PS5 - Cannot log in because 'playstation network'

Hi all,

Ive been trying for days to log in from PS5 but all I get is - Disconnected, cannot log in because Playstation network cannot be reached.

what I have tried
Reseting ps5 + turning it off and back on
Reseting router + hard turn off and back on
Deleting the game and reinstalling it
Signing out and back in + deleting profiles (seen on some forum posts)

Im at a loss on what to do/what could be causing it?

What I have noticed is that it takes a very long time (5 - 10 mins) for my profile to appear in the groups section in the top left corner.. not sure if that has anything to do with it and when loading the game it always crashs/stops at GGG

Second this - I am experiencing the EXACT same issues. Cannot press options button on controller, can only press X and gamer displays "Cannot Connect to Playsation Network"