What Does The White Light On A PS5 Mean?

Sony's PlayStation 5 brought some well-received innovations to console gaming when it was introduced in November 2020. Sony sent 3.4 million consoles to buyers in the first four weeks it was available, and Sony ramped up production for 2021 to keep up with demand. Some buyers opted for a used PS5, but this option has some well-known pitfalls. The console's total sales now stand at more than 61 million units, which is about half of total units sold for the PS4. Both of those consoles lag well behind the PS2, which is the best-selling console in history with 159 million sold since its 2000 debut.

The two decades of PlayStation evolution have brought more powerful graphics and audio engines, as well as upgrades to the controllers. The physical design of the console itself remains relatively simple — if a bit flashy — but one interesting design choice is the PS4 and PS5 both have a lighting system that communicates the status of your console. 

Of all the status colors, what does the white light mean? What is your PS5 trying to tell you when it changes color or flashes? A steady white light on your PS5 console means that it is powered on and ready for gameplay. When you first press the power button to fire up your PS5, the light will glow blue before switching to white when it is fully powered up.

During the power-up sequence, the PlayStation logo should appear on screen. If your console was fully powered off, it will take longer to start up than if it was in rest mode. If the light blinks white or stays blue when powering on, your console is frozen and needs to be rebooted. To do this, unplug your PS5, wait 60 seconds, plug it back in, and power it on. If the problem persists, start it in safe mode. To do this, hold down the power button for three seconds to shut the console down, then press and hold the button again until you hear two beeps (this takes about seven seconds).

If your PS5's light is blinking white, it means the console is powering down. A solid orange light means your PS5 is in rest mode, during which you can install new content or charge controllers. The light will flash orange when your PS5 is entering rest mode. If the light flashes red, it means your PS5 is overheating. Unplug it, and let it cool off completely before powering it up again, which could take time depending on the temperature in your home. 

You should also make sure that it's placed in a way that the vents aren't obstructed, and you might also need to clean dust from the vents using compressed air. Slashgear has also put together a guide to cleaning your PS5 controllers, in case they're not responding as they should.