The PS5 hacking scene just took a big leap forward

Sep 30, 2026 - 22:01

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The PS5 hacking scene just took a big leap forward

It’s your console, use it how you need it

New exploit works on all but the most recently updated consoles.

A PlayStation employee demonstrates how to put a disc into the PlayStation 5, at the Sony headquarters building in central Tokyo on November 27, 2024. Credit: Getty

While PS5 hacking aficionados have taken pains to avoid updating their console firmware for a while now, newcomers to the scene had previously been forced to track down older, unupdated consoles on the secondary market. The overall availability of exploitable PS5 hardware is now greatly expanded.

The improved firmware compatibility for this latest exploit is also particularly important because most PS5 games require the console to be updated to the latest firmware version available at the time of their release (an online database is keeping track of those game-level firmware requirements). That means this new exploit is compatible with many more titles, including digital copies of legit purchases made exclusively for the purposes of personal backup.

Aside from those game backups, jailbroken PS5s can also run homebrew apps like emulators and unofficial “60 fps” mods for legacy PS4 games. Developers also continue to work on a full Linux implementation for PS5, though that can currently only be installed on systems with the relatively ancient firmware version 7.61 or earlier.

Kyle Orland has been the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012, writing primarily about the business, tech, and culture behind video games. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He once wrote a whole book about Minesweeper.