Kazakhstan might get its own region in the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store
The authorities in Kazakhstan are seeking to restore full access for the country's residents to the gaming stores of Sony and Microsoft. This was reported by the Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, Binur Zhalenov, in an interview with BES.media.
During the conversation, Zhalenov pointed out that, if they wish, Kazakhstani citizens can currently purchase games on the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store—since their bank cards are accepted for payment. However, due to the absence of Kazakhstan as a separate region on these platforms, complications arise. A few years ago, local gamers could use Russia as their specified region, but now, because of the corporations exiting the Russian market, they are forced to look for longer workarounds.
"[Solving the region issue] is not entirely the work of our financial regulator; it's more of a market task. Nevertheless, we are working on it," Zhalenov stated.
According to the official, the matter is expected to be resolved by the end of the first quarter of 2027.
Notably, in 2023, the Ministry of Digital Development of Kazakhstan had already approached Sony with a request to open access to the PlayStation Store for users from the country, but to no avail.
Representatives of Sony and Microsoft have not commented on the Kazakhstani authorities' plans.