Is your PS5 making strange noises? What you need to know

PS5
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The PlayStation 5 has successfully completed the second part of its launch, arriving in Europe on Thursday, though its not been without its problems. And if you’re one of the buyers irritated by strange noises emitted by the console, the problem might not be serious.

Frank Keienburg, a developer at Supercell and PS5 buyer in Finland, was plagued by an unhealthy sounding noise whenever the PS5 was turned on. Unsurprisingly, he suspected a busted fan, as most people would after playing the clip:

But knowing that sending it back to Sony would likely see a massively long delay given the short supply of the console, Keienburg decided to look into the problem himself. 

After ruling out coil whining, noting the sound wasn’t coming from the bearings, and reproducing a similar noise with air, he decided it was worth risking Sony’s warranty to look at the problem himself. Sure enough, the problem turned out to be a sticker that had come loose: once removed, the PS5 was quiet as a mouse.

It’s not clear what the sticker is for – Keienburg noted it was completely blank with no text or identifying features. Though another user has identified what it might be, thanks to a PS5 teardown video: 

Your noisy PS5 might have a whole different cause, so we’d urge you not to follow Keienburg’s example unless you’re very comfortable with electronic repair and/or are relaxed about risking Sony’s willingness to offer support at a later date (though he did note there was no warranty sticker in the way). 

That said, we can also understand the temptation. The PlayStation 5 launch has been an incredible success for Sony, with pre-order stock selling out almost immediately whenever its been online. It has been less of a success for consumers, however, with plenty missing chances to buy and sky-high prices for those forced to turn to Ebay.

Knowing that a replacement unit will likely take several months to show up, is it any wonder that people would be tempted to take repairs into their own hands?

For those still searching for a PS5 ahead of Christmas, we’re keeping tabs on where stock pops up with our where to buy PS5 guide. The word is that Best Buy, Gamestop and Walmart will all have Black Friday PS5 stock as well, so worth having your credit card at the ready after Thanksgiving. 

Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.