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Is it better to turn off your PS5 or put it in rest mode?
The new generation of consoles has a ton of great features to help you get into your favorite games as fast as possible. Until the PS5 Pro comes out, these are the most advanced and powerful consoles on the market, but that also means they're not cheap . The PS5 was almost impossible to get at launch, but even now you don't want to take it for granted. They are much more stable than the dreaded Xbox 360 and the red ring of death that plagued nearly all of the early versions of that console, but not without faults. There are some who have had their PS5s kick the bucket prematurely that could've avoided that fate.
When you're ready to put your controller down for the day, night, evening, or whenever you're playing, you have to make a choice: shut down the PS5 or put it in rest mode. On the surface, rest mode seems like the more convenient option but are there downsides? What about a full shutdown? While there are a few pros and cons for each, I have firmly landed on one side of the argument after owning a system since launch. If you're curious about which option is better for your PS5's health, I'll break down whether rest mode or shutting down your PS5 is the better option. Always make sure you turn off or put your PS5 in rest mode if you intend to leave it for an extended period of time to avoid any damage to your hardware.
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Should you put your PS5 in rest mode or shut it down?
Only one method has the potential for problems
Let's quickly go over what shutting down your PS5 means compared to putting it into rest mode.
I'd suggest you not rely on rest mode all the time.
When you shut your PS5 down, it is completely off. That means it draws no (or extremely little) amounts of power and will not do anything in the background until you turn it back on.
Rest mode is a different story. It will still use less power than if it were on, but more than if you turned it off. However, you can still do several things while in rest mode, including charging your controllers, download games, and even leave games "running" so you can pick up exactly where you left off even if you didn't save.
That may make it seem like rest mode is the clear winner, but I'd suggest you not rely on rest mode all the time. This is for a few reasons, namely:
- Rest mode still uses more power than a full shutdown. It isn't a ton more, but if you always leave your system in this mode, it will add up on your monthly electrical bills.
- It keeps your PS5 hot. Heat is the ultimate console killer. Making sure your system is in an exposed enough space to have proper ventilation is vital, but even in ideal circumstances, heat can build up if left on (or in rest mode) for too long. It may not have an impact for a while, but heat can slowly damage your components and cause your PS5 to fail months or years earlier than it otherwise would.
- You leave yourself open to glitches. For whatever reason, updates and games that you leave running in rest mode have a higher likelihood of encountering some issues. This could cause files to be corrupted or lost, which no one wants to see.
If all the new consoles can offer is slightly better graphics, no one is going to upgrade.
Does this mean you should always turn your PS5 off?
Not exactly as there are some cases to be made for rest mode
On the other side of the argument, turning your console completely off presents no risks to your console, but obviously has none of those potential upsides.
All that being said, using rest mode from time to time isn't a bad thing. If you want to let a game download while you do something else or charge a controller for an hour, your risk of damaging your console is very minor. I simply suggest you not use it as the default way to leave your console for hours on end.
