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Written By: Robert King, Esq.
The PlayStation Lawsuit Is An Active Lawsuit
See If You Qualify!

Many teens and young people have become addicted to games they played on their Sony PlayStations. As people suffer the consequences of that addiction, some of them might want to join the lawsuit against PlayStation and other video game developers. Parents or guardians of children experiencing symptoms of gaming addiction may join the PlayStation lawsuit as representatives for their children. Similarly, young adults may join the lawsuit when they realize their injuries might have been caused by games played on Sony’s PlayStation console.

How to Join the PlayStation Lawsuit:

What is the Process to Sign Up for the PlayStation Lawsuit?

Individuals under the age of 25 who have been impacted by addiction to PlayStation games may be able to join a lawsuit against companies like Sony—the manufacturer of the PlayStation. Working alongside an experienced attorney can assist individuals through the process of filing a lawsuit. An established attorney can walk individuals through the steps necessary to file a claim and assist in gathering the evidence for their case. Here are the initial steps to file a PlayStation lawsuit.

Follow these steps to join a Video Game Addiction Lawsuit:

  1. If you will be representing your child, evaluate your child’s willingness to participate in the lawsuit. While you will be filing on their behalf, an attorney may want to discuss certain factors with the child.
  2. Gather the relevant information that shows screen time for the video games played. This could be through a PlayStation gamertag or through screen time on an iPhone.
  3. Begin to obtain any potential records of behavioral or mental health diagnosis, which must have been diagnosed after you or your child started playing video games. Eligible conditions may include anxiety, depression, or oppositional defiance disorder.
  4. Gather records of any intervention that may have been necessary to treat or support the individual playing video games. For example, this may include an educational 504 plan, an individualized education plan (IEP), inpatient counseling or inpatient treatment.
  5. Contact an experienced lawyer with knowledge of addiction or mental health cases.
  6. Discuss you or your child’s history playing video games and the injuries that they experienced following.
  7. Working with a lawyer will help to determine the potential for an eligible case.

It is encouraged to remain informed and up to date throughout the litigation process. Lawyers can provide you with updates on your claim as well as the status of the litigation. Your lawyer can offer advice to make your case against PlayStation and video game developers stronger.

What Kind of PlayStation Lawsuit Can I Join?

Individuals can submit claims to file individual civil lawsuits today. The PlayStation lawsuits are currently in their early stages. This means that the court and attorneys are gathering the information that they want to present in trials. In the future, there is the potential for consolidation of these individual lawsuits into multidistrict lawsuits (MDLs) or a class action lawsuit.

PlayStation Product Liability Lawsuit

Product liability lawsuits related to PlayStation addiction are currently being filed within the civil courts throughout the states. Typically, these lawsuits allege that a company, like Sony, failed to warn of specific injuries. In the PlayStation lawsuit, the allegations are against the manufacturing company, Sony, for not implementing proper safeguards on its consoles. Not having these safeguards may have led children and young people to play excessively and become addicted. This addiction could lead to numerous mental health and physical injuries. Some of these injuries include diagnosed cases of anxiety, depression, or oppositional defiance disorder. Some of these individuals may have sought support or intervention in relation to their excessive gaming.

PlayStation Multidistrict Lawsuit

Many children and individuals under the age of 25 have reported similar injuries and side effects in relation to playing video games on PlayStation and similar gaming platforms. Sometimes, when many individuals experience similar types of injuries reportedly from the same cause, the lawsuits may be consolidated into a federal court under multidistrict litigation (MDL). The MDL is often more efficient for the people harmed, their attorneys, and members of the defense. Despite consolidation, each lawsuit is based on individual experience and injuries. This means each person who receives a settlement or award based on their specific circumstances.

PlayStation Class Action Lawsuit

Class action is another form of lawsuit consolidation. In class action lawsuits, individuals report similar injuries from similar causes. There is a chance that the PlayStation lawsuit could be consolidated into a class action lawsuit, but it is more likely these lawsuits will become an MDL. In class action lawsuits, a “class” is determined by their injuries and impacts. It may be difficult to establish a “class” for PlayStation and other video game lawsuits. This is because people will experience a wide range in the severity of their injuries. A class action lawsuit differs from an MDL, where each case remains individualized based on personal experience and injuries.

Therefore in regards to PlayStation lawsuits, an MDL would likely be a more relevant method for consolidation due to the individual characteristic of these personal injury claims.

About the Defendant: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Sony Interactive Entertainment is the manufacturing company of the popular video game consoles such as PS4 and PS5—two of the consoles being investigated in these cases. In 1994, the company launched the first PlayStation in Japan and has since gained global popularity.

This infographic is a timeline of the Sony PlayStation and Sony Entertainment, as well as the video game addiction lawsuits.

The Other Lawsuit Against Sony

In December 2024, Sony proposed a $7.8 million settlement in a class action lawsuit, where they were accused of creating a monopoly that violated the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust laws. Sony was accused of establishing a monopoly over the video game market, preventing other vendors from competing against PlayStation sales.

The allegations of this class action suit are different from the personal injury claims currently being investigated. The 2024 proposed settlement seeks to compensate individuals who bought specific video games through Sony’s PlayStation Store, at an unfair market rate that resulted from their monopoly creation.

Who is Eligible to Join the PlayStation Addiction Lawsuit?

Individuals under the age of 25 who have played at least 210 hours of video games over the span of 5 weeks may be eligible to join the PlayStation addiction lawsuit. The criteria of injuries that qualify for a lawsuit continue to change as the case proceeds. Our legal partners are taking cases in which individuals have been medically diagnosed with anxiety, depression, gamer’s rage, or oppositional defiance disorder.

Proof of play can be evidenced by screen time or gamer tags from specific consoles and games that are currently being explored. Eligibility can be evaluated by a reputable attorney, as gathering the evidence proving injury due to video games can be complex.

This infographic provides a comprehensive list of the eligibility criteria to qualify for a video game addiction lawsuit.

What PlayStation Consoles Are Eligible for the Lawsuit?

There are a range of Consoles being investigated in the PlayStation lawsuits. However, PA4 and PS5 are specifically relevant to this addiction lawsuit. The PlayStation consoles track playtime to the minute, which creates strong evidence for attorneys to establish the considerable amount of time individuals spend playing video games.

What Games Should I Have Played to Join the Lawsuit?

If you are interested in joining the PlayStation lawsuit, our legal partners are taking cases from people who played a range of games. Those games include: games from the Call of Duty franchise, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5 (V), Minecraft, and Roblox.

The makers of these games are facing allegations about designing and marketing dangerous games. Some of those allegations include:

  • Failure to warn about the risk of gaming addiction.
  • Insufficient safeguards to prevent excessive playing time.
  • Intentional targeting of these games towards minors, despite any possibility that they may become addicted.
  • Implicit gambling models, mirroring and evoking addictive behavior often found in gambling.

Here’s a brief overview of each of these games and their history in the video game addiction lawsuit:

Call of Duty: The hyper-realistic, fast-paced elements of the Call of Duty franchise offers a stimulating gaming experience that individuals can play by themselves or with others. Within the game, there are reward objectives that can trigger dopamine release in the brain. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for experiencing pleasure.

In April 2023, the Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against the makers of Call of Duty, for violating the Sherman Act and unfavorably manipulating the game for users and suppressing the rights to wages by esports players.

In March 2020 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was the number one downloaded PS4 game in the PlayStation Store.

Fortnite: The free-to-play mode of Fortnite Battle Royale launched in 2017, targeting gamers as young as 10. Regular in-game season updates, in-game concerts featuring popular artists, and numerous collaborations with popular gaming streamers led to rocketing popularity. In 2023 Fortnite had approximately 650 million registered players.

Additionally, analysis of the video games looked at the ways in which Fortnite gameplay encourages real money spending and habit forming towards the game through a reward technique.

Grand Theft Auto (GTA V): GTA’s addictive features include the wide variety of customization of interactive gameplay that encourages prolonged periods of play. The continuous updates, which include new missions and competition game style, may stimulate an increased obsession with the game. One study found GTA that on average, players spend 23 hours/week playing the video game, making it the third-most addictive video game right behind Minecraft, Call of Duty and Fortnite.

Minecraft: The open world, limitless building style of Minecraft may contribute to users becoming addicted to the game, as there is never-ending gameplay. Similarly to other video games, the dopamine-related reward style of loot drops and in-game incentives can lead to compulsive gaming.

The PS4/PS5 consoles in particular are key in the video game lawsuit relating to Minecraft, as the PlayStation consoles are designed to track to the minute the amount of screen time and gameplay.

Roblox: The world created within the video game of Roblox, has collaborative gaming capabilities through the ability to create and play games produced by users themselves. Roblox notably has a very young demographic. One study shows that there are 88.9 million daily active users, 34.5 million of them who were under the age of 13.

Why Are People Joining Lawsuits Against PlayStation and Sony?

Individuals who are filing personal injury lawsuits against video game companies and manufacturers, such as Sony, allege that the games and platforms are addictive in nature and result in adverse mental health conditions. The video games currently being investigated are alleged to have addictive properties.

The specific features of the games are shown to trigger dopamine responses within the brain, which is chemically related to one’s experience of pleasure. The reward-based systems, vibrant hyper-realistic characteristics, and limited/seasonal offers are a few of the many suspected aspects of the game that make them addicting.

What is the Deadline to Join the PlayStation Lawsuit?

The projected path that this lawsuit follows is that they will remain personal injury lawsuits to be filed in state courts. A previous application to consolidate these cases into an MDL was denied by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in the Western District of Missouri. However, another attempt may be made. Thus the current deadline to file a lawsuit will be based on individual states’ statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits.

It is important to consult with an attorney during these early phases of litigation to avoid any potential for missing the window to file a lawsuit.

What Evidence Do I Need to Sign Up for the PlayStation Lawsuit?

While the criteria continue to evolve as the court narrows down their investigation, qualifying evidence will include proof of screen time playing video games, as well as diagnosis of a number of injuries.

Gaming hours can be tracked through consoles’ gamer tags and the screen time of mobile devices. Injuries must be diagnosed by a medical professional and can include anxiety, depression, gamer’s rage, and oppositional defiance disorder.

Speaking with a qualified attorney is advised to see how you may have a potential case.

What Happens After I Join the PlayStation Lawsuit?

Reaching out to a reputable law firm is the first step to see if you qualify for a PlayStation Lawsuit. Eligible individuals will be put in contact with experienced attorneys who will assist in gathering the documentation necessary. Since each case is individual, attorneys can guide clients as to what their plan should be moving forward based on their personal experience.

Contact Our Team to Join the PlayStation Lawsuit

Working alongside credible reputable attorneys is often the best course of action for individuals wishing to pursue individual personal injury lawsuits. Our team keeps clients up to date and informed with the status of their claims and any progression that has been made in similar lawsuits.

Our mass torts division works on a contingency basis, which means there are no upfront or out-of-pocket costs to clients. We respond to our clients and provide them with guidance towards the best approach of how to seek restitution for injuries.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I join the PlayStation lawsuit?
Speaking with a reputable attorney will help you identify eligibility for the PlayStation lawsuit. Basic criteria include 210 hours of game time over a 5-week period followed by a medical diagnosis of a number of injuries which may include anxiety, depression, gamer’s rage, and oppositional defiance disorder.
Can I join the PlayStation lawsuit on behalf of my child?
Parents or legal guardians may file a claim on behalf of their loved ones who are minors.
If I’m addicted to my PlayStation, can I join a lawsuit?
Yes; however, eligibility criteria to join the PlayStation lawsuit is best evaluated on a case-to-case basis and where there was a subsequent medical diagnosis after having started to play video games.
How much time do I have to join the PlayStation addiction lawsuit?
The PlayStation addiction lawsuit is still in early phases and the window for filing will be different based on individuals’ home state. It is encouraged to reach out to an attorney to discuss your possible case to avoid missing out.
What PlayStation consoles are involved in the lawsuit?
The current consoles being investigated are Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Apple iPhone, Google Play and Oculus VR.
What happens after I sign up for a PlayStation addiction lawsuit?
After signing up for a PlayStation addiction lawsuit the next step is to begin gathering necessary documentation. This may include records of screen time and diagnosis of injury. An attorney would best be able to advise about the next steps based on individual claims.