PSN Backup Codes: Find, Use and Reset Your 2SV Codes

Every PlayStation account with 2-step verification gets 10 backup codes, each usable once, and you view them on the web under Account Management, Security, Backup Codes. If your phone is lost or a verification text never arrives, a PSN account backup code lets you sign in by choosing Trouble Receiving Code? on the sign-in screen and entering one code instead. The catch is timing: you can only look the codes up while you can still sign in, so the moment to save them is now, not when you are locked out. Here is how it all works as of November 2026.

We checked this against PlayStation Support's 2-step verification setup and troubleshooting pages, its passkey and sign-in guides, and the security best practice page in November 2026.

What Backup Codes Are For

2-step verification (2SV) adds a second check after your password: a code sent by text message or generated by an authenticator app. That is a strong defense against stolen passwords, but it creates a new single point of failure, the phone. Backup codes exist to cover the day that phone is lost, broken, replaced or out of signal.

Sony issues 10 of them when you set up 2SV, and each works only once. Think of them as ten spare keys cut at the same time: each one opens the door a single time and is then used up. Sony's 2SV guide says that if you lose access to your 2SV mobile number, you can still get into your account as long as you kept a record of these codes.

• They replace the text or app code, not your password. You still need the password (or a passkey) first.
• They work on the web, PS5 and PS4 sign-in screens.
• Used codes are spent. Ten codes go further than you might think, but they do run out.

Where to Find Your Codes

Sony shows the codes at the end of 2SV setup on every platform and asks you to record them. If you skipped that step, you can view them later on the web: sign in to Account Management, select Security, then select Backup Codes. Sony's setup guide does not list a console path for viewing them, so use a browser on a computer or phone.

There is one hard limit, and Sony states it directly: if you cannot sign in to your account, you cannot check your backup codes online. The codes sit behind the same sign-in they are meant to rescue. That is why the only useful time to look them up is while everything is working.

When you do look, count how many are left. If you have used several over the years, for instance when changing phones, you may have fewer spares than you think, and the fix for that is covered below.

Signing In With a Backup Code

The steps differ slightly by platform. On the web, try to sign in at Account Management, click Trouble Receiving Code?, select Sign In Using a Backup Code, enter one code, select Verify and then Continue.

1. PS5: go to Settings, Users and Accounts, Account, Sign In. Enter your sign-in ID and password, select Sign In, then type one backup code on the 2-step verification screen.
2. PS4: go to Settings, Account Management, Sign In. Enter your sign-in ID and password, select Sign In, then press the triangle button on the 2SV screen to choose Trouble Receiving Code?. Pick a reason, select Sign In Using Backup Code, enter one code and select Verify.
3. Web: use the Trouble Receiving Code? link as described above.

Cross off each code as you use it. A code that has already been spent will not work again, and trying old ones one after another is a quick way to get frustrated at a sign-in screen. If you are signing back in after an online ID or email change, which both sign you out of every device, have the codes beside you before you start. Our guide to changing the email on a PlayStation account explains why that sign-out happens.

Getting a Fresh Set of Codes

Sony does not offer a "generate more" button. Its troubleshooting page explains the method instead: if you have used most of your backup codes, turn off 2-step verification and then turn it back on to receive new codes. Record the new codes immediately and treat that fresh list as the one to keep, discarding any older printout so you never mix them up.

The same move fixes a phone change. If you lost your old phone and used a backup code to get in, Sony says to turn off 2SV and reactivate it with the new phone. That re-links text messages or the authenticator app to the device you actually have, and gives you a new set of 10 codes at the same time.

Do this calmly and in one sitting. Between turning 2SV off and turning it back on, your account is protected only by its password, so make sure that password is unique and strong first. Sony's security advice recommends a different password for every account and a strong password on the email account that can reset it.

Setting Up 2-Step Verification Properly

If you never turned on 2SV, the setup path also gives you your first set of codes. On the web, sign in to Account Management, select Security, choose Edit next to 2-step Verification Status, then pick Authenticator App or Text Message. On a PS5, go to Settings, Users and Accounts, Security, 2-Step Verification. On a PS4, go to Settings, Account Management, Account Information, Security, 2-Step Verification.

For the text option, you enter your mobile number and type the code you receive. For the authenticator option, you scan the QR code with the app, or type the alphanumeric code Sony shows if the QR code will not scan, then enter the code the app generates and select Activate. Either way, the backup codes appear when setup finishes.

An authenticator app avoids problems with text messages that are delayed or never arrive, which is the most common reason people reach for a backup code. Whichever you choose, set it up on a phone you expect to keep, and keep the app's own backup or transfer feature in mind when you upgrade phones.

Storing Codes Where You Will Actually Find Them

The best place for backup codes is somewhere that does not depend on the things that might fail. A note on the same phone you use for 2SV disappears along with the phone. An email to yourself lives in the inbox that might be the next thing you get locked out of.

• Print them, or write them by hand, and keep the paper with other important documents.
• Store them in a password manager that you can open from more than one device.
• If you manage several accounts for a household, label each set clearly with the online ID it belongs to.
• Never share them. Sony's security page tells players never to share account details, and a backup code is as sensitive as a password.

Treat any message asking for a verification or backup code as a scam. Sony's security guidance warns about unexpected messages that claim your account was reported or ask you to sign in through a link, and handing over a code to such a message gives away your second factor.

When Backup Codes Are Not Enough

If you have neither the phone nor the codes, Sony's answer is to contact PlayStation Support through the Online Assistant to restore access, and to expect to verify your identity. Our guide to recovering a PlayStation account without your phone covers what to prepare. The same applies if you are receiving 2SV messages you did not request and cannot change your sign-in method, which can be a sign that someone has your password.

A few edge cases are worth knowing. Sony says you cannot sign in on Google TV while 2SV is on; the documented workaround is to turn 2SV off, sign in, and turn it back on, after which you should record whatever codes setup shows you. Passkeys are another option that Sony offers for signing in from personal devices, and if your device does not support passkeys, you stay on 2SV. PS3 and PS Vita do not support passkeys and require a device password.

Codes also do not help with a suspension. If you can sign in but Sony has restricted the account, that is covered by our guide to PlayStation suspensions and appeals. And if you have just secured an account with a short or rare online ID, our guide to PlayStation name availability explains why those names attract attention.

Accounts Listed With Full Access

Whoever holds the backup codes and the 2SV phone controls an account, which is worth remembering when an account changes hands. Our PSN accounts hub carries account listings from marketplace sellers, several of which describe full access in their titles, and the listings change daily. Sony's UK and EU PlayStation Terms of Service list sharing, buying, selling, trading or transferring accounts or account details among the things users must not do, so read those terms before deciding.

Frequently Asked Questions