Sometimes, through no fault of your own (or, for that matter, of Sony’s), your PS5 will simply stop working. Perhaps some component overheats, or maybe there’s some other defect you couldn’t possibly have noticed when you bought the machine. It’s an unfortunate fact of life, but a certain percentage of all electronics will inevitably fail; pretty much all electronics lines operate on around a 3-5% failure rate, which means that 3-5% of those devices will definitely fail.
Thankfully, as a consumer, if you’re unlucky enough to purchase one of the machines that does fail, you have rights. Your PlayStation 5 comes with a manufacturer’s warranty that covers certain defects or flaws and means the manufacturer must deal with those flaws on your behalf (assuming you fulfil certain conditions). However, the warranty itself can be a little confusing, and so can knowing whether you’re entitled to claim on it or not. Here is our beginner’s guide to the PS5’s warranty.
How long does the PS5’s warranty last?
To quote the official PS5 warranty document, Sony will repair or replace your PS5 console if it develops defects “for a period of 1 (one) year from the date of original purchase”. This is referred to as the Guarantee Period, and as long as you are within that guarantee period, you should be entitled to a repair or a replacement PS5 if something goes wrong.
What kind of problems does the warranty cover?
This is very, very important, because this could be the difference between whether you’re able to claim on your PS5 warranty or not. Again, quoting the official warranty document, the PS5’s warranty covers faults “due to defective materials or workmanship”. Here are a few issues that might be covered under warranty.
- Faulty SSD. If your SSD simply stops functioning and you can prove it isn’t your fault, that would be covered under warranty.
- Overheating. Provided you’re storing and using your console with enough ventilation, an overheating problem could indicate faulty components.
- Improper or loose connections. Again, if you’re not being rough or aggressive when connecting cables and the ports aren’t accepting cable connections easily, this could be a warranty problem.
For comparison, here are a few things that definitely would not be covered under your manufacturer’s warranty.
- Spilling liquids on the console. If you spill some coffee on your PS5, that doesn’t count as defective materials or workmanship; it’s your fault, so it wouldn’t be covered under warranty, even if it was an accident.
- Dropping the console. Dropping your PS5, or subjecting it to any kind of physical trauma, also wouldn’t be covered under your warranty, unfortunately.
- A mod or alteration gone wrong. If you’ve attempted to mod or change your PS5 in some way and it’s caused a serious problem to the console, then Sony won’t take it for repair.
You can read the full list of things Sony won’t cover under warranty in the official document, and we’d strongly recommend doing so.
Does the PS5 warranty also cover the controller?
Yep. According to the document, the “product” refers to the console, any “official PlayStation peripherals supplied in the box”, and any official peripherals that you purchase separately and that come with a warranty statement. That means your DualSense is covered, and it also means that any extra DualSense you buy is covered for a year from the point of purchase.
Will my PS5 warranty stand if I buy pre-owned?
In most cases, buying your PS5 pre-owned won’t entitle you to manufacturer’s warranty cover. If you buy from a reputable store, then they should give you individual cover that protects you from faults you don’t cause, but if you buy from a friend or from a non-commercial source, then there’s no reason for Sony to fix your console or peripherals for you. There is one exception, though. If you buy a PS5 from someone and they provide the receipt from when they originally bought it – and you buy it within a year of when they originally bought it – then if it develops a fault, you’re covered.
Can I choose whether my console is repaired or replaced?
No. Sony will decide whether a repair or a replacement is appropriate in any given situation and will carry out what they believe to be the best course of action. In the warranty document, Sony says that it will “elect at its option to repair or replace the Product or a component of the Product”. This means that you may receive an entirely new PS5 if yours becomes faulty, or you may receive the same console with repairs undertaken. It’s entirely up to Sony which of the two options they take.
When will Sony not replace or repair my PS5?
There are a couple of other circumstances that might mean Sony won’t repair or replace your console, even if you haven’t damaged it yourself.
- If you’ve tampered with a seal, Sony might not replace your console. If Sony notices that a warranty seal has been tampered with, or that the PS5’s serial number has somehow been damaged, then they “reserve the right” not to repair or replace your machine.
- If you’ve opened up your console (or tried to), your warranty is void. Take it from us: do not try to fix the problem yourself. Send your console to Sony, because if you open up your PS5 and it turns out you can’t do anything about the issue, then Sony might choose not to help you.
How to claim on your warranty
Claiming on your PS5 warranty couldn’t be simpler. Just take your console back to the original retailer at which you bought it (or contact them if you purchased it online), explain the problem, and go through their official returns process. Sony should repair or replace your console free of charge if you do this. Again, unfortunately, if you have had your PS5 for longer than a year when it malfunctions, then you might struggle to get a repair for free and may need to visit a third-party repair store.
