PS5

The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition have plenty of free-to-play games. If you are having a hard time finding a list of free PS5 games that are currently available in the PlayStation Store, then you can check out this step-by-step tutorial from Seeking Tech.

1. The first step is to get to the Home Screen of the PlayStation 5.

For the uninformed, the Home Screen is the main menu were to can pick which game to open or go to the PlayStation Store.

If you are currently playing a game or using an app, you can get to the Home Screen by pressing and holding the PS button on your DualSense controller.

2. From the Home Screen, you need to head to the PlayStation Store. You can do so by selecting the blue shopping bag icon with the X button on the DualSense controller. The blue shopping bag icon is to the left of the “Explore” icon and the icons for games that you have installed on the consoles.

3. Inside the PlayStation Store, you can use the R1 and L1 buttons on the controller to navigate over the to “Browse” tab.

4. On the “Browse” tab, you need to select the “Sort and Filter” icon.

This icon looks like a combination of a down-pointing arrow with three horizontal parallel lines. It is located to the left of the game icons in the tab.

5. In the “Sort and Filter” pop-up menu, you need to select the “Price” option.

6. In the next menu, select the “Free” option.

7. Press the O button on your controller two times to back out of the Sort and Filter” pop-up menu and in to the “Browse” tab.

You should see a list of videogames that are free-to-play or free-to-start.

8. To make the list of free games easier to read, you can use the “Sort by” option from the aforementioned “Sort and Filter” pop-up menu. You will be able to sort the listing based on the following:

• Best Selling
• Most Downloaded
• Name (A – Z)
• Name (Z – A)
• Release Date (Old – New)
• Release Date (New – Old)
• Price (Low – High)
• Price (High – Low)

You can also filter the PlayStation 5 free games list with the following filter options:

Genre:

• Action
• Adventure
• Arcade
• Role-Playing Games
• Shooter
• Puzzle
• Casual
• Strategy
• Simulation
• Sport
• Fighting
• Casual
• Family
• Unique
• Driving/Racing
• Horror
• Fighting
• Party
• Music/Rhythm
• Brain Training
• Simulator
• Educational
• Fitness
• Adult
• Quiz

Platform:

• PS4
• PS5

Release Date:

• Just Released

PlayStation VR:

• No VR
• VR Required
• VR Optional

Age Rating:

• Early Childhood
• Everyone
• Everyone 10+
• Teen
• Mature

9. To download a free game on the PlayStation 5, select the game to go to the game’s page on the PlayStation Store. Inside the game’s page, you should see the Download option.

Finding and downloading the past purchases you made from the PlayStation Store on your PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 5 Digital Edition system can be a little tricky.

If you are having issues locating where to download a previously purchased game or DLC, then you can check out this guide at Seeking Tech.

How to download a purchased game on PS5

In order to download a videogame that was previously purchased on a PlayStation 5, you need to do the following:

1. The first step is to be in the Home Screen, which is the main menu that appears when you boot up the system. It is where you can go to the PlayStation Store, select which game to play, etc.

2. In the Games section of the Home Screen, scroll all the way to the right and then select the Game Library option with the X button on your DualSense.

3. In the Game Library menu, press the R1 button on your controller to go to the Your Collection section.

4. In the Your Collection section, you will find all the games you have on the PlayStation Network account you are currently using. These include your past purchases in addition to games you have previously installed from a physical disc and non-paid content you have downloaded from the PlayStation Store.

5. If you have a huge list of games, you can select the Sort and Filter option, which is located to the left of the game listing in the Your Collection section. It has an icon that looks like a down pointing arrow next to three parallel horizontal lines.

6. In the Sort and Filter pop-up menu, you can sort by most recently played, named or purchase date. You can also filter the listing based on the platform, source and hidden items. Last but not least, you can also reset all the filters.

7. After finding the game you want to download, press the X button to go to the game’s page.

8. In the game’s page, you should see the option to download.

9. If you don’t see the option to download, you can try restoring the game license. To do so, you need to first go back to the aforementioned Home Screen.

10. From the Home Screen, head into Settings, which you can find on the top right corner of the screen.

11. From the Settings menu, select Users and Accounts.

12. From the Users and Accounts menu, select Other from the available options on the left side.

13. On the right side from the Users and Accounts menu, select the Restore Licenses option.

14. In the Restore Licenses, select Restore.

15. Once the PS5 is done restoring the licenses, you can go back to the game’s page to see if you can download it again.

How to download a purchased DLC on PS5

In order to download a previously purchased DLC on the PlayStation 5, you need to do the following:

1. Find the game with the DLC on the Home Screen or in the Game Library menu.

2. With the game highlighted, press the Options button on the DualSense controller.

3. In the small pop-up menu, select the Manage Game Content option.

4. In the Manage Game Content menu, you should see a list of contents you have purchased for that specific game.

5. The DLC pieces that you have purchased that aren’t installed on the PS5 will be shown as “Not Installed.” You can select the down pointing icon to install the DLC to your system.

How to download a purchased game or DLC on PS5 by using the search function

If you already know the game or DLC that you previously purchased, then you can try using the search function, to download it.

To do so, you need to do the following:

1. In the Home Screen, select the Search option, which is located on the upper right corner of the screen with the magnifying glass icon.

2. In the Search menu, you can either select the “Search for games, movies, TV shows, players, and apps” bar to bring up an on-screen keyboard or the Microphone icon to start a voice search.

3. Press the R2 button after inputting the search term to confirm.

4. In the search results, you should be able to find your game or DLC. Select the purchased content to open its page.

5. In the page of the game or DLC, you should see the option to download.

Sony has added support for M.2 solid state drives in the latest firmware update for the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.

So, can you use a M.2 SATA SSD or an SSD with Host Memory Buffer with this gaming system? You can find out in this guide from Seeking Tech.

Does the PlayStation 5 support M.2 SATA Solid State Drives?

Although a M.2 SATA solid state drive may fit into the M.2 slot of the PlayStation 5, the system does not support the SATA interface as it is too slow to load PS5 games.

The maximum sequential read speed for SATA is 600 MB per second, which is far less than 5500 MB per second speed of the built-in solid state drive of the PS5.

If you install a M.2 SATA solid state drive on the PlayStation 5, you will get an on-screen message upon turning on your system stating that the storage drive is not compatible.

The same message will also list out the supported M.2 requirements. Lastly, you will be asked to turned off the PS5 and remove the M.2 SATA SSD as you won’t be able to use the system until you do so.

Does the PlayStation 5 support Host Memory Buffer?

The PlayStation 5 is not compatible with the Host Memory Buffer interface. However, the game system may still support a M.2 solid state drive with HMB.

With that said, you may get a slower than expected read speeds as a result of using an SSD with Host Memory Buffer.

What M.2 Solid State Drives are Compatible with PS5?

So, what M.2 solid state drives are supported the PlayStation 5? So far, the GIGABYTE AORUS Gen. 4 7000s with Heatsink, Seagate FireCuda 530 with Heatsink and Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850 with Heatsink have been confirmed to be compatible with the PS5 right out of the box without the need of adding and/or modifying a heatsink.

If you are interested, you can purchase either of the aforementioned products on Amazon with the following links:

• GIGABYTE AORUS Gen. 4 7000s with Heatsink(#CommissionsEarned)
• Seagate FireCuda 530 with Heatsink(#CommissionsEarned)
• Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850 with Heatsink(#CommissionsEarned)

In general, you will need a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD with a recommended maximum sequential reading speed of at least 5500 MB per second or higher.

Sony also recommends using a single-sided or double-sided heatsink with the storage drive.

Furthermore, your M.2 SSD should also fit into the system. Thus, it should have an overall maximum length of 110 mm (or 4.33 in) as well as an overall maximum width of 25 mm (or 0.984 in). For height, you need 2.45 mm (0.096 in) of space underneath the solid state drive as well as 8 mm (0.314 in) of space above the SSD. In total, the solid state drive should be no taller than 11.25 mm (or 0.442 in).

As you can see, even if your PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD meets the 5500 MB per second maximum sequential reading speed requirement, you still have to worry about whether or not it will actually fit into the PS5 system.

Thus, we recommend sticking with any of the three aforementioned products (GIGABYTE AORUS Gen. 4 7000s with Heatsink, Seagate FireCuda 530 with Heatsink and Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850 with Heatsink) that have been officially confirmed so far to be compatible with the PlayStation 5.

If you want to learn about how you can install a compatible M.2 SSD to the PS5, then you can check out this tutorial.

With the PlayStation 5, as well as the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, you can manually capture screenshots and videos by using the Create button on your DualSense controller. By default, your system will also automatically capture screenshots and videos anytime you earn a trophy.

You can follow this step-by step guide at Seeking Tech to see where you can find you captured screenshots and videos on the PlayStation 5.

How to view screenshots and videos from the PS5 Control Center

The fastest way to view the most recent screenshots and videos that have been captured is by using the Control Center quick menu.

To do so, you need to take the following steps:

1. Press the PS button on your DualSense controller to bring up the Control Center quick menu.

2. On the right most option in the Activity Card section, you should find the “Recently created” activity card. Press the X button on your controller.

3. In the “Recently created” menu, you will find the 15 most-recently captured screenshots and videos on your PlayStation 5.

You can use the L1 and R1 buttons to navigate between the screens and video clips.

You can also press X on the screen/video to zoom in (you need to press the O button to exit the zoom in order to return to the “Recently created” menu).

You can also share, edit, delete and favorite a screenshot or video clip.

How to view older screenshots and videos from the PS5 Media Gallery

If you have more than 15 screenshots and videos captured on your PlayStation 5, then you need to go to the Media Gallery to view the older pictures and footages.

There are two ways to view the Media Gallery menu on the PlayStation 5:

The first is to press the PS controller on your DualSense to open the Control Center quick menu. Here, you need to select the “Recently created” activity card and then the “Go to Medial Gallery” option.

Alternatively, you can go to the Home Screen main menu of the system. This is where you can select a videogame to play (you can press and hold the PS button to get to it when you are playing a game or using an application). In the main menu, go to Settings, which you can find on the upper right corner. Under Settings, select Storage. In the Storage menu, select Console Storage on the left side and then Media Gallery on the right side.

In the Media Gallery menu, you can use the L1 and L1 buttons of the DualSense to navigate between the “All,” “Favorites,” “Trophies” and “Albums” sorting options.

You can also sort files based on date added and file size. Furthermore, you can use filters to view only captured screenshots or captured videos.

Last but not least, you can select multiple files to share, delete, edit or copy to an external USB drive in the Media Gallery menu.

How to view trophy screenshots and videos on PS5

In addition to the aforementioned Media Gallery menu, you can also view your trophy screenshots and videos from the Trophies menu on the PlayStation 5.

In order to do so, you need to take the following steps:

1. Head to the Home Screen main menu of the PlayStation 5. If you are in a game or app, you can simply press and hold the PS button on your DualSense to bring up the menu.

2. In the Home Screen, select your profile picture, which you can find on the upper right corner in between Settings and the Clock.

3. In the pop-up menu, select the Trophies option.

4. In the Trophies menu, select the game from the list.

5. In the game’s trophy menu, select the trophy you want to view the captured screenshot and/or video clip from.

In the pop-up menu, you will be able to view the screen and/or video tied to the trophy.

You can use the L1 and R1 buttons to switch between the media files.

You can also zoom in by select the image or video clip.

Furthermore, you can share, edit, delete and favorite the trophy screen or video.

Video games, as well as DLC, are constantly being discounted on the PlayStation Store of the PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.

If you are having a hard time locating what the latest deals and sales are in the PlayStation Store, then you can check out this step-by-step tutorial at Seeking Tech.

Where to find current deals and sales on the PS5 PlayStation Store

1. Before we being, turn on your PlayStation 5 and then go to the Home Screen, which is the main menu of the system where you can go to the PlayStation Store.

If you are using an app or playing a game, you can press and hold the PS button on your DualSense to go to the Home Screen.

2. From the Home Screen, go to the PlayStation Store. You can find the store in the Games selection portion on the main menu. It has a blue shopping bag icon and is located to the left of the “Explore” option.

3. Inside the PlayStation Store, press the R1 button on you DualSense until you get to the Deals section.

4. In the Deals section, you can scroll down until you see “All deals.” Here, you need to scroll all the way to the right side and then select the “View All” option.

5. In the “All deals” menu, we recommending using the “Sort and Filter” option, which you can find to the left as it has icon that is a combination of a down pointing arrow with three parallel horizontal lines.

6. The top option in the pop-up menu is “Sort by” as you will be able to sort the current games on sale in the following methods:

• Default
• Best Selling
• Most Downloaded
• Name (A – Z)
• Name (Z – A)
• Release Date (Old – New)
• Release Date (New – Old)
• Price (Low – High)
• Price (High – Low)

7. In the same pop-up “Sort and Filter” menu, you can also use the following Filters

Type:

• Full Game
• Game Bundle
• Add-on
• Level
• Add-on Pack
• Premium
• Edition
• Map
• Item
• Vehicle
• Virtual Currency
• Character
• Season Pass
• Bundle
• Costume
• Weapons

Price:

• Under $1.99
• $2.00 – $4.99
• $5.00 – $9.99
• $10.00 – $19.99
• $20.00 – $39.99
• $40.00 – $59.99
• $60.00 – $79.99
• $80.00 – $99.99
• $100.00 – $129.99

Genre:

• Action
• Adventure
• Role-Playing
• Unique
• Shooter
• Strategy
• Simulation
• Arcade
• Driving/Racing
• Puzzle
• Sport
• Fighting
• Casual
• Family
• Horror
• Party
• Educational
• Music/Rhythm
• Fitness
• Simulator
• Adult
• Brain Training

Platform:

• PS4
• PS5

PlayStation VR:

• No VR
• VR Required
• VR Optional

Age Rating:

• Everyone
• Everyone 10+
• Teen
• Mature
• Rating Pending

There is also a “Reset Filters” option if you want to remove all of the filters you previously applied.

How to look for discounts of a specific PS5 game on DLC

If you are looking for a deal for a specific game or DLC on the PlayStation 5, you can take the following steps:

1. Go back to the main page of the PlayStation Store.

2. In the PlayStation Store, use the Search function.

You can find the Search option on the upper right corner of the screen with the magnifying glass icon to the left of the Wishlist option.

3. In the Search menu, you can either select the “Search for games and add-ons bar” to start a text search or select the Microphone icon to start a voice search.

4. Press the R2 button after inputting the name of the game or DLC.

5. Scroll down to see a list of results as well as the current price tag for each product.

If you have a large number of PlayStation 5 games and/or DLC that you want to keep track of when the products are discounted in price, then we recommend using the Wishlist functionality of the PlayStation Store. Doing so will make it a lot easier to see when your wish listed products will be on sale.

Finding demos and trial versions of games on the PlayStation 5, as well as the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, can be a little tricky.

If you are having a hard time looking for demos and trials, then you can take a look at this step-by-step tutorial from Seeking Tech.

1. The first step is to be in the Home Screen menu on your PlayStation 5. This is the main menu where you can pick which game to open.

2. In the Home Screen, go to the PlayStation Store. If you are having a hard time finding the store, it is the blue shopping bag icon located in the game selection portion of the menu.

3. In the PlayStation Store, select the Search option. It is located on the upper right corner with a magnifying glass icon. Alternatively, you can simply press the Triangle button on your DualSense for a shortcut to the Search icon.

4. In the Search menu, select the “Search for Games and add-ons” option to start a text search.

5. Using the on-screen keyboard type in either “Demo” or “Trial” (make sure you include the quotation marks as it will filter out some of the non-related results).

6. Press the R2 button on your DualSense to confirm the search.

7. In the “Most relevant results” section of the search menu, select the “View All” option.

8. In the full page “Most relevant results” menu, you should see a list of demos or trials along with games and DLC that have “Demo” or “Trial” in their name.

9. Select the demo or trial version that you want to download.

10. In the product page, select either the “Download Demo” or “Download Trial” option.

11. Once the download has started, exit the PlayStation Store to head back to the Home Screen.

You can do this pressing the O button multiple times to back out of the store. Alternatively, you can simply press and hold the PS button on your DualSense to bring up the Home Screen.

12. Wait for the demo or trial version to finish downloading and then select the game from the game selection portion of the Home Screen to play it.

The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition will display certain lighting colors and patterns depending on the status of the console.

You can check out this guide at Seeking Tech to see what the various LED indicators on the PS5 represents.

Why Your PS5 is Displaying No Lights

If your PlayStation 5 is not displaying any lights at all than it indicates they the system is completely powered down.

With your system shut down, you won’t be able to charge controllers or other accessories through the USB ports of the PlayStation 5. You also cannot download and/or install any applications, games or downloadable content.

Why Your PS5 is Displaying a Blinking White Light and Then No Lights

If your PlayStation 5 is displaying a blinking white light before transitioning into displaying no lights at all, then that means that your system is in the process of completely powering down.

During this period, make sure you don’t pull the power plug attached to the PS5 as it may cause damage to the system.

Why Your PS5 is Displaying a Solid Blue Light and Then a Solid White Light

When your PlayStation 5 initially displays a blue light before transitioning into a white light, then it indicates that the system is being turned on after previously being completely powered down.

If you believed that your PS5 is turning on by itself, then you can check out this tutorial to see how you can fix this issue.

Why Your PS5 is Displaying a Blinking Amber, Orange or Yellow Light

When your PlayStation 5 is displaying an orange light, which might appear to be amber or yellow to some individuals, then it means that the system is in the process of going into rest mode.

Why Your PS5 is Displaying a Solid Amber, Orange or Yellow Light

When your PS5 is displaying a solid orange yet, which might appear to be amber or yellow to some individuals, then it means that the system has entered in to rest mode.

For the uninformed, rest mode is a low-powered state where you can still use the PlayStation 5 to recharge accessories through its USB ports. You can also download and install digital content while the system is in rest mode.

To exit the PS5’s rest mode, you can either press the PS button on your DualSense on the power button on the console. Doing so, will power on the system completely.

Why Your PS5 is Displaying a Blinking White Light

If your system is only displaying a blinking white light, then it indicates that there an error has occurred on your PlayStation 5.

Why Your PS5 is Displaying a Blinking Blue Light or Solid Blue Light without Transitioning to White Light

If your PlayStation 5 is only displaying a blinking blue light or solid blue light without transitioning into a solid white light, then these also indicate a console error.

We recommend turning off the PlayStation 5, if possible, when it is only displaying a blinking white light, a blinking blue light or a solid blue light. You can find out how you can shut down a PlayStation 5 that have crashed or frozen with this tutorial.

After shutting down the PlayStation 5, unplug the console from the power outlet. Wait for at least one minute before plugging it back in again.

Try to power on your PS5 system once again to see if it is still displaying a blinking white light, a blinking blue light or a solid blue light. If you are still running into issues, then you can check out this guide on how to fix a PlayStation 5 that is experiencing crashing or freezing problems.

Finding downloadable content for a specific videogame on the PlayStation 5, as well as the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, can be a little difficult.

If you are having a hard time finding the DLC location on your PS5 game, then you can follow this guide from Seeking Tech.

Where to find DLC for a game on the PS5 Home Screen

To find the DLC for a game you have on your Home Screen, you need to do the following:

1. First off, you need to be in the home screen of the PlayStation 5. This is the main menu where you can select which game to play, go to the PlayStation Store and more.

2. In the game selection portion of the home screen, highlight the game that you want to view the DLC for.

3. Press down on the analog stick or directional pad with the game highlighted. Don’t press the X button as that will launch the game instead.

4. Keep scrolling down until you reach the Add-Ons section.

Alternatively, you can also select the “…” option, which is right next to the “Play Game” option. Afterwards, select the “View Product” option and then navigate downwards until you see the Add-Ons section.

If a videogame has more than 9 downloadable content pieces, you can scroll all the way to the right of the Add-Ons section and then select the “View All Add-Ons” option at the very end to bring up a new full-page menu that shows off all the DLC pieces.

Where to find DLC for a game in the PS5 Game Library

To find DLC from a game you have that can’t be found in the Home Screen, you can take the following steps:

1. From the home screen, navigate all the way to the right of the game selection portion and then select “Game Library.”

2. Select the game you want to view the DLC for by pressing the X button on the DualSense controller.

3. In the game’s page, navigate down to the Add-Ons section.

Alternatively, you can also select the “…” option and then select “View Product.” In the next screen, scroll down until you see the Add-Ons section.

Where to find downloaded DLC on PS5

To view the DLC you have downloaded on your PlayStation 5, you need to do the following:

1. Navigate to the game from the Home Screen or Game Library.

2. With the game highlighted, press the Options button on your DualSense. This is the small button in between the touch pad and Triangle button on the controller. It has an icon of three parallel horizontal lines.

3. In the pop-up menu, select “Manage Game Content.”

4. In the “Manage Game Content” menu, you will see a list of DLC pieces you have downloaded for that specific videogame.

You may also be able to install or delete any of the DLC pieces by using this menu.

Where to find DLC on the PlayStation Store of PS5

If you are looking for DLC from a game you don’t have on the Home Screen or Game Library, then you need to do the following:

1. Go to the PlayStation Store, which has the blue shopping bag icon, from the Home Screen.

2. Inside the PlayStation Store, select the Search option, which has a magnifying glass icon on the upper right corner.

You can also press the Triangle button on your DualSense to quickly jump to the Search option.

3. In the Seach menu, select the “Search for Games and add-ons” bar and then input the name of the game.

Alternatively, you can select the microphone icon to the right of the search bar to start a voice search (to find out more about doing searches with your voice, you can check out this tutorial).

4. After you are done with the search, press the R2 button.

5. Navigate down to view the search results. Find and then select the game from the Full Games section.

5. On the game’s page, scroll down until you see the “Add-Ons” section.

If the game has more than 9 DLC pieces, you can scroll all the way to the right most option of the “Add-Ons” section and then select the “View All Add-Ons” option.