If there’s one area where PlayStation gamers are divided when it comes to the PS5, it’s the console’s user interface. Some gamers love it for its increased functionality and differences to the PS4 interface, while others wish it could be a little simpler and more intuitive. Honestly, though, it’s not like Microsoft or Nintendo are making things any easier; perhaps there’s just something about modern software design that means a console’s UI has to be somewhat complicated.
In any case, if you’ve just bought yourself a PS5 and you’re having a great time gaming on it, congratulations – you’ve bought what we think is the best gaming console Sony has ever come up with. However, there are some things it doesn’t make immediately clear, and one of these things is closing applications or games. With that in mind, if you’re wondering how to close PS5 apps or close PS5 games, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how you can do just that!
How to close PS5 apps and games
All you need in order to close a PS5 app or game is your DualSense controller. It really couldn’t be simpler!
- Press the PS button. You’ll find the PS button in the centre of your DualSense. It’s the button that looks like the PlayStation logo. Press that, and you’ll be taken to the Home screen, where you’ll be able to see a list of your installed apps and games.
- Hover over the game or app you want to close and press Options. Doing this will show you a range of options you have for doing various things with your game or app.
- Select “close game”. You should see an option marked “close game”, which will have slightly different wording if you’re trying to close an app. Just select that option and hey presto – your game is shut down and you’re ready to do whatever it was you wanted to do instead!
When the PS5 closes apps or games automatically
There are some instances in which the PS5 will automatically close games or apps for you. Unlike the Xbox range, the PS5 doesn’t have a “quick resume” function, so you can’t leave several games in suspended states for a protracted period of time. However, this just means you’ll always know exactly which games are open and which ones aren’t! Here are some of the instances when your PS5 will close games or apps automatically.
- When they encounter an error. Obviously, this isn’t really a circumstance you want to encounter, but it is possible that your PS5 game or app will run into an error at some point and close itself automatically. Rest assured that if this does happen, the process of the app will end, so you won’t need to close it yourself.
- When you use Game Switcher. The PS5 comes with a built-in function that allows you to quickly switch between two games or apps. Simply press the PS button in the middle of the DualSense to bring up your Home menu, then navigate to the game you want to play. Your current game or app will instantly close, and the new one will start up.
- When you turn off your PS5. Naturally, if you’re switching off your PS5 console, then any apps or games you were playing will also shut down. This does not necessarily apply to leaving the PS5 in rest mode, however; if you do keep your PS5 in rest mode, make sure you’ve manually closed down any games or apps before you shut it down, because they might continue running otherwise.
What should you do if your PS5 games or apps won’t close?
Sometimes, your PS5 may freeze up so that it doesn’t close games or apps by itself. If you’re unlucky enough to have this happen to you, then don’t worry – there are a number of things you can try in order to remedy the situation. Here are some of the avenues you should explore if your PS5 games or apps won’t close.
- Restart the PS5. The first port of call should be to restart the PS5. This means pressing and holding the PS button on your console and turning off the power, then switching it back on. If you can’t do this because the console has completely frozen, then you may need to press and hold the power button on the front of the console itself, or even unplug the machine if it’s completely unresponsive.
- Switch to playing another game. You can try to force your PS5 to shut down a game by trying to switch to another one, assuming that your PS5 is still responsive.
- Delete the game. You may have to resort to deleting the game that you’re currently trying to quit. Don’t worry – this won’t erase save data (although you may need to do that as well if the problem persists beyond a reinstall). To do this, simply hover over the game in the main menu, press Options, then select “Delete”. After this, reinstall the game from whichever source you used in the first place.
- Rebuild your PS5 database. A slightly more drastic, but perhaps less destructive, option than deleting your game would be to rebuild your console’s database. To do this, press and hold the PS5’s Power button for a few seconds, until the console beeps twice. Then press and hold the power button again until the console boots up. Once this is done, connect your DualSense. You should see an option to rebuild the console’s database. Select that, and wait for the process to finish. Hopefully, this will fix your error!
Contact Sony support. If none of the above options work, then unfortunately, you might need to contact Sony support in order to arrange a repair or a replacement PS5.
