The Sony PS4 is a leading console among the available products. It is a powerful machine with excellent visuals and an impressive library of games. These features make it a favorite among consumers. As a result, the popularity of the Sony Playstation PS4 remains as high as ever. Due to this reason, questions such as “how to see how many hours are played on the PS4” grow more common.
Is this what you’re wondering as well? Then, you’re in the right place! This guide will explain all the methods for checking your playtime on the PS4. We guarantee that you will have found a solution to your problem by the end.
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Why You May Want To See Hours Played on PS4
Gaming consoles often have built-in features that keep track of stats, such as playtime. For seasoned players, such information is particularly valuable. Gaming has also become a profitable industry. Players are no longer distinguished from each other based on ability alone.
Video game communities may reward players with significant experience playing a particular game. Such stats also indicate a player’s experience and dedication toward the game.
Users may also wish to know the hours they’ve played on the PS4 to ensure they’ve not compromised on productivity. Knowing if you are spending too much time at the console and need to take a break can be helpful. Parents may wish to monitor their children’s total video game playtime for similar reasons.
Regardless of the reason why you want to keep track of your total playtime, this article will explain it all. We will go through the steps for doing so in detail.
Can You Check the Hours Played on PS4?
Many consoles have features that keep track of stats, such as total hours played. You may access this information through the console. Unfortunately, the Sony PS4 does not allow you to do this directly. No system timer keeps track of such statistics. On occasion, Sony has emailed users about their total playtime and other stats.
Users that wish to see how many hours they’ve played on the PS4 must do this through other methods. We will explain these steps in the next section.
How to See How Many Hours You’ve Played on the PS4
There are two common methods to see how many hours you’ve spent on PS4. One of them is through PlayStation’s online website, and the other is through the PSN newsletter. We’ve described and compared both methods in detail below.
Method#1: How to See Hours Played on PS4 through the Website
This is the most popular method for keeping track of hours played on the Sony PlayStation PS4. For this method to work, having a PlayStation account is necessary.
To check hours played on the PS4 through the website, complete the following steps:
- Set up a PlayStation account if you don’t have one already.
- Go to Account Management.
- Then, go to the Family Management menu.
- Select the option that says Add Family Member.
- Set up a child account.
Child accounts can be set up so that the total playtime is regularly tracked. For many parents, this feature is a lifesaver.
To view the total playtime after the account is set up, complete the following steps:
- First, go to the Sony Website using a mobile or computer.
- Then, sign in to your account.
- Go to Family Management.
- Here, the total playtime information for each user should be available. You may also check what time a specific user has played that day.
You will not be allowed to see what game the user played. However, you will know when they were active and for how long. This will help you keep track of the total hours played on the console.
Method#2: How to See Hours Played on PS4 through the PSN Newsletter
The PSN Newsletter is a helpful resource for all PlayStation users. Users that sign up for the newsletter receive exclusive updates about new products and features. In addition, the PSN Newsletter occasionally also contains information such as the total hours played on the console.
To see hours played on the PS4 through the PSN Newsletter, complete the following steps:
- Set up a PlayStation account if you do not have one.
- Go to the Sony Website using a mobile or computer.
- Then, log in to your account.
- Go to Other Settings.
- Choose the option that says Notifications.
- Here you can sign up for the Newsletter.
- You will be asked if you wish to receive information about new products and features via email or the console. Choose the option that you prefer.
Comparing both Method 1 and Method 2
The answer to this question depends on your specific needs. For parents that wish to monitor their children’s activity on the console, the first method is recommended. It is designed as a Parental Control feature.
The PSN newsletter is a helpful resource. Users may benefit a lot from signing up for the newsletter. You will receive regular updates about new products as soon as they are released. Sony will also send updates about your game stats and other information through this newsletter.
However, these emails are not intended as regular updates. For this reason, the first method is more efficient for tracking playtime.
Other Ways to Track Total Playtime
Of course, it is always possible to track your playtime manually. However, this is a more tedious process. It is also prone to error, as forgetting to record your progress even once can ruin your calculations. Therefore, we recommend using tracker apps if you decide to manually track your hours played on the console. You may also use the methods we’ve explained as a guideline for tracking your progress.
There are also bots, such as the PS-Timetracker, which allow you to track your playtime. Simply add the bot as a friend on your PS4. The bot monitors your activity status to track how much time you spend playing any game. Stats are sent to users daily.
How to Check Total Playtime on a Game
Some video games allow you to track the total hours you spend playing the game. This information may be available within the game itself. Check the game menu to see if this option is available. To check this information through the console, complete the following steps:
- Turn on the console.
- Then, log in to your account.
- Next, open the game for which you wish to check the total playtime.
- Finally, go to the Saved Sessions.
- The Load Game screen will show both saved sessions and the total playtime for each session.
How to add Time Restrictions to the Console
Like all consoles, the Sony PlayStation PS4 has several Parental Control tools. Parents can set limits on when and how long their children can play. To set up time restrictions on the Sony PS4, complete the following steps:
- Set up a PlayStation account.
- Go to Account Management.
- Then, go to the Family Management menu.
- Select the option that says Add Family Member.
- Set up a child account.
- Your account must be the Family Manager to use Parental Control tools.
- Set the Time Zone.
- You can set Playable Hours, Restrict Playtime, and specify when Playtime ends. All these settings will be available through the PlayStation website.
How to Check Total Hours Played on the PS5
Checking the total playtime is much easier on the PS5. It may be done through the console directly. This is a built-in feature of the console. To check the total hours played on the PS5, complete the following steps:
- Turn on the console.
- Log in to your account.
- Then, click the Profile icon.
- After this, go to Games.
- All your games will be listed here. You will also find the total hours spent on each game listed here.
Final Thoughts
Many PS4 users are interested in tracking their total playtime on the console. Unfortunately, it is not possible to do this through the console. This is because there is no built-in tracking feature available within the console.
However, there are other methods to track your total hours played on the PS4. This article has explained those methods in detail. If you read this article, you should have no trouble with this problem.