Skip to main content

How to turn on PS5 auto updates

The Playstation 5 system standing upright.
Digital Trends

PlayStation 5 is overflowing with fun titles to keep you busy for years on end, but before you can play your games, you’ll need to be sure they — and your system itself — remain updated and ready to go. This means you’ll either need to update them manually or ensure that you’ve turned on auto-updates to take some of the work out of the equation for you.

Of course, it’s our opinion that efficiency is key, as you usually won’t want to have to sit and wait for a game to update when you sit down for a relaxing night of gaming. In this guide, we’ll tell you how to turn on auto-updates for both the PS5 system software and your games, as well as how to update them manually if you prefer to handle these things yourself.

Recommended Videos

How to set up auto-updates for the PS5 system software

To toggle on auto-updates for your PS5 system software, go to Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings.

Toggle on Download Update Files Automatically and Install Update Files Automatically.

How to turn on auto updates
Sony

Note: To manually update your console’s system software, you can also simply select Update System Software within this same menu.

How to set up auto-updates for PS5 games

To toggle on auto-updates for your PS5 games, go to Settings > Saved Data/App Settings > Automatic Updates.

Toggle on Auto-Download and Auto-Install in Rest Mode.

Auto updates for PS5 games
Sony

Note: To manually update your games, you can also simply press the options button while hovering over the game tile on your PS5 dashboard and select Check for Update.

Billy Givens
Billy Givens is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience writing gaming, film, and tech content. He started as a…
Astro Bot gets five new levels, and one is an Armored Core reference
One of Astro Bot's new levels.

Astro Bot Add-On - Tick-Tock Shock | PS5 Games

It's no secret that we at Digital Trends love Astro Bot (it was our 2024 Game of the Year for a reason), and now the adorable platformer is getting five new levels, fresh Special Bots, and a performance upgrade for PlayStation 5 Pro owners. All of this new content is free, so your wallet can stay just as happy as Astro is.

Read more
Saros: release window, trailers, and more
Arjun in Saros kneeling on an alien world.

The slate of upcoming PS5 games is starting to really take shape with games like Ghost of Yotei and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. One of the newer studios to become a first-party PlayStation team was Housemarque. Originally a team that worked on amazing arcade-style games, it broke the mold with one of the best roguelikes on PS5 with Returnal. The studio's next game looks like an evolution of the winning formula found with that game but is still shrouded in mystery. Here is everything we know so far about the upcoming video game known as Saros.

Because Saros is a PS5 exclusive, you won't find it on our lists of upcoming Xbox Series X games, upcoming Switch games, or upcoming PC games.
Release window

Read more
Returnal developer’s next game is Saros, and it’s out in 2026
Housemarque's newest IP, Saros.

Saros - Cinematic Announce Trailer | PS5 Games

In PlayStation's February 2025 State of Play, Housemarque has announced Saros, a new single-player game that builds on Returnal's third-person action, and it's set to launch in 2026 for PlayStation 5.

Read more