-dollar rate means nothing if the first reward is out of reach. Work out the realistic hours to your first payout.
- Do points expire, and when? Read the rule before you start. Inactivity expiry is common.
- Can earnings be reversed? On reward sites, advertisers can reverse completions they reject. Good sites explain this upfront. Our guide to offers not crediting covers why it happens.
- Is it available in your country? Offers and rewards vary hugely by country. A site that works well in the US might have little to offer elsewhere.
- Does it ask for anything risky? Your platform password, payment card details for "verification", or app permissions you don't understand are all red flags. Our guide to reward site scams lists the warning signs.
If a programme passes those checks and the maths works for you, it's worth your time. If not, the money you'd save by waiting for a sale might beat it.
What earning PSN credit on a reward site is really like
Since reward sites are the nearest thing left to Stars, set your expectations properly:
- It's uneven. Some days there are good offers for your country and device, other days very few.
- Credit isn't always instant. Many offers take hours or days to confirm. See how long offers take to credit.
- Effort varies by offer. A quick sign-up might pay a little, while a game that asks you to reach a high level pays more but takes days.
- Country matters most. Players in the US, UK and Canada usually see the most and best-paying offers.
- Patience beats volume. Choosing offers you'll actually finish earns more than opening dozens. Our guide to the easiest offers worth your time shows how to pick.
Done this way, a reward site can fund the occasional PlayStation game or a PS Plus month. It won't replace a wage, and any site promising that is overselling.
A simple PlayStation budget without Stars
Here's one way to keep gaming affordable, using only the tools that still exist. The numbers are an illustration, not a promise:
- Set a monthly game budget, say $25, and top up with a $25 PSN gift card instead of a saved card.
- Keep a wishlist and only buy during PlayStation Store sales, when that $25 often covers a game that costs much more at full price.
- Decide each month whether you need PlayStation Plus. If you won't use it, let it lapse and put the money towards games.
- Share purchases on one console through Console Sharing, so the household buys each game once.
- Add reward-site gift cards on top when you have spare time, rather than relying on them.
Why loyalty programmes like this close
Sony gave only a short reason, so it's worth understanding the general pattern. Loyalty programmes cost money to run. Every point redeemed is wallet credit or a game the company gives away, and every campaign needs to be designed, tested and supported in many countries. Companies keep a programme while they believe it makes people spend or play more than they otherwise would. When that changes, programmes get trimmed, repriced or closed.
For you, that means a points balance is only as safe as the programme's next budget review. Microsoft Rewards raised the points price of Xbox gift cards in 2026, and Stars closed completely. Neither company broke a promise. The terms always allowed it. The practical response is the one above: earn, redeem promptly, and don't let a large balance build up anywhere you don't control.
Frequently asked questions
When did PlayStation Stars end?
Sony's official page says PlayStation Stars officially ended on 2 November 2026 and is no longer accessible after that date. It stopped taking new members on 21 May 2025, and earning ended on 23 July 2025.
What happened to my PlayStation Stars points?
Members could redeem points until they expired or the programme ended. Points left unspent when it closed on 2 November 2026 can't be used or recovered.
Do I keep my PlayStation Stars collectibles?
Yes. Sony says your digital collectibles are yours to keep, even after the programme ended.
Is there a replacement for PlayStation Stars?
Not yet. Sony has said it's looking at what it learned for future loyalty efforts, but hasn't announced a new programme.
Are wallet funds I redeemed from Stars points still safe?
Yes. Wallet funds and games you redeemed are ordinary wallet money and purchases, and the closure doesn't affect them.
How can I earn PlayStation Store credit now?
The realistic options are PSN gift cards from reward sites, PlayStation Store sales, and PlayStation Plus member deals. Avoid code generators and suspiciously cheap codes, which are scams or risky.
Can I still use the PlayStation Stars section of the PlayStation App?
No. Sony says the programme is no longer accessible after 2 November 2026. If an old Stars screen still appears, update the app and restart it.
Are my trophies affected by PlayStation Stars ending?
No. Trophies, trophy levels and platinums are separate from Stars and stay on your account.
Sources
PlayStation Stars dates checked on 2 November 2026 against: