Sony Cracks Down on Shovelware in PlayStation Store
Sony cracks down on Shovelware in the PlayStation Store as the battle against low-quality, spam, and AI games continues. In this round of delisting games, Sony removes games from publishers like GoGame Console Publisher, VRCForge Studios, and Welding Byte.
The removals were spotted in the first week of April on PSNProfiles, and reports published on April 5 have seen the entire catalogue from those companies have been wiped from PS4 and PS5 stores.
🚨 Sony delisted ‘Jesus Simulator’ from the PlayStation Store the day before Easter. pic.twitter.com/nF4H3BkglE
— TheGameVerse (@TheGameVerse) April 5, 2026
Some of the games that have been removed include Jesus Simulator, Watermelon Fruits Puzzle, and Card Shop Game Store. It seems the delistings have played out quietly, quickly, and without public fanfare so as not to draw attention to these low-quality games.
Sony has been aggressive with cleaning out the PlayStation Store ecosystem, especially after a recent cleanse that focused on Nostra Games, responsible for nearly 700 sim-style games. Apparently, the studio was under fire for having AI-generated copies of other titles.
What Got Swept Away
Many of the titles, according to Push Square, seemed to be knock-offs, for instance, Card Shop Game Store, which looks similar to the one-time Steam exclusive TCG Card Shop Simulator. Another similar game was Welding Byte’s I Am Busy Digging a Hole, which is very similar to A Game About Digging a Hole. Other titles include Urban Driver Simulator and Supermarket CEO Simulator.
These games are exactly what gamers have complained about recently: unoriginal knock-offs, with many using AI. These cheap-looking releases are becoming overwhelming in stores, built to clog rather than stand out.
Why Sony Keeps Cutting These Games
While Sony hasn’t given details about why they’ve removed the games, the reason is pretty obvious. This is now the third major cleanup of 2026, following January’s cleanse ThiGames purge, and March’s sweep of Nostra Games and CGI Lab.
Sony has been aggressive against shovelware, especially those accused of AI. According to PlayStation LifeStyle, Sony has removed dozens of scam-like PS4 and PS5 games thanks to player complaints.
‼️THIS IS NOT A HAUNTED PAWS GAME. IT IS A DIRECT COPY.
— Lazy Flock | Making Haunted Paws 👻🐶 (@lazyflockstudio) January 7, 2026
This is an unauthorized copy that steals our concept, visuals, and story, using AI-generated assets, releasing on the PlayStation Store. pic.twitter.com/afLfEOZ7o0
It seems like the company is stuck in a “never-ending battle,” according to Push Square. Just because they do a wipe sweep of shovelware doesn’t mean that it’s going to stop. With the removal of one, more are on the way.
And even though Sony has removed these titles, the so-called studios still have Nintendo and Steam. When people see that these games are able to pass through, it gives others hope that they can create cheaply-made knock-offs as well. It might seem easy for the platforms to clear out their stores of these cheaply-made games, but with the amount of games being produced, especially thanks to AI, it might be getting harder to track.
Last year, Nintendo and Steam cracked down on hentai games that had been bombarding the stores. Along with that, Sony has previously shut down The Last of US and Uncharted knock-offs. It’s clear that the companies need to look a little harder before accepting these titles onto their platforms.
