It looks like PS5 jailbreak will remain a pipe dream for the modding community for a very, very long time after September 2024’s system software update (currently version 24.06-10.01.00). As Sony continues to combat PS4 jailbreaking, the company quietly changed the way game licenses work on the PS5, ensuring that it remains one step ahead of hackers this time around.
How September 2024’s PS5 update impacts jailbreak possibility
Known modder Lance McDonald pointed out on X that the latest firmware update changed the way PS5’s ‘Restore Licenses’ feature works. Previously, players could download licenses for every single digital game they’ve ever owned with the click of a button. Now, they can only re-download licenses for games they currently have installed.
How does this impact jailbreaking? According to McDonald, if players take their PS5 offline and jailbreak it, they’ll lose access to their digital library. In the past, players could make illegal dumps of their entire PSN library and put it onto a USB stick for sharing, and mod/hack any game they owned.
McDonald added that hackers were once able to access their PSN libraries offline and on jailbroken consoles, highlighting that players are essentially licensing digital games rather than own them.
It was only recently that California passed a law that will force companies like Sony to disclose that players aren’t actually purchasing digital content.