8 Ways To Fix “An Unidentified Error Occurred” in PS5

“An unidentified error occurred” for PS5 is an issue that has been recently popping up when making purchases in the PlayStation store. It is difficult to diagnose due to the lack of an error code, which makes it quite difficult to solve.

However, that does not mean that there isn’t a multitude of ways to tackle this option. Fear not, for we will be showing you 8 ways which will show you how to tackle this issue. Here are the following:

What is the “An unidentified error occurred” issue occurring on PS5?

Upon trying to buy a game, users are greeted with a blue screen with the following words “An unidentified error occurred. Try again in a few moments” on the screen, and the only option is “Back to checkout”.

Since there isn’t an error code that ties into it, it is difficult to diagnose where the issue exactly lies. There could be a plethora of reasons, or this could just be an umbrella term. The wording isn’t too helpful either, and as the name implies, the error remains “unidentified”. This vague wording is the bane of any gamer’s existence since not much can be concluded about anything based on this.

Why does the error occur?

One way to play games on the PS5 is to use the disc, which basically consists of getting your game’s disc and plucking it into the PS5, and you’re good to go. The other way is to install games off the PlayStation Store – also short for the PS Store.

This method is more prevalent and widely used considering that it allows much easier access, and there isn’t a chance for the store to run out of copies, a very real risk with the disk method. Some games are free to play, while some if not all, major AAA titles need to be purchased.

The issue only occurs while the user purchases from the PS Store. We’ve only seen this issue when you try to purchase a game off the PS Store while using your credit card. It does not occur if you add funds via PayPal or use a gift card to redeem the game. Therefore, it most likely has to do with the PS servers and their networking systems with banks.

It is not unusual for bugs and discomfort to happen with consoles and their online connectivity; however, it is especially annoying when a console cannot provide insight as to why it is happening. Fear not, however, since these bugs routinely get weeded out in maintenance updates,

How To Fix “An unidentified error occurred” issue occurs on PS5?

• Fix 1: Use a standard email address
• Fix 2: Add funds to your PSN wallet
• Fix 3: Use PayPal 
• Fix 4: Check for PSN Server Issues
• Fix 5: Make sure your payment region matches your PSN region
• Fix 6: Spamming the X button
• Fix 7: Restarting your internet

Fix 1: Use A Standard Email Address

Some users have reported issues with using non-standard email addresses. These can include third-party emails, for example, proton mail. The issue is especially prevalent among emails that do not end in .com. These can include examples like pm.me. To avoid facing the dreaded “An unidentified error occurred” for PS5, we suggest using a standard email address for your PS account, usually ending in .com. Any general email ending in “.com” or your usual Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo emails will suffice.

Fix 2: Add Funds To Your PSN Wallet.

The unidentified error usually occurs when the game is bought from the PS5 store using a credit/debit card. You can add funds to your PSN wallet using gift cards or PayPal/Credit or Debit Card, which bypasses the credit card process entirely, and allows you to purchase games through your funds.
Here is how you can do it:

1. Go to PS5 settings.  

2. Go to Users and Accounts; under that, you will see the tab that will allow you to go to the account.

3. Go to the Payment and Subscriptions tag.

4. Go to the Add Funds tag.

5. Add funds by either using your credit/debit or adding your voucher code.

Fix 3: Use PayPal

Alternatively, you can buy the game directly through PayPal as well. To link your PayPal to your account, follow these steps:

1. Go to the PlayStation website and sign in.  

2. Under your account header, go to payment management

3. Click add a payment method

4. Click the add PayPal button and fill in the details.

Fix 4: Check If The PSN Servers Are Live.

Sometimes, the issue may not lie on your end. Oftentimes, PSN servers go down for maintenance and store purchases do not go through at the time.
You may check the server status on PlayStation’s website.

Fix 5: Make Sure Your Payment Region Matches Your PSN Region

This is a common error that might be overlooked since the payment will not go through if the billing information contradicts the PSN region.

Here’s how you can check your PSN region:

1. Open the PSN Store 

2. Scroll all the way down to Payment Methods. Here you can add or edit payment methods or set your default payment method.

3. Select Add Credit/Debit Card. Ensure that you have less than 3 cards on there. 

4. Fill in the information. Put in the cardholder’s name, card number, expiry date and the card security code.

5. Here, at the bottom of the page, you would be able to see your PSN region.

Fix 6: Spamming The X Button

Hold on, before you click off and dismiss this as non-serious, hear us out. This is an odd fix; nonetheless, there’s no denying that, oddly reminiscent of a habit that most, if not all of us, had as kids. However, many users have experienced gotten rid of the “An unidentified error occurred” issue on PS5 by repeatedly mashing the X button. Nonetheless, be careful when approaching this, since if you’re purchasing something, doing this might cause you to accidentally make the purchase repeatedly. We aren’t exactly sure why this works either, but sometimes going back to the methods that you used as a kid really is worth it.

Fix 7: Restarting Your Internet Router

Although very simple, it is nonetheless worth a shot to do. If the bugs still persist, you can try restarting your router, as connectivity issues can cause payments to not go through. This is a simple fix yet oftentimes overlooked. When things go wrong, it’s easy to overlook the basics.

Fix 8: Restarting Your Console

Finally, if all else fails, many times, it’s an unrelated internal bug that causes issues for the user. You can restart your PlayStation console by pressing the PS button on the controller, selecting the power icon and then selecting the restart console option. Hard resetting can oftentimes take care of this issue, and many users were able to continue to make their purchases after doing so.

So there you have it, folks; these were the 8 ways how to fix the “An unidentified error occurred” issue on PS5. PS5 is currently one of the biggest consoles out there, having sold more than 20 million units since its launch in November 2020.

This number would’ve been reached much earlier had it not been for the shortage that they had to face earlier this year. Recently Sony did announce that they’d increase the production of the console now.

Having been out for nearly 2 years at this point and having sold a significant number of consoles, sending ripples in the gaming sphere, one would expect that these issues would’ve been resolved. Thus it is disappointing to see that it is still plagued by a variety of these bugs and issues, making it really difficult to smoothly use the platform.