Every time a new console comes out, there are a ton of things it can do that many of its players don’t know about.
For instance, the PlayStation 4 had a built-in web browser that let you surf the internet, and it was even capable enough to play videos from some video streaming sites.
Many players didn’t know about this feature and consequently never used it, but for others, it was a lifeline that allowed them to do things they might not be able to do on their smartphones or laptops.
When the PS5 was announced, then, whether or not it had a web browser became a point of contention.
Many argued that it would, of course, come with a web browser in the same way as the PS4 and PS3 before it, while others suggested that there would be no web browser to cut back on excess features.
If you’re wondering whether the PS5 has a web browser, then we have some bad news and some slightly stranger news for you. Let’s get into it!
The PS5 doesn’t have a built-in web browser
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first.
The PlayStation 5 does not have a web browser that’s easy to access like the PS4 did. You can’t simply jump into the PS5’s menu, hit the web browser icon, and be surfing the web in minutes.
The lack of this feature was disappointing for many PlayStation gamers, who had hoped that they’d be able to access their web browsers and keep watching videos or doing whatever else they wanted to do.
However, the sad truth of the matter is that this is a feature with which Sony has dispensed, probably because many players didn’t use the web browser regularly enough to make it worth maintaining.
Things get weird
Of course, “the PS5 doesn’t have a web browser” isn’t the whole story.
If you’ve ever played a third-party game that required you to sign into an external account, you’ve probably noticed that those services will often open what appears to be some kind of web browser window.
This is, in fact, a sort of “secret” web browser that the PlayStation 5 technically has. It’s not accessible to users via the frontend, but it does exist within the console, and it’s used when a web page absolutely must be displayed.
So, can you access this browser yourself? The answer is…sort of.
Again, you can’t simply open up an app and browse the web, but you can technically use the PS5’s browser to visit websites, albeit in a somewhat limited capacity.
Here are two methods you can use to browse websites using the PS5’s internet browser.
The Twitter method
The first method for browsing using the PS5’s internal browser involves Twitter (or X, as it’s now known, but we’ll be referring to it as Twitter for ease of reference). Let’s take a look at how it’s done.
- Link your PS5 with your Twitter account. Within the PS5’s settings menu, you’ll find an option to link your PlayStation account with various social media services. This is the service that will let you use the PS5’s web browser, so select Twitter and then select Link Account.
- Don’t enter your credentials. You’ll be prompted to enter your Twitter login credentials, but you should avoid doing this. Instead, hit the icon in the top left of the page to be taken to a window that looks a heck of a lot like the regular Twitter login page.
- Enter your account details. This is where you should enter your username and password in order to log into Twitter. Once you’ve done so, you should be shown your Twitter home feed.
- Find a tweet or bio that has the link you want. Unfortunately, the only way to use the web browser from here is to find a tweet or a user’s bio that contains the link you want to visit. You can then click that link from within the PS5’s pseudo-browser to visit that site. It’s not the most elegant method, but if you’re determined to use your PS5 to browse the web, this is one of the only ways to do so.
The message method
The other way that you can access websites from your PS5 is rather clever, and it involves other users, so make sure to recruit a friend or another willing participant if this is the method you want to use.
- Head to the PS5’s Friends menu and select a friend to send a message to. Again, do make sure that the friend you’re messaging is already on board with your plan, or they may be taken aback by the message you’re sending.
- Enter the URL for the website you want to visit into the message. Send a message to your friend and make sure to include the URL for the site you want to visit in that message. Be exact, because if you get something wrong, you’ll simply get an error message.
- Access your chat, then click that link. It really is that simple – once you’ve accessed the chat window, all you need to do is click the link you’ve just sent and voila! You’re browsing the web.
Conclusion
It’s a shame that the PS5 doesn’t have an easily accessible web browser, but hopefully, one of the two methods above will work for you.
Since Sony likely isn’t going to add a browser to the PS5 (or, indeed, include one with the PS6), it’s likely that exploits such as these are the only way we’ll be able to freely browse the web on PlayStation consoles in future.