PS Playtime reads your game library and hours played from publicly available PlayStation Network data. If your privacy settings keep that information private, the lookup will fail — even though your profile itself might still appear in search results.
This guide walks you through opening the specific settings that matter, on both PS5 and PS4, so your playtime is visible on this site and other PSN-connected tools.
What needs to be public
PS Playtime needs two things from your account:
- Your profile must be findable — Your online ID needs to appear in PlayStation search results.
- Your gaming history must be visible — Your played games list and associated playtime data must not be restricted to friends only or hidden entirely.
Setting everything to fully public is the simplest approach. If you prefer a middle ground, "Friends of Friends" for gaming history may work in some cases, but "Anyone" is the most reliable setting for third-party lookups.
Option A: Use the "Social and Open" preset (fastest)
Sony offers four privacy presets on PS5. The most permissive one opens everything you need in a single step.
On PS5
- From the home screen, select the Settings gear icon (top right, next to your profile picture).
- Go to Users and Accounts → Privacy.
- Select Adjust Privacy Settings by Choosing a Profile.
- Choose Social and Open.
This preset allows anyone to see your public profile information, send friend requests, and — critically — view your gaming activity and history.
On PS4
- Go to Settings → Account Management → Privacy Settings. You may need to sign in again.
- Look for preset profile options or set individual categories to their most open level.
Option B: Customize individual settings (more control)
If you do not want to open everything, you can adjust only the settings that affect playtime visibility.
On PS5
- Go to Settings → Users and Accounts → Privacy.
- Select View and Customize Your Privacy Settings.
- Under Your Activity, set Who can see your gaming history to Anyone.
- Under Your Information, ensure your online ID is visible in search results.
- Under Gaming | Media, set shared media and recent activities to Anyone.
On PS4
- Go to Settings → Account Management → Privacy Settings.
- Select each category (Personal Info, Friends, Gaming and Media) and set visibility to Anyone where applicable.
- Make sure gaming history and activities are not set to No One or Friends Only.
On the web or PlayStation App
Privacy settings are tied to your PSN account, not a specific console. You can also change them at playstation.com by signing in and navigating to Account Settings → Privacy Settings, or through the PlayStation App under your avatar → Privacy.
Settings that do NOT block PS Playtime
A few privacy options are commonly confused with gaming history visibility but work independently:
- Hiding games from your library — This removes games from your on-console library view. It is separate from profile visibility. See hidden games and privacy for details.
- Appearing offline — Hides your online status but does not necessarily hide your game history.
- Hiding specific games from other players — This can remove individual titles from your public profile even when gaming history is otherwise open.
After changing your settings
Privacy changes usually take effect within a few minutes, but PSN can take longer to propagate updates across all services. If PS Playtime still cannot find your games after 15–30 minutes, double-check that gaming history is set to Anyone and that you are searching for the correct online ID (usernames are case-sensitive).
Once your profile is public, head to the PS Playtime homepage and enter your PSN username to see your full game library.