PlayStation 5 system update introducing free store credit for users

An upcoming PlayStation 5 system update will integrate a recently introduced system that effectively allows gamers to earn free store credit.

There are a ton of features that PlayStation 5 owners have desperately wanted to see Sony bring to the console. We all want to see custom themes make a return, for example. The latest system update, which is currently in beta, makes a huge number of long-awaited changes.

One of the upcoming changes that Sony didn't mention at the time appears to be the integration of the PlayStation Stars program to the PlayStation 5 system software. As reported by Twistedvoxel, the PS5's privacy settings as of the most recent update has an option relating to who can see your PlayStation Stars level.

This effectively confirms that PlayStation Stars, currently only available via an app, will be accessible via the console itself.

Launched last year, PlayStation Stars is a loyalty program in which players can earn rewards by completing “campaigns and activities”. This activities range from earning trophies and winning tournaments, to simply checking in to play a game.

The majority of these rewards are relatively underwhelming. You can exchange your hard-earned points for... digital collectibles that sit in a digital display case. Lovely.

However, as other PlayStation users have pointed out, it's actually possible to use your points to get money off on the PlayStation Store, effectively earning you free store credit just for playing games. You don't get huge amounts off this way, I should stress, but save up enough and you get some decent discounts.

Hopefully the PS5 update and Stars integration makes the loyalty program a little easier to use, as many users have reported issues tracking points on the "janky ass" app. Hopefully Sony will have more to share in the coming weeks as it rolls out the rest of latest features for the console.