How to Fix PlayStation Friends List Not Loading? Fix Guide!

When the PlayStation friends list not loading then something is wrong!

The friend’s list should instantly provide information about the status of the participants and allow you to enter the individuals’ profiles.

Let’s learn why it won’t load and how to fix the problem!

When the PlayStation friends list is not working, users should perform a restart on their consoles, reconnect the device to the WiFi and adjust the DNS settings. In case that doesn’t help, further solutions include a network inspection and a factory reset.

Why PS4 Won’t Load Friends List?

The reasons why the PS4 friend’s list won’t load could be many. In that set of thoughts users first need to inspect their internet connection.

This should be made before the methods since there won’t be the need for more complex solutions when the most important factor is missing.

The best way to check your internet is to perform a speed test.

You can perform an internet speed test for free here and in case you see a speed less than 5 Mbps, then not only the friends listed by all other network features will take a long time to load.

Tip: Use another device connected to the PS4 WiFi to perform the speed test.

If the internet connection (WiFi) is intact, proceed with the solutions below:

How To Fix When Playstation 4 Friends List Not Loading?

The solution to a non-loading friends list on PS4 includes the following methods:

Method #1 Check For Maintenance

The reason why the friend’s list on your PlayStation 4 is not loading might be due to maintenance related to the PS network servers.

When these servers are under maintenance or temporarily down, the friend’s list, the update option, and PS4 Store won’t be available.

Thanks to Sony, you can check whether the PS servers are under maintenance here!

If you see “All services are up and running”, then the problem is on your side and you would need some extra steps to solve the problem.

Otherwise, you should just wait for the maintenance to end and the friend’s list will start to appear as normal.

Note: You can see which exact services are under maintenance, Account Management, PlayStation store or Gaming, and Social.

Method #2 Reboot Your PlayStation

Sometimes, the problem with the friend’s list on your PlayStation 4 could be software-related, therefore you’ll need to reboot ALL services by performing a restart on the console.

You can restart your PS4 by pressing the PS button > Power > Restart!

When your console reboots, make sure that you’re connected to the WiFi and open the friend’s list to check whether the problem has been solved.

In case the issue persists, proceed with the next method.

Tip: To perform a power cycle, which is the better way to restart, unplug the console from the power for at least 3 minutes.

Method #3 Reconnect PS4 To The WiFi

The friend list on PlayStation 4, actively provides information about your gaming friends and whether they are online or not.

When you’re not connected to the internet, the friend’s list will either be empty or ALL your friends will appear offline even if they are not.

In that regard you need to make sure that your PS4 is connected to the WiFi:

1. Press the PS button and go to Settings.
2. Choose Network and select Set Up Internet Connection.
3. Press on WiFi and select Easy.
4. Choose your WiFi network and enter the password.
5. Make sure that the console is connected.

When you’re ready go back to the home screen and check whether the friend list is going to load now.

In case it doesn’t you’ll need to test your WiFi and whether the internet is good.

Tip: Test your WiFi by connecting another device to the network.

Method #4 Update PlayStation Firmware

When the software features of the PlayStation behave weirdly, the best approach in most cases is to perform an update.

Sometimes the firmware updates carry important security and operating system scripts necessary for certain features to function properly.

Here’s how to update the firmware of your PlayStation 4:

1. From the PS4 Home Screen go to Settings.
2. Choose System Software Update.
3. When there is a version available for update it will download automatically.
4. Wait for the update to finish.

When the update completes, the PlayStation will restart. After the restart, you should make sure that you’re connected to the WiFi and open the friend’s list to check whether it will load or not.

Note: When there are a few pending updates, the operation could take up to 15 minutes!

Method #5 Re-Log From Your PS4 Account

The friend list on your PlayStation is mainly related to your account.

When something goes wrong with the connection between the PS servers and your account all social features might temporarily stop working.

This is why logging out and then into your PS4 account might help.

Here’s how to relog from your PlayStation account:

1. From the Home Screen go to Settings.
2. Choose Account Management.
3. Highlight and select Sign Out.
4. Use the X or O buttons on your controller to confirm the selection.
5. Then log back into your PSN account and test the friend’s list.

You should wait a couple of moments before logging back in. That might help refresh the services related to the account, hence, solving the problem with your friend’s list.

Method #6 Adjust The DNS Settings

Sometimes when your internet service provider is experiencing issues, you should change the default DNS settings to Google’s values.

All of this happens from the PlayStation 4 settings and this can potentially boost your internet and prevent the problem of not loading your friend’s list.

Here’s how to adjust the DNS settings on the PlayStation 4:

1. From the home screen go to Settings.
2. Choose Network and select Internet Connection Setup.
3. Select Use WiFi and, this time, make sure to choose Custom.
4. From there, make your IP Address Automatic.
5. Adjust the DHCP Host Name to Do Not Specify.
6. Make the DNS Settings Manual.
7. Insert the following IPs, respectfully:

• Primary DNS to 8.8.8.8
• Secondary DNS to 8.8.4.4

At last, set the MTU Settings to 1456, and for a Proxy server choose Do Not Use.

When you’re ready with adjusting the DNS settings, check whether the friends’ list is now working or not.

Note: To revert the changes, you can simply select Automatic when setting up an internet connection.

Method #7 Restart Network Device

The last and most frequently reported cause for a not loading PlayStation friends list is the user’s internet connection.

Even if the console appears to be connected to the WiFi, there might not be an internet connection, therefore the friend’s list will not load until further notice.

The best way to check your WiFi is to test it by connecting another device.

Another workaround would be to completely bypass the WiFi and hook up your PlayStation directly with an Ethernet cable.

This way you’ll know whether your internet is causing the problem or not.

Tip: You can always share a hotspot from your smartphone and attempt loading the friend's list from the mobile network.

Method #8 Report To Sony

In case the PlayStation friends list not loading even after all the previous methods in this guide, then the problem might be more complicated.

Your account might be suspended or something went wrong with the services related to your user ID.

In that regard, you should contact Sony (PSN) customer service and report the problem you’re experiencing.

This is the official PlayStation customer service page, where you can find support for almost any problem related to Sony services and devices.

Tip: When contacting a support representative live, make sure to share what you’ve already attempted to save both instances time.

Quick Recap:

Hence, when the PlayStation friends list is not loading, users should first inspect their internet and see if the console is connected. The next step should be to relog from the PSN account and use the Google DNS settings instead of the default values.

Wrapping Up:

That was everything about why PlayStation friends list not loading and how to solve the problem in no time.

It’s important to remember that when an online service is not working, the two great possibilities are the connection servers and your own internet connection.

We hope that we were able to help and for more similar articles make sure to check our blog!