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PSN Ban Checker: How To Check If You Are Banned On Playstation

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PlayStation is one of the leading video game companies produced and manufactured by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The original Playstation was released in Japan in December 1994.

As technology has advanced over the years the Playstation has gone from a console where you could only play physical games to one where you can play with or against people all over the world through online gaming. 

With these technological advances, there has been a change in the terms and conditions as well and it is now possible for users to get their consoles banned from the Playstation Network entirely and lose the ability to play online. 

Playstation doesn’t hand out bans without reason however but if you are violating their code of conduct or breaking some other rules or laws then you may find that your console is no longer able to get online.

If you are buying a used Playstation or are just curious if there is a simple way to check if your Playstation has been banned then this article is for you! 

If your Playstation has been banned or suspended then you will see an error code when you try to sign in to the Playstation Network. If you see the error code WS-37338-4 then the console has been banned from the network entirely.

There are a variety of other error codes that you can receive that mean different things as well but the above code is what you will see if there is a ban in place on your console. 

All of the PlayStation error codes that you might see and what they mean are:

Error CodeMeaningMore Info
WS-37338-4Your console is bannedClick here for more info
WS-37337-3The account is temporarily suspendedClick here for more info
WS-37368-7The account is suspended because of payment issuesClick here for more info
WS-37397-9There is a connection error check your internetClick here for more info
80710016 Error connecting to your networkClick here for more info
8002A231The account is temporarily suspendedClick here for more info
8002A227The account has been bannedClick here for more info

After getting banned from the Playstation Network, users will not be able to enjoy the benefits of online gaming anymore. A ban is imposed on those users who are found guilty of violating community rules and regulations as well as the code of conduct.

Often a ban will be issued after many previous suspensions but if the violation is serious enough then it might get an immediate ban as well. 

To learn more about a Playstation account being banned you can watch the video.

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Other Ways To Know If Your Playstation Account Or Console Is Banned 

Here are some of the ways that will help you know whether you are banned from the Playstation Network or not. Just because you are seeing an error does not necessarily mean that you are banned as it could be a temporary suspension as well.

If you have any of these issues be sure and check your email as Playstation will email you when they suspend or ban your account. 

1. You Recieve An Error Code

Users will be able to see an error code while they are trying to sign in to their PSN account If the error code is visible then you can easily know that your account has been banned, suspended, or has some other issue.

The best thing to do is search online for that error code and see what exactly it means if it is not one of the codes above. 

2. Log In On A Different Device

After that, you can try to log in to account management and if it is possible on a different device. If you are able to access the account successfully, then your console is likely banned or has a connection issue. 

If you are not able to log in, then it is likely just an account ban, or suspension, or you may have entered the password or login information incorrectly. It is important to know that accounts and consoles can be banned so knowing the difference will allow you to know if you just have to create a new account or if your entire console is banned from online usage.  

3. Check Your Email

If you think that your account is banned a sure way to know is to check the email that your Playstation account is connected to. When you are banned or suspended Playstation will send you an email notification and give you details on whether it is a permanent ban or a temporary suspension.

Be sure and check your inbox and junk or spam folders to ensure that the email from Playstation isn’t in one of them as well.

The above things will help you know whether your Playstation Network account has been banned, if it is suspended, or if there is just an issue with your console that is keeping you from connecting to the internet. 

If you are banned, Playstation will rarely give you the exact reason why but if you have received many suspensions in the past for a particular thing then it is a good guess that failure to fix the issue that caused the suspensions is the reason for the ban. 

What Are The Possible Reasons For A Playstation Ban?

There are many possible reasons why you may get banned from the Playstation Network. As a user, it can be difficult to find out the exact reason for a temporary ban (or a permanent one) besides a “violation of the terms of service”. However, you can contact the customer service team and ask the reason why you have been banned from the network.

Most of the time the customer service rep will just give you the general reason and won’t give you anything more than that but other times they will give you a clear answer. 

If you really aren’t sure what you did wrong it is worth contacting customer support so you can either fight the ban or make sure that you don’t do it again. 

Some possible reasons why your Playstation account or console might have been banned are:

  • Use of hate speech
  • Discrimination
  • Sharing of others’ personal information
  • Illegal activities (such as piracy, hacking, phishing, etc.)
  • Filing a chargeback (suspension will be lifted when the non-payment issue is resolved)
  • Inappropriate online ID (suspension will be lifted when ID is changed)
  • Obscene or foul language is used (cursing and swearing is not allowed)
  • Violation of Playstation Network terms of service
  • Violation of the community code of conduct

Different Types Of Playstation Bans

It is important for you to know the difference between a ban and a suspension. A suspension is temporary while a ban is permanent. If you are suspended from the network, then you will be able to get back online after you serve the time of your suspension.

If you are banned, then it is permanent and it will not be lifted for any reason unless there was an error that caused the ban. 

There are two basic types of bans:

  1. Console ban (on your PS3, PS4, or PS5)
  2. Account ban

If a PlayStation system is banned, then a user will not be able to use that system for playing games online or accessing any online content.  Users can still use their account to play, but they will not be able to use the console which has been banned. 

If a PlayStation account has been banned, then the user will not be able to use that account for accessing the PlayStation Network in the future. The account will be invalid for any of the PlayStation systems as it is banned from the PlayStation Network.   

When your account has been banned and if your appeal has been denied then all you can do is create a new account and make sure that you don’t mess up again.

What Happens After Getting Banned From PlayStation? 

After getting banned from the PlayStation Network, users are no longer able to enjoy the benefits of the Network that they were enjoying before the ban. The Network will permanently ban their account or system and they will get a notification regarding the ban that will let them know some general reasons why they were banned. 

After getting a ban, users will not be able to access the contents of their account as well as subscriptions and trophies related to that. This type of stern decision is made on a case-by-case basis and is only caused by some serious irregular behavior of the user. 

If you are purchasing a used console whether online or off there is a chance that you may purchase a banned system so make sure if buying used to only buy from someone you know or from a store with a good return policy. 

To learn more about what happens when your account gets banned be sure and check out the video below. 

Can PlayStation IP Ban You?

Many people believe that specific IP addresses can be blocked by the Playstation Network but is this true? Can your IP address be blocked?

Playstation can IP ban your PS4, PS5, etc. but this type of ban is pretty rare. An IP ban is rare since it is so easy to change your IP address.

Normally an IP ban is issued because of suspicious activity. This could be because you are trying to make a purchase or many purchases back to back and Playstation feels like something is wrong. You could also get an IP ban for hacking or cheating in a game when playing online.

Most of the time Playstation will issue an account ban or console ban since changing your IP is relatively easy. Matter of fact, multiple people have reported getting around a Playstation IP ban by simply restarting their router or restoring it to factory settings.

So although the PSN can issue an IP ban it is pretty rare.

Conclusion

Finding out if your Playstation or one you bought is banned is a relatively easy thing to do. Just check and see if you receive an error when you go to log in to the Playstation Network and if you get an error then search online or check out the error codes above to see exactly what the error means. 

Being banned isn’t something that will normally happen the first time so if you repeatedly get warnings and suspensions on your account you had better heed them or you might wake up one morning and find out that your account or console has been banned.