Get older games from the PlayStation Network website while you still...

Sony plans to focus the PlayStation Network website on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games after the PlayStation Network console launches. Understandable. Part of that change, however, means you will no longer be able to purchase PS3, PS Vita, and PSP games or downloadable content from the PSN website on desktop or mobile – including PS1 classics and the short-lived “PS Minis” collection.

In addition, the PSN wish list will be deleted and all wish list items will be removed. Too bad. These changes will go into effect on October 21st and will be fully implemented by October 26th.

Sony has made it clear that the changes only affect mobile and web shops. You can still buy games and download past purchases straight to your older consoles. However, the process is more complicated than Sony allows.

The PSP doesn’t to have Therefore, users need to purchase the game through the internet, download it to their PC or PS3, and then transfer it to the PSP using a USB or SD card. The PS3’s PSN app can be slow and cumbersome, and the Vita won’t display full store listings even if you view all listings alphabetically. You will have better luck finding a specific game by name, but even then it is not guaranteed to show up.

Because of these issues, many gamers are likely to prefer purchasing PS3, Vita, and PSP games from the web store on a PC or mobile phone. However, this will not be possible until Sony launches the new PSN website.

This means that you should take full advantage of the PSN webshop to buy or download your PSP, PS3 and PS Vita games while they are still available. Also, get those lingering titles on your wishlist before the feature is removed and these games become a chore to find and buy. You will be grateful that you did it.

Here’s how to back up your old PSN games locally

You should also consider taking a backup all in case something is suddenly missing from your download list. The process differs from console to console and can take a long time if you have a large digital library. However, it’s worth it.

To be clear, all of your old PSN games must be downloaded and saved locally by October 21st Not a requirement; Your PSP, Vita, and PS3 games will continue to appear in your PSN download list as long as they remain available on PSN. That said, it’ll be a lot easier to copy over your locally stored content than dealing with the bad PSN stores (or lack thereof) on older PlayStation consoles. Going through the process now will save you the headache the moment Sony inevitably cuts all PSN support for these older consoles in the future.