PS5 issues: All the big PlayStation 5 problems to look out for
PS5 updates have helped make the console a lot more stable but keep an eye out for these problems
Now that PS5 has been on the market for more than three years, the majority of firmware kinks have pretty much all been ironed out with a slew of updates.
But with that in mind, we have a collection of the PS5 problems that have caused early adopters issues in the past and are still worth keeping in mind just in case they resurface for you in 2024. The problems down below have become increasingly rare, but just in case you're having trouble with your PS5 here are the big issues to note.
PS5 system updates
Sony has pushed out a suite of PS5 updates over the last three years, which have gone a long way to smooth out the PS5 experience, and new add new features and upgrades
These have included support for variable refresh rate (VRR) which allows for the PS5 to “dynamically syncs the refresh rate of the display to the PS5 console’s graphical output," as well as enabling the spare internal SSD port to accept upgrades; check out our guide on how to upgrade PS5 internal storage. Plus, the UI has been refined adding appreciated touches like better distinguishing between PS5 and PS4 games.
Reported PS5 issues
Transferring data from PS4 to PS5 via USB or LAN: When you first pick up your PS5, it can be tempting to want to connect straight to your PS4 to get everything moved over to your new system in one fell swoop. You can do this by connecting your PS4 via USB or LAN to PS5, just as the system prompts you when you turn it on.
However, users reported experiencing system crashes, errors, and additional problems when attempting this. This seems to be working fine now but we suggest you follow our guide on how transfer data from PS4 to PS5.
Rest mode crashes console: The PS5's rest mode seemed to give people problems with crashes and errors resulting in last-ditch database rebuilding. Overall this problems seems to have been solved; there. There are murmurs of Rest Moe problems across the Web, but it's unclear if this is a PS5 firmware, game or user error situation. If you would rather not risk this then simply go to the Settings menu, find System Settings, then choose Power Saving. Choose Set Time Until PS5 Enters Rest Mode and the select Don't Put in Rest Mode.
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External hard drive corruption: Sony has long paraded the use of external hard drives as one of the PS5's most useful features. You can store your PS4 games there if you'd like, and you have plenty of extra space in addition to what the system came with. However, users are reporting problems with transferring data from their PS4 system over to PS5 with an external hard drive. Some are seeing corrupted data following the transfer process, while others have lost data previously available on the hard drive.
There doesn't appear to be a fix for this, but there are tips that suggest leaving your PS5 in Rest Mode with the USB storage attached to solve this issue. And if the users choses to let the PS5 'repair' the USB drive, the error should only pop up once, unless there's a deeper issue afoot.
Error code CE-108262-9: Users who routinely experience system crashes, failures, and error code CE-108262-9 may be seeing system deterioration and faulty hardware that will necessitate a call to tech support.
CE-108262-9 is not the type of error code to wait for a firmware fix for. If you see this error over and over again (or even just a few times), consider contacting PlayStation support for a potential resolution.
Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.
- Rory MellonEntertainment Editor (UK)