Why Your PS5 Is Slow And What You Need To Do To Fix It

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If you recently upgraded to a PlayStation 5, you’re probably excited about all the groundbreaking new PS5 features and the prospect of gaming on a next-gen console. However, dealing with slow download speeds and lagging online gameplay is a quick way to ruin your brand new PS5 experience. From purchasing new games to retrieving saved data from cloud storage, next-gen consoles have become increasingly reliant on a stable internet connection, so if you want the full PS5 experience, it’s essential to fix these issues as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, most slow download speeds and lagging problems are likely unrelated to the console itself. Whether you need to move your console closer to your Wi-Fi router or use an ethernet cable when downloading games or updates (via PlayStation), you can fix many of the most common issues that cause slow PS5 performance at home without the help of a professional. This means you can breathe a tentative sigh of relief that you don’t need to send your PS5 back to Sony.

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While online gaming comes to mind when thinking about slow Wi-Fi for your PS5, multiplayer gaming is just one facet of your console’s network capability. A stable network connection is required to do everything from chatting with friends to playing games if you have a digital PS5 (via Career Gamers). As a result, it’s imperative to consider your home Wi-Fi network a vital piece of your next-gen gaming experience.

If you frequently experience problems such as slow download speeds and online gameplay, you should troubleshoot the issue by first examining your home Wi-Fi network. Given your network’s constant strain, you may find a solution in resetting your whole system.

1. Disconnect your router and modem from power for at least 30 seconds.
2. Reconnect your router and modem to power.
3. On your PS5, navigate to Settings> Network> Settings> Set Up Internet Connection and reconnect to your home Wi-Fi, according to PlayStation.

Resetting your home Wi-Fi is an excellent place to start, but if your PS5 is still experiencing slow network performance, consider using an ethernet cable. A wired connection might be particularly relevant for you if your existing PS5 set-up is several rooms or floors away from the router.

1. Plug your PS5 into a router with an ethernet cable.
2. On your PS5, navigate to Settings> Network> Settings> Set Up Internet Connection> Set Up Wired LAN, according to PlayStation.
3. Choose Connect, and your console will automatically join your network.

If your router is too far from your gaming set-up, consider purchasing a mesh router system that will give you a stable LAN connection anywhere in your house.

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A full hard drive can be another contributor to slow PS5 performance. PS5 games take up much less space than PS4 games, according to GamePressure. As a result, you may be squeezing an extra game or two on your new SSD that you didn’t have on your PS4. However, this practice can lead to clutter on your SSD, which can cause performance issues (via PureInfoTech).

To help free-up space, you should delete old games and apps you no longer use, according to PlayStation.

1. On your PS5, navigate to Settings> Storage> Games and Apps.
2. Click X on your controller and Choose Select Items to Delete.
3. Check the boxes by the games and apps you want to remove and choose Delete.

In addition to deleting games and apps, you can also move old or rarely used files to external storage to ease the burden on your internal SSD.

1. Plug your external storage device into your PS5 using either the USB-C port on the front or the USB-B port on the back.
2. Navigate to Settings> Storage. Then, choose USB Extended Storage> Format as USB Extended Storage.
3. Once you have formatted the external storage, navigate to your Game Library. Select the games or apps you would like to transfer, click the options button on your controller, and choose move Games and Apps (per PlayStation).

However, you should be aware that all external devices must be SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps or later and a minimum of 250 GB, according to PlayStation.

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Ensuring your PS5’s software is updated is vital to maintaining performance with both your console’s online and offline elements. Any time an update is available, your PS5 will prompt you to download and install the file when you boot up the device. However, you can also update your software manually if your console is frozen or unable to update automatically.

1. On your computer, make a folder named “PS5”. Then, drag that to a USB storage device that meets FAT32 format specifications, according to PlayStation.
2. Inside the “PS5” folder, create a new folder named “UPDATE”.
3. Download the most recent PS5 console update file. Then, drag it to the “UPDATE” folder, ensuring you’ve saved it as “PS5UPDATE.PUP.”
4. Connect the USB storage device to your PS5. Then start your console in Safe Mode.

Once you’ve updated your console either manually or automatically, you should ensure that your games are up to date. Out-of-date firmware is the cause of many performance issues.

1. On your PS5’s Games Home, highlight the game you want to update, according to PlayStation.
2. Then, click the Options button on your controller and choose Check for Update.
3. Install the file by following the on-screen prompts when an update is available.

If you’re the type that forgets to update your games manually, you can turn on automatic updates so you always remember (via PlayStation).