It appears that the PlayStation Stars rewards program has an elusive "Diamond" tier that is invite-only, according to a system data mine.
The PlayStation Stars rewards program is coming to PS5 this month in the West, offering gifts like digital collectibles to players who complete challenges in some of the best PS5 games. The rewards program was known to have four tiers of increasing value, but details from a PlayStation mobile app data mine show there could be a secret fifth.
The data mine posted to Reddit contains text that refers to a "Diamond" level of PlayStation Stars, and its entry requirements read "Invite Diamond level only." This could involve Sony selecting Diamond tier members, but more specific criteria for being invited are not yet known.
Additionally, according to data-mined information, those lucky enough to advance to Diamond level will instantly receive a unique digital figurine titled "Tier 5 Diorama - Bots Don't Breathe." The collectible is based on Team Asobi's Astro Bot series, and a corresponding graphic (opens in a new tab) was featured on the official PlayStation website.
So who gets into level 5?
The PlayStation Stars homepage (opens in a new tab) only details four tiers of rewards, which players will advance to as they continue to complete challenges. There is no mention of a fifth Diamond level. So my first guess on how to get there would be to continue completing challenges at level 4, perhaps to a point absurd enough for PlayStation to notice.
This could involve earning a certain number of Platinum trophies, being a PS Plus subscriber for a certain number of months, or maybe even other means of promotion like buying the upcoming DualSense Edge or PSVR 2. C This is pure speculation on my part, but offering a path to exclusive rewards through hardware purchases could be an effective way for Sony to move some units around.
Another possibility (and I sincerely hope it doesn't materialize) is that the Diamond level is exclusive to influencers or content creators. But I really don't see the point of all this. Some influencers will have bragging rights, of course, but unless those creators can hand out invites to regular players, there's absolutely nothing to be gained.
Hopefully, we won't have to wait much longer to find out what this Diamond level includes, who can enter, and if it even exists.