PSN Maintenance Scheduled for July 18, 2016

Update:

In case you’re being routed here, yes, PlayStation Network is currently down for a lot of people (7/13/2016). Check here for the latest updates and to know when it’s back online.

Original Story:

Coming through on their goal to reduce the time each maintenance period lasts, Sony has announced that this month’s PlayStation Network maintenance on Monday, July 18 will only last for one hour.

Running from 9:30pm PT (12:30am ET) until 10:30pm PT (1:30am ET), the PSN Maintenance on Monday will affect both the PS4 and PS3. According to Sony, it’s routine maintenance and will include some improvements for the PlayStation Network.

As usual, you can still sign in to your PSN profile during the maintenance, play games, and use most applications. However, you won’t be able to access Account Management, PlayStation Video, or the PlayStation Store.

For the best results during the maintenance, Sony suggests activating your PS4 as your primary console by following these steps: sign in to your PlayStation Network profile and select [Settings] > [PlayStation Network/Account Management] > [Activate as Your Primary PS4] > [Activate].

If you haven’t seen them yet, the PlayStation Store sales this week in North America include deals on past titles featured in the PLAY promotion.

[Source: PSN Status]

Essential Reading:

Best PS4 Retail Games of 2016 So Far

Best PS4 Retail Games of 2016 So Far
Dark Souls III

Good news for gamers is that From Software seems to never take a break. The studio released Dark Souls III earlier this year, and it was basically everything that fans wanted. Unlike Bloodborne, there's a more deliberate pace to combat and a ton of character customization. It will be exciting to see what the studio does next, but for now I'll keep playing Dark Souls III.
DOOM

It's 2016 and Id Software just made an awesome DOOM game. That's wild. The latest game in Id's most famous series had no right to be as good as it was, but its campaign was spectacular. Throw in some solid multiplayer that keeps getting better over time due to SnapMap, and you have one of the best games of the year.
Gravity Rush Remastered

Not a lot of people played Gravity Rush on the Vita, and that's a shame. Thankfully, gamers had a chance to right that wrong when Gravity Rush Remastered came out earlier this year. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, as the game plays better with a DualShock 4, and has all of the original's DLC.
Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-

For everything Street Fighter V did wrong, Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- did it so right. Not only does the Arc System Works developed fighting game have a ton of content, it also does a fantastic job at introducing concepts and basic moves. -REVELATOR- has moved fighting games forward, and now it's up to other games to continue to make sure the genre continues to get better.
MLB The Show 16

MLB The Show 16 rules. While the series doesn't get the recognition it deserves, Sony San Diego has been knocking the series out of the park for years now. It's a great baseball sim, and it somehow gets better every year. The 2016 installment is the best looking and playing version yet, and it's clear that the studio isn't resting on their laurels.
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir set a new bar for remastered games. Not only did this gorgeous HD version of Vanillaware's PS2 title fix the flaws of the original, it also added new content as well. New bosses, enhanced combat, and even the original game if players wanted to hold onto the past.
Overwatch

I think Blizzard might be pretty good at game development. Overwatch, the latest game from the dev behind Diablo & Warcraft, was a bold new direction for the studio but they absolutely nailed it. It's some of the best team based first-person shooting available anywhere, and it's a game that still dominates my Twitter feed. Overwatch has staying power, and Blizzard seems to be on the right track of supporting it regularly.
Ratchet & Clank

Sometimes a reboot is just what a series needed. That seems to be the case for Ratchet & Clank, as the remake of the PS2 classic did very well both critically and commercially. While it did show its age during spots (particularly during a horrible stealth segment), it also featured platforming fun that just isn't seen all that often on PS4. It's a welcomed addition to the system's library, and Insomniac really did a good job with it.
Trackmania Turbo

Trackmania Turbo brought Trackmania's signature brand of weirdness to consoles in a big way. Nadeo's time trial racing game has over 200 tracks on the disc, and great level creation tools for users to make even more. It's a blast online with friends, and its four distinct locales each offer up a different challenge.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

While Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End may have been largely more of the same from a gameplay perspective, it was at least really polished sameness. It also featured the best story in an Uncharted game by a mile and turned Nathan Drake into something more than a wisecracking mass murderer. Uncharted 4 was a great way to end a series that needed to go away for awhile, and now Naughty Dog can move on to exciting fresh ideas.