If you’re a gamer, there’s a very good chance that you’re using Discord to communicate with your friends and fellow guildmates. The voice and chat app has become the go-to platform for gamers of all kinds, and it’s been expanding its reach beyond Windows to other platforms like iOS, Android, Linux, and Mac. Recently, Discord and PlayStation announced that feature-limited integration is now available on PS4 and PS5 consoles. So, let’s do a rundown of what this integration includes, how to get Discord on PS4 or PS5, and workarounds you can use to gain greater functionality.
Is Discord available on PS4 and Ps5?
While a Discord application is in the works between Discord and Sony, there isn’t a native application that you can download directly onto your PS4 or PS5 currently. However, you can access some limited features as of January 2022 by linking your Discord account and PS4/PS5 console account. These limited features include:
- Linking your PSN account to Discord to display real-time PS4/PS5 game activity on your Discord user profile.
- You can opt to display your PSN online identification on your profile. This allows your Discord friends to add you. Once they’ve added you, both of you will be able to see which game you are playing in real-time, permitting that the game supports cross-play.
It is important to note that for your friends to see your PSN online status or what game you are currently playing, your PSN privacy settings must be set to “anyone” for your status to be visible in Discord. We will explain how to set this up later on in the article.
How to see if Discord and PSN account linking is available to me?
You will be notified through the Discord application on your iOS or Android device when it becomes available to you, permitting that you have the latest version of Discord installed on these devices. If you would like to check availability, you can simply head to your User Settings on Discord and click on the Connections tab to find out if it is available to use on PS4 and PS5 in your region. If it is, you’ll be able to integrate Discord on your PS4 and PS5 by linking your accounts.
How to link a PSN account with Discord on PS4
Now that you know how to find out if linking your PSN account and Discord is available to you, let’s go through the steps of actually linking the two accounts together. These steps work with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and the web version of Discord.
- Open up Discord on your preferred device.
- In Discord, find the Settings cog in the bottom left-hand corner. Click into it.
- This opens up the User Settings menu. Find the Connections tab and click it.
- In the Connections menu, look at the connections box and see if the PlayStation logo is visible.
- If it is, click on it to open up a new browser window on your device.
- This will redirect to the PlayStation Network, where you will be prompted to log in with your PSN account information.
- If you have two-factor authentication enabled on your PSN account, you will need to walk through the authentication steps.
- Once authentication has been successfully completed, and you’ve logged in, you will have your PSN account linked to your Discord.
If you are attempting to set this up for a PlayStation Network account that is classified as a child’s account, the linking feature will not work as it is not available for children’s accounts.
How to show your PS4 activity on Discord
Now that you’ve linked your PSN and Discord accounts, it’s time to set up your PSN account so that your Discord friends can see your PSN online status and what game you’re playing. You can do this via your PSN account using a web browser or directly through your PS4 or PS5 console.
On the web
- Head to the official PlayStation website and sign in.
- Next, click on your little account icon to get a drop-down menu to pop.
- In the menu, choose Account Settings.
- On the account settings page, find PlayStation Network – Privacy Settings.
- Now click on Personal Info – Messaging.
- To the right of Personal Info – Messaging, options will pop up.
- Edit the Online Status and Now Playing.
- Change it to say “Anyone” and save the setting.
- Now you can log out of your account, and Discord integration will be able to show your PS4 activity.
On your PS4 console
- Boot up your PS4 console and head to Settings.
- Choose Account management from the list.
- Now click into Privacy settings.
- Log into your account using your login and password.
- Repeat steps 5-8 in the section above for “On the Web.”
Once you have changed the PlayStation Network privacy setting to “Anyone,” go back into Discord to the Connections tab and toggle on the Display On Profile or Display PlayStation Network as Your Status (or both).
How to get Discord on your PS4 console
Discord does not have a native application available to PS4 or PS5 console gamers yet, which means you can’t directly “get” Discord on PS4. However, there are workarounds for using Discord on PS4, but you will need access to specific equipment, and the steps are quite tedious.
The equipment you need to connect Discord on PS4
- You will need your PS4 console.
- You will need access to a PC, Mac, or a smartphone with access to the Discord application.
- A headset that connects via USB and has an optical cable included with it. You may want to look at getting a headset that works with both PC/Mac and PS4 consoles.
- A MixAmp, as this is what will help you switch the audio between your PC/Mac and your PS4 console.
- A 3.5mm Male to Male cable, as well as an Aux Splitter that is 3.5mm to 3.5mm with volume adjustment. You will also need a USB connecting cable and an extra optical cable.
An optional item to purchase is a ground loop noise isolator if you’re worried about eliminating the hissing or buzzing that is caused by using the same power source for two different audio outputs.
Workaround 1: How to use Discord’s voice capabilities on PS4
If you have access to all of the equipment in the section above, then you’re ready to try workaround number one. This workaround will allow you to talk on Discord on PS4, as well as hear both the audio from your computer and the audio from Discord.
Connect to Discord on your PS4
The first step in this process is to open up Discord on your PC/Mac or smartphone and log into it. You need Discord up and running so that you can switch the audio from Discord on your computer to your PS4. Now, you will want to open up Discord on your PS4 through the Discord web app:
- On your PS4, open up an internet browser.
- Head to discord.com and hit the button to open Discord in your web browser.
- This will take you to: https://discord.com/app.
- You will need to log into your account from here.
- Once logged in, you can now unofficially set up Discord on PS4.
How to set up your MixAmp for Discord on PS4
- Now grab your MixAmp and turn it on. Make sure to set it to console mode.
- Connect the PS4 with the optical cable that came with your MixAmp. If one did not, you might need to purchase one separately.
- Now grab your headset and connect its optical cable to the MixAmp input, the 3.5mm audio jack.
- Now grab that Aux Splitter and plug the Aux cable into the Aux port of the MixAmp. The other end of the Aux Splitter gets attached to your PC/Mac. If you have a ground loop noise isolator, you would connect this to the MixAmp Aux Port instead of the regular Aux cable.
- Now take a USB cable and connect the MixAmp to the PC/Mac.
- Now take that 3.5mm male-to-male cable and connect it from your PC/Mac’s speakers to the MixAmp.
Now all of the cable connections are complete.
Changing your PS4’s audio settings
- On your PS4, go into the Settings menu and click into Devices and then into Audio devices.
- In the audio devices menu, click the Input devices and change it to USB headset.
- Now head back to the audio devices menu, click into Output devices, and change it to TV/AV Amplifier.
- Exit out and go to the Settings menu. Choose the Sound and screen option, and then click on the Audio output settings.
- Change the primary output to Digital out (optical).
Now that the PS4 audio settings are changed, you can make the final adjustments to Discord. Go back to Discord via your PS4 web browser, click on the User settings gear cog, and under the Voice/video section, set the input device to MixAmp, and the output device to your computer’s speakers.
Voila! You’re now ready to begin chatting with your friends on Discord while playing games on your PS4 console. In case you start experiencing problems with Discord audio, we have covered in another article what to do if you can’t hear anyone in a Discord voice chat.
Workaround 2: Use PS remote play to stream games to PS4 while on Discord
If you find that the first workaround is too costly, there is a second option that utilizes PS Remote Play. PS Remote Play allows you to take your favorite PS4 and PS5 games and stream them to another device, such as an Android phone, Windows PC, Mac, or iPhone/iPad. Here is how it works:
- Download PS Remote Play to Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac.
- Create a secondary PlayStation account to use with the PS Remote Play app.
- Set this account as your default, and then log into PS Remote Play app with this account.
- Connect your headset to your device, and launch Discord.
- Join a Discord voice channel, and then connect your PS4 or PS5 to the Remote Play App.
Now you will be able to hear both the Discord voice channel and the console audio through the headset that you’ve plugged into the device you’re using with the PS Remote Play app.
It is important to note here that you may get some latency, which is why it is recommended to set the streaming quality to the lowest possible setting. While this workaround definitely allows you to play PS4 games and have Discord running at the same time, the quality may suffer a bit.
Conclusion
While it is great that Discord and PlayStation are finally rolling out integration for PSN accounts, the current features are still quite limited due to the lack of a native Discord app.
We hope that with the creation of a native Discord app, workarounds won’t be needed, and you can directly link up with your friends through your PS4 console. For now, we’re excited to see that PlayStation is listening to the feedback from Discord users. If this article helped you, leave us a comment below and let us know.
