Quick Answer: Your PS5 has been designed with effective cooling, but being mindful of airflow and debris build-up can help maintain a steady airflow, allowing the components to keep cool.
Is your PS5 overheating? As game consoles are released, they utilize increasingly powerful components to offer better features, high-fidelity visuals, and superior graphics.
But, with more powerful hardware comes more heat, and while it’s something Sony took into account when designing the PS5, you might still find your console overheating and need to take steps to stop it.
Give your PS5 room
While Sony equipped the PS5 with a sizable 120mm fan that does a great job of dissipating heat. Like any high-quality computer, it still needs decent airflow to maintain ideal operating temperatures.
While it might be tempting to squeeze your PlayStation 5 into a smaller space to save room, Sony recommends leaving around four inches of space for optimal airflow.
You might also be tempted to place your PS5 console in an enclosed cabinet, and while it might offer ample room, the closed space wouldn’t be ideal for airflow.
If you want to stop your PS5 overheating and make sure it performs the best it can, keep your console out in the open, with plenty of space to draw in air from all directions.
It’s also worth noting that many gamers have reported a slight decrease in their PS5 core temperatures from having their consoles standing vertically, rather than laying it down.
Keep your PS5 clean
Another issue that is known to cause the PS5 to overheat is dust and debris. Just like any computer, as dust and debris build up on the fans and on the components, it reduces airflow.
Of course, reduced airflow causes overheating issues, which then causes components to throttle themselves in an attempt to restore normal working temperatures.
To clean your PS5:
- Gently lift the corner with the PS logo and slide the cover downwards
- Use an anti-static brush to gently brush the fan and intake vents (along the side)
- Use compressed air to remove any lingering dust and debris
You can take this further and physically remove the fan from the PS5 for further cleaning, but this is much more advanced, and more often than not, overkill.
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Replace the PS5’s thermal paste
The PS5 uses liquid metal, a compound with high thermal conductivity that is designed to move the heat from the processor to the heatsink, which is then dissipated via the CPU fan.
Unlike traditional thermal paste, which should be replaced every one to two years, liquid metal has a shelf life of around three years, giving you some extra time before needing to replace it.
You should only replace your PS5’s liquid metal if you are confident in doing so. Liquid metal is electrically conductive, which means any spillage could damage your console beyond repair.
Instead, take your PS5 to a professional. They will be able to assess the current state of your PS5’s cooling, as well as let you know if you need to have your liquid metal replaced or not.
Update your PS5
Sony often releases performance updates that can help optimize games, thus causing less strain on the console’s hardware, as well as introducing new updates that affect the console’s hardware, such as the fans’ behavior.
While keeping your PS5 up-to-date isn’t guaranteed to help thermal performance, it only takes a few minutes to update your PS5, which makes it worth doing if it can help even just a little.
PS5 overheating FAQs
Should you use an aftermarket fan?
One of the most common PS5 accessories is charging stands, with built-in cooling fans. While these can have an impact on the console’s airflow, the PS5 shouldn’t require any additional cooling.
If you’ve followed the steps above, and you continue to have issues with your PS5 overheating, it might be time to bring out some extra cooling.
Although the console should be capable of cooling itself, sometimes, depending on the environment it’s in, a little extra help from aftermarket fans can make all the difference.
My PS5 is making a loud noise, what should I do?
The 120mm fan on the PS5 has been designed to keep the console cool, without making too much noise. If you find that your fan is making louder than normal noises, or continuously running at max RPM, this is often a sign of overheating.
My PS5 is crashing and freezing, is it overheating?
Often when a PS5 overheats, games tend to freeze, at times you can still hear the game’s sound, but the console will be completely unresponsive, sometimes there will be nothing at all, just a daunting black screen symbolizing that you’ve lost your progress and that something is oh so very wrong with your console.
You might not get a freeze at all, instead, you may find that the console either shuts itself down completely or simply restarts at random.
Is the hot air coming from my PS5 an issue?
This one might be obvious, but if you’ve worked with computers, or even just owned gaming consoles or PCs for a while, the chances are you can tell overheating by simply feeling the air coming out of the device.
If it feels like you can fry an egg on your exhaust fan, firstly, don’t, it’s a console, not a grill! Secondly, it’s time to check the steps listed above and make sure the fan is clear of dust and has enough room for airflow.
If only all technical issues were as simple to identify as this one. In some cases where your PS5 gets brimstone and hellfire levels of hot, the device will send out a warning stating “Your PS5 is too hot. Turn off your PS5 and wait until the temperature goes down”.
Why is my PS5 experiencing performance issues?
One of the most common symptoms of overheating is a drop in performance. This is simply the device sending less voltage to components so they can cool down, while also making them less effective and causing performance issues.
You will often notice drops in FPS or random frame stutters when you are facing issues with your PS5 overheating.
Have you managed to stop your PS5 from overheating? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.
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