Sony Sued Over "Buy Now" Button on PlayStation Store

Image via PS Store

Four California gamers have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment over the wording used on the PlayStation Store's checkout screen.

The complaint, filed on June 18, 2026, argues that buttons like "Buy Now" and "Confirm Purchase" mislead customers into thinking they are getting full ownership of digital games, when in reality they are only receiving a license to access them.

The lawsuit centers on California's Assembly Bill 2426, a digital goods transparency law that took effect in 2025. The law requires companies selling digital products, whether that's games, music, or movies, to clearly tell buyers they are purchasing a license rather than the product itself. According to the complaint, Sony fails to meet that bar.

The lawyers behind the filing wrote that "in reality, consumers who 'purchase' digital games through PlayStation do not obtain ownership of those products." Instead, they argue, "PlayStation grants only a limited, revocable license to access the software, subject to multiple restrictions contained in a separate Software Product License Agreement."

The four plaintiffs say they bought titles including NBA 2K25, Madden NFL 26, and Resident Evil Requiem, believing they were making standard purchases similar to buying a physical item off a store shelf. Nobody was asked to check a box or take any extra step acknowledging the license terms before hitting Confirm.

Sony does include a disclosure above the Confirm Purchase button, noting that the transaction "amounts to a license subject to the Software Product License Agreement." The problem, according to the lawsuit, is visibility. The plaintiffs argue that "a reasonable customer completing a purchase would not necessarily notice this disclosure" because of how small and easy to miss it is. As a result, the complaint states that "reasonable consumers are misled into believing that purchasing a digital game through PlayStation confers an unrestricted ownership interest, when in fact the transaction merely grants a limited license that may be restricted or revoked."

For context, Valve updated its own Steam checkout page back in 2024, adding a line clarifying that "a purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam." That change came in response to the same regulatory pressure.

The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial along with restitution, compensatory damages, and attorneys' fees on behalf of all qualifying California PlayStation Store customers. For now, Sony has not issued a public response to the allegations.

Sony has been facing increasing pressure on multiple fronts in recent months, especially after announcing plans to phase out physical discs after 2028. There are at least 6 lawsuits currently underway against PlayStation’s “monopolistic” position in the market. A petition opposing the discontinuation of discs is gaining momentum, with over 360,000 signatures. Fans have also staged a week-long blackout.