Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Here’s how to back up your PlayStation Mobile games before tomorrow’s shutdown

Danny Cowan
By

playstation mobile shuts down tomorrow dead
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Heads up, PlayStation Vita owners: Sony’s PlayStation Mobile service is shutting down on July 15, ending support for a large number of games on the PlayStation Network. Sony has issued a series of steps users can follow to ensure that their downloaded games remain activated and playable for the foreseeable future.

In order to ensure continued PlayStation Mobile game compatibility, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV owners must enable an option within their device’s “Settings” app. From there, navigate through “PlayStation Network,” “System Activation,” “PlayStation Mobile,” and “Activate.” Enable the option here and your downloaded games will still be playable after tomorrow’s shutdown.

Recommended Videos

Though Sony’s workaround ensures that downloaded games will remain activated on specific devices, previously purchased PlayStation Mobile games will no longer be available for download starting tomorrow. Games will not transfer to new devices after tomorrow’s deadline, so use caution when upgrading or trading in your hardware.

Related

Launched in 2012, the PlayStation Mobile service allowed independent developers to launch their games on the PlayStation Network with few of the financial and marketing roadblocks associated with the traditional PSN publishing model. After submitting a listing fee, developers could distribute their games across all of the service’s certified devices, including the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation TV, and supported Android phones and tablets.

Sony dropped support for Android devices last year, and later announced that a service shutdown was imminent. Today is the last day that PSN users will be able to download new or previously purchased PlayStation Mobile games.

Though the service had a short lifespan, it hosted a number of standouts while it was active, including Vlambeer’s shooter Super Crate Box, console-styled roguelike Adventure Bar Labyrinth, and Tokyo Jungle Mobile, a strategy-oriented adaptation of Sony’s post-apocalyptic nature survival game Tokyo Jungle.

Many PlayStation Mobile games later saw fully fledged releases for the PlayStation Network, including Tikiview’s side-scrolling shooter Aqua Kitty (as Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender DX), Laughing Jackal’s atmospheric strategy game OMG Zombies (as OMG Zombies HD), and Sony’s retro RPG-themed puzzler Yu-Nama: The Puzzle (as No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either).

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
PlayStation lays off 900 people and shuts down London Studio
The PlayStation Studios logo in black and white.

Sony is the latest company in the video game industry to announce massive layoffs in 2024. We've learned that Sony Interactive Entertainment is letting go of about 900 people across several studios; PlayStation's London Studio will shut down as a result.

In a blog post, soon-to-depart Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Jim Ryan says these cuts amount to about 8% of PlayStation's workforce. "Through discussions over the past few months about the evolving economic landscape, changes in the way we develop, distribute, and launch products, and ensuring our organization is future ready in this rapidly changing industry, we have concluded that tough decisions have become inevitable," Ryan explains. "The leadership team and I made the incredibly difficult decision to restructure operations, which regrettably includes a reduction in our workforce impacting very talented individuals who have contributed to our success."

Read more
PC compatibility for the PlayStation VR2 is being tested by Sony
Playstation VR2 headset on a PlayStation-themed wallpaper.

To celebrate the first anniversary of the PlayStation VR2, Sony revealed a new batch of games coming to its virtual reality headset and confirmed that it's testing a feature that would let people play PC VR games on their PSVR2.

"We’re pleased to share that we are currently testing the ability for PS VR2 players to access additional games on PC to offer even more game variety in addition to the PSVR2 titles available through PS5," the PlayStation Blog post about PSVR2's first anniversary teases. "We hope to make this support available in 2024, so stay tuned for more updates."

Read more
One year later, my PlayStation VR2 is collecting dust
The PlayStation VR2 sits on a table next to Sense controllers.

One year ago, I took my first step into virtual reality with the PlayStation VR2. One year later, I haven't walked much further.

I spent a long time watching the VR sect of the gaming medium from the sidelines, curious about this new form of interaction, but never taking the full plunge. Impressed with the PSVR2’s specs and confident in Sony’s first-party capabilities, I bought it at launch in February 2022. After a week of use, I wrote that I “anticipate it’ll be a very supplemental gaming style for me in the future, not something I’ll want to do for hours every day.”

Read more