PlayStation Portal's biggest upgrade since launch is live — and it transforms the PS5 handheld

The PlayStation Portal on a counter with the start screen for Horizon Forbidden West

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Last year, Sony untethered its PlayStation Portal remote play device from the PS5 by allowing owners to cloud stream a selection of titles without needing to connect to a home console. This feature was first released in beta, and after almost 12 months, it is now rolling out to all PlayStation Portal owners starting today (Nov. 5), according to the PlayStation Blog.

No longer is the PlayStation Portal essentially a $199 paperweight when unconnected to a PS5 console over Wi-Fi. Now you can stream a library of almost 2,800 games directly on the device, and the list of supported titles includes loads of the best PS5 games, including Cyberpunk 2077, God of War Ragnarök, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Astro Bot, Hogwarts Legacy and more.

Cloud Streaming officially arrives on PlayStation Portal today.PS Plus Premium members can now stream select digital PS5 games in their library, in addition to hundreds of compatible games from the Game Catalog and Classics Catalog: https://t.co/EHMIjnErWn pic.twitter.com/IRLYmDAib5November 5, 2025

Naturally, you will need to own these games digitally to stream them on the PlayStation Portal, or they must be included in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. Speaking of PlayStation’s premium subscription service, a slightly unfortunate catch about this feature is that you do need to be a PlayStation Plus Premium member to access cloud streaming on PlayStation Portal. This requirement feels a little cynical to me, so I’m hoping it's dropped in time.

Sony also notes that this new feature unlocks further gaming possibilities on the accessory, such as playing co-op titles on the Portal and a PS5 simultaneously, or allowing one user to watch a movie on the console while another enjoys gaming on the handheld. And of course, the Portal's cloud streaming is available when you’re miles away from your console.

To facilitate the upgrade, the PlayStation Portal home screen has been refreshed. It’s now split into three sections: Remote Play, Cloud Streaming and Search. Remote Play is the handheld’s original function, allowing you to mirror your console over Wi-Fi. Cloud Streaming hosts the new features discussed above, and Search, as you might expect, lets you browse which games are available to stream without needing to be tethered to a PS5.

If all this wasn’t enough, the update also brings additional improvements and features, including 3D Audio Support, the ability to set a Passcode Lock on your Portal, a Network Status Screen to check your internet connection, being able to make in-game purchases directly on the Portal, new accessibility options, and you can now accept online Game Invitations.

The PlayStation Portal still isn't the PlayStation Vita 2 that many gamers crave (sadly, due to the device's limited internal components, running games natively is practically a nonstarter), but this major upgrade serves only to increase its appeal. The Portal was already one of the best-selling PlayStation accessories ever, so Sony didn’t need to increase its functionality, but I’m delighted to see the Portal being upgraded in 2025.

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Rory is a Senior Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.

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