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Consoles like the PlayStation 5 are sophisticated enough to let the users know when something is wrong. Lots of bright colors on the PlayStation 5 let users know what the system is doing or if there are any problems.

Normally there is no light until you turn it on, which is when the console goes from blue to solid white. When the orange light blinks, the PS5 will enter rest mode and a steady orange light means it is in rest mode.

Users usually only need to worry about the red flashing light on the console as it indicates that it is overheated. Some users have reported getting the blinking light of death, which is reminiscent of the red ring of death that many Xbox 360s experience.

The blinking light normally comes on when the console freezes.

Most of the time, experiencing a few issues with a console isn’t really the cause of an alarm. The important thing to remember is that sometimes these problems come and go, and it’s just time for a solution or two. The solutions below are all possible solutions, but be warned, the solutions get more drastic as we go through the list.

Saving your PlayStation 5 console rather than worrying about data is essential as you can download games and game saves from the cloud.

Hard Shutdown or Force Shutdown of your PlayStation 5

Also known as a “hard shutdown,” you have to let the console shut itself down.

Normally you should give a console a soft shutdown (by telling it to shut down) which can give it time to shut down, but if you force it into a hard shutdown it has time to recognize what is happening and to prepare.

You can do it quite easily, but you should only use it when you need to:

  1. Press and hold the power button for 10 to 20 seconds.
  2. Release when you hear two beeps.
  3. Wait while the PlayStation quickly turns itself off.

Your best bet is to restart your console and show us if anything is wrong and if anything can be corrected.

If the PS5 doesn’t beep, skip all the pleasantries and force shut it down. Forced shutdown of something is another way of saying “turn off the power source”.

Unplug the power cord and wait for all power to fail. In most cases this will only take a moment, but only do it if you have no choice and the PlayStation 5 is unresponsive.

Check your PS5 for hardware issues before troubleshooting software

The hardware consists of physical parts that you can touch. There are a few issues that can cause your PS5 to freeze. Below we have a list of issues and what they do to your PlayStation. Many of these problems are very easy to solve:

  • Your power cord is defective. A defective product can be identified by looking at it, if any pieces are broken or if the wire is torn, it is defective.
    • Not your HDMI cable; that will cause a completely different problem.
    • A broken power cord, one that comes loose easily, or one that doesn’t provide electricity in the same way will cause problems. Due to the reduced power of the PlayStation, some functions will slow down to prevent it from shutting down. Because playing games consumes a lot of power, this often causes the console to freeze.
    • To fix this, buy another power cable for your PS5.
  • Your fan is clogged with dust. You can tell this is an issue with the fan noise when you play with the console. If it sounds like a jet engine, you need to fix it.
    • The PlayStation 5 needs cool air to work because the inside gets very hot. Red flashing lights indicate overheating. It does not need to overheat to a temperature that activates the red flashing light. Instead, it shows a white blinking light when the screen freezes.
    • To fix this, you can open the console and clean it or use a compressed air can to blow air into the fans while the console is turned off. The compressed air method removes dust, but a real cleaning does even more. If you’re not comfortable opening your PS5, take it to a shop.
  • Your PlayStation 5 is not installed correctly. PS5s don’t work well in tight spaces or upside down.
    • Make sure you have enough space around your PlayStation 5 so that it can circulate its hot air. When it’s tight, the environment gets hot, causing the temperature of the PlayStation to rise.

Start the PlayStation 5 in ‘Safe Mode’

Start by seeing if your console turns on and works as it should. Consoles freeze, which has been a common problem since the first consoles came into the home. There are times when the freeze is just a one-time thing and nothing is going on internally. If the problem persists and you cannot load the console without it happening again, use Safe Mode.

Safe mode is just a way to use your console with the most basic functions, but it’s only used to fix it. To activate it:

  1. Your PlayStation 5 should already be off, but if it isn’t, turn it off using the button and wait 10 seconds.
  2. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds until you hear two beeps.
  3. Use a USB cable and plug in your PS5 controller to use it.
  4. Press the PS button on your controller.

When safe mode starts, he wants you to tell him what to do. We’ve got a list of things that work, but the further you go, the more it will affect your PlayStation 5. There are only a few ways to fix this kind of error, but if none of the above works, these are your last options. Try these in order:

  1. Reset PS5
    • This rarely works, but it’s better to take the chance and see if the PlayStation should boot itself up on its own. You should always try it, and if it doesn’t work, reboot in safe mode.
  2. Rest PS5 (Reinstall System Software)
    • This way, the PlayStation can undo anything that has gotten in the way of its functionality over time. This rarely affects your data or anything like that, but be prepared to lose it if you can’t back up anything from the console. If you have extended storage connected it will not be affected, but you must disconnect it first.
  3. Rebuild Database
    • This is definitely a last resort. This will remove everything you have added to the console and wipe it clean. It essentially pushes it back to factory settings. The saved games, messages and user data are usually available online so you can get your stuff back quickly.
    • On every previous PlayStation console, this was called a Factory Reset.

If none of this works, you’ll need to contact PlayStation customer service or take your PS5 to a retailer.