If your PS5 has started sounding like a hair dryer, feels hot to the touch or shuts itself off in the middle of a game, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common things people bring their consoles to us for. The good news: some of it you can fix at home in a few minutes. The rest usually comes down to dust inside the console, and that’s when a professional cleaning makes sense.
Here’s what to try first, the signs your PS5 needs an internal cleaning, and what that cleaning actually involves.
Why PS5s Overheat
The PS5 pulls cool air in through the front and sides and pushes hot air out the back. A big fan moves that air across a heatsink that draws heat away from the main chip. Anything that gets in the way of that airflow makes the console run hotter and the fan spin faster and louder. The usual causes:
- Not enough space around the console. Tight TV cabinets and shelves trap hot air.
- Dust. Over time it builds up on the fan blades and packs into the fins of the heatsink. You can’t see most of it from the outside.
- Pet hair and carpet. A console on the floor or on a rug pulls in a lot more of both.
- A warm room. Direct sun, a nearby heater or a hot garage in summer all add up.
Safe Things to Try at Home First
None of these involve opening the console beyond what Sony intends, so they’re safe to do yourself.
Give it room to breathe
- Leave several inches of open space around the PS5, especially behind it where the hot air comes out. Sony’s own guidance asks for at least 10 cm (about 4 inches).
- Take it out of closed cabinets. If it has to live in one, leave the doors open while you play.
- Keep it off carpet and rugs, and away from heaters, vents and direct sunlight.
- Don’t stack anything on top of it or right next to the vents.
- Standing it up or laying it flat are both fine. Use the stand that came with it either way.
Clean the outside vents and dust catchers
- Turn the PS5 off completely (not rest mode) and unplug it.
- Use a soft brush or a vacuum on low with a brush attachment on the front and back vents.
- On the original PS5 you can take off the white side covers and vacuum the two dust catcher holes. Sony designed it so you can. Check Sony’s instructions for your model before you start.
- If you use canned air, give short bursts from a distance and hold the can upright. Don’t spin the fan with air, and don’t push dust deeper inside.
Keep the system software updated
Sony has updated how the PS5 controls its fan in the past, so make sure your console is on the latest system software.
Signs Your PS5 Needs a Professional Internal Cleaning
If you’ve done all of the above and the console is still hot or loud, the dust is probably inside, on the fan and heatsink, where you can’t reach it without taking the console apart. Watch for these signs:
- The fan is still loud even in menus or with lighter games
- The fan rattles, grinds or clicks
- You get an on-screen warning that the PS5 is too hot
- The console shuts itself off while you’re playing
- Games stutter or freeze after the console has been on for a while
- You can see thick dust or pet hair in the vents, even after vacuuming
- It’s been a few years since you bought it and it’s never been cleaned inside
If your PS5 is shutting down or showing heat warnings, stop gaming on it until it’s checked. Running it hot over and over is hard on the parts inside.
Why We Don’t Recommend Opening It Up Yourself
There are plenty of videos showing a full PS5 teardown. It can be done, but it’s easy to go wrong. The console uses a lot of small screws and delicate ribbon cables. On many models, the main chip uses liquid metal instead of regular thermal paste, and if it gets disturbed or spills, it can short out parts on the board. A cracked clip, a torn cable or a stripped screw can turn a cleaning into a repair.
What a Professional PS5 Cleaning Involves
A proper internal cleaning is more than blowing air into the vents. Here’s what our PS5 cleaning includes:
- Disassembly down to the fan and cooling system.
- Cleaning the fan blades and housing, and checking that the fan spins freely and quietly.
- Clearing the heatsink fins, where packed dust blocks airflow the most.
- Cleaning the dust catchers, vents and power supply openings.
- Reapplying liquid metal on the main chip on PS5 models that use it, and checking the rest of the cooling system for anything that needs attention beyond dust.
- Testing after reassembly to make sure it runs and sounds the way it should.
If we find something besides dust, like a failing fan, we’ll explain it and give you a quote before doing anything more.
Where to Take Your PS5 to Get Cleaned
All three iParts and Phone Repairs stores do PS5 cleaning and overheating service, along with HDMI ports, disc drives and controllers. See everything we fix on our PS5 repair page.
- Folsom, CA: 608A East Bidwell St., next to Big 5 in Model Plaza. Close to El Dorado Hills, Orangevale, Rancho Cordova and the rest of the Sacramento area. (916) 936-9316
- Vacaville, CA: 813 Davis St. Suite C, serving Vacaville, Dixon and Fairfield. (707) 761-5956
- Gresham, OR: 1925 NE Division St, close to Troutdale, Fairview and East Portland. (503) 908-2727
No appointment needed, but give your store a quick call first so we can make sure we’re ready for your console. Every service, including cleaning, starts with our $39 diagnosis, which goes toward the cost, and we’ll give you a quote before any work begins. Repairs come with our 6-month warranty on parts and labor (accidental or physical damage isn’t covered).
Bring the PS5 and its power cord. If it’s been dropped, gotten wet or been opened before, let us know.
PS5 running hot? Call (800) 619-6924 or get an instant quote, and we’ll help you get it cool and quiet again.
