Sony will finally let you change your PSN ID in early 2019

Sony Interactive Entertainment has finally revealed the long-awaited news - you will soon be able to change your PlayStation Network user ID. To kick things off, users who are interested in doing so can join a special PlayStation Preview Program that will conclude at the end of November, with the full release of the feature coming sometime in early 2019. If you have previously pre-registered for one of the platform's many PS4 firmware betas, select users will have this feature become available to them. More details can be found on this page, though it isn't clear through the blog post that signing up right now will make a difference.

During the preview program, you will be able to change your online ID as many times as you want. The first change is free, and any changes after that will cost $9.99 USD / CAD. Those who have PlayStation Plus will only have to spend $4.99 USD/ CAD after the first change. To change your PSN ID, you can either go through the Settings menu or via the Profile page of your PS4.

Even if you change your online ID, you will still have the option to display your previous ID with your new ID, so your friends and family members are still able to recognize you. Once you decide to display your old ID or not, you won’t be able to adjust this after completing the online ID change process. Here are a few more details regarding the program, including points in bold that not all games will be compatible with this service:

This feature is compatible with PS4 games originally published after April 1, 2018, and a large majority of the most-played PS4 games that were released before this date. However, please note not all games and applications for PS4, PS3 and PS Vita systems are guaranteed to support the online ID change, and users may occasionally encounter issues or errors in certain games.

If for any reason you experience issues after changing your ID, you can revert back to your original ID for free at any time (you will only be able to revert once during the preview program). Reverting back to an old ID will resolve most issues caused by the ID change. In addition, when this feature officially launches, a list of compatible games published before April 1, 2018, will be provided on PlayStation.com for reference before you make a change.

Sony has discussed in the past the challenges with letting users change your PSN IDs since so many of the system's architecture and variety of features over the years have tied in so close to a person's account handle. However, it seems they finally cleared whatever hurdles they were facing - at least so far as to drop a beta for those wanting to perform the change. Just... be more careful with that name you choose, alright?