In short
How do I recover a hacked PlayStation account?
If you can still access your email, select Trouble Signing In? > Recover Your Account and follow the steps. If your sign-in ID, online ID or password was changed without your permission, or you can't access the email, PlayStation says to contact it through its Online Assistant.
When PlayStation says to contact support
- Your sign-in ID, online ID or password was changed without your permission
- You can't access the email address on the account, or you forgot it
- You forgot your account verification information
- You lost the device with your passkey and have no other device to sign in with
Recover the account
- 1If you got an email about a change you didn't make, change the password of your email account first, as PlayStation recommends.
- 2On the sign-in screen, select Trouble Signing In? > Recover Your Account and follow the on-screen instructions.
- 3Using a passkey and lost your phone? Sign in on another device with the same verification method and register a new passkey.
- 4If none of this works, contact PlayStation Support through its Online Assistant.
Charges you don't recognize
First check your PlayStation Store transaction history. PlayStation lists recurring subscriptions, a family member using your payment details and duplicate purchases as common causes.
If someone used your email to create an account, or your payment details to buy on PlayStation Store, PlayStation says to contact its support as soon as possible.
After you're back in
- Follow PlayStation's security and privacy guide to secure the account further
- Verify your sign-in ID: search your inbox for “PlayStation verify” and click the link
- Check family spending limits: PlayStation sets a child account's limit to 0 by default
What doesn't help
- Ignoring an email about a change you didn't make: PlayStation says someone else might be trying to access your account
- Waiting when your sign-in ID was changed: that's a case for the Online Assistant
- Giving your sign-in details to anyone who offers to recover the account for you
Frequently asked questions
I can't receive the 2-step verification code.
PlayStation has a separate guide for 2-step verification issues. If you can't access your email to open a 2SV or password reset email, it says to contact it through its Online Assistant.
My sign-in ID and password are right, but I can't sign in.
PlayStation suggests checking that you've verified your sign-in ID (search your inbox for “PlayStation verify”), that your console's system software is up to date, and then trying the account recovery steps.
Can you recover my PlayStation account for me?
No one outside PlayStation can sign in for you, and we never ask for your password. Recovery runs through PlayStation's own steps and its Online Assistant. We can help you prepare what to say.
Official sources
The platforms' own help and policy pages. We are not affiliated with them.