There are many reasons to factory reset your PS5, from wanting to resell it to trying to fix common PS5 problems that have arisen over time. This can help you get back to playing the best PS5 games, or make sure it is safe to sell.
We've split up our instructions into two parts: Step-by-step and in-depth. The step-by-step instructions will get your PS5 reset as fast as possible, but if you want a few more options or if you want to be extra careful during your reset, we recommend reading our in-depth instructions instead. Before you reset your PS5, you might want to back up your game data and user settings. If you need help figuring out how to sync a PS5 controller, however, we have a different guide for that.
There are a few different reset options on PS5 that we'll cover in detail below. If you just want to wipe your PS5 entirely, you can follow the steps in this section. Note that this is a hard reset of your PS5 and will erase everything on your console, including user data and saves. If you want to back up your saves first, continue on to our in-depth guide below.
Step 1: Navigate to the Settings menu (gear icon).
Step 3: Select System software.
Step 5: Select Reset your console.
After a few minutes, your PS5 will automatically reset itself and boot into the standard setup screen. If you're selling or trading in your console, you can stop here. If you're resetting for troubleshooting or anything else, proceed through the setup as normal.
Resetting your PS5 to its factory defaults is simple enough, but there are a few reset options that the console doesn't explain. We've detailed the three reset options below, along with an in-depth look at how to find them.
Step 1: Navigate to System Software.
To get started, boot up your PS5 and sign in to your account. Then, go to the Settings menu from the home screen. If you're in a game, you can find go back to the home screen by pressing and holding the PS button in the center of the DualSense controller.
In the top right corner of the home screen, you'll see a cog. Navigate there to open the Settings menu, then follow System > System software. You'll find the PS5 reset options here, but don't select them yet.
Step 2: (Optional): Back up your data
Before selecting Reset Options, select* Back Up and Restore*. In this menu, you can back up your games, apps, and other data to a USB device before performing the reset. This is especially important if you're not a PlayStation Plus subscriber, as all of your saves are stored locally on the console.
Even if you are a PlayStation Plus subscriber, it's a good idea to perform this step anyway. Not only is it a safety net in case your saves haven't synced, but it will also allow you to automatically restore your games and apps to a PS5 in the future.
To offload your data, you'll need a USB 3.0 storage device. Our guide to the best external hard drives can help you out there.
Step 3: Choose your reset option.
After you've finished backing up your data, go back to System software and select Reset Options. The PS5 has three reset options, and short of the Reset Your Console option, the names are nebulous. Here's what each of the settings does:
Clear learning dictionary: Removes all of the terms you have entered into your PS5. The PS5 uses terms you've entered to predict what you might be looking for. This setting resets the console's stored terms. It does not affect save data, games, apps, or user data.
Restore default settings: Restores all of the console's settings to default. This option does not affect save data, games, apps, or user data.
Reset your console: Removes everything from your PS5 and fully resets it. Only use this option if you're selling or trading in your PS5, or if you want to start from scratch.
Select the option that best suits your needs, and you're set. If you want to perform a factory reset, choose Reset your console. Once again, we recommend backing up your data before proceeding with a factory reset, even if you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber.
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”
It’s turning into a pretty good time to be a Monster Hunter fan who plays on a phone. Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Outlanders will launch on Android and iOS on October 29, giving the series a new mobile-first game just as Monster Hunter Rise is also preparing to make the jump to smartphones through Netflix.
Outlanders is being developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group under license and supervision from Capcom. Unlike Rise, which appears to be the full console and PC game adapted for mobile, Outlanders is a free-to-play survival hunting game made specifically for phones.