If you purchased your PS5 in the U.S. on its initial launch date of November 12, 2020, you’re closing in on your one year anniversary with Sony’s newest video game hardware. Unfortunately, this also means that you’re also approaching the end of the console’s 1-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Though it might be a concerning revelation you hadn’t considered, you’ll still have options available to you, so let’s take a look at how it all plays out.
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For starters, the expiration of the PS5’s 1-year warranty means that if you have any type of problem with your console – overheating, shutting off randomly, etc – you’re rapidly running out of time to have it fixed for free. As of Nov. 11, any and all repairs you request from Sony will begin costing you money.
It also means that, if you didn’t get an extended warranty through whatever retailer you bought your PS5 from, you’re well out of the timeframe for getting a second-hand warranty elsewhere, too. Warranty services like SquareTrade or Upsie only cover gaming systems purchased within the last 30 or 60 days, respectively. This is worth keeping in mind for your future console purchases, though.
What to do if PS5 warranty expires
Once your manufacturer’s warranty runs out and you’re required to pay for servicing, you’ll either have to pay to have Sony fix your console or find a local repair shop that can work on it for you. The former is likely to take quite a bit longer, while the latter is somewhat riskier and may involve some diligent research to find a place you can trust with your hardware.
Additionally, a helpful Redditor recently pointed out that Costco’s return policy is exceptionally flexible – to the point of being nearly infinite. This isn’t a guarantee that a defective PS5 purchased at Costco will be able to be returned past the one year mark, but there’s at least a fairly substantial chance of it given the company’s history of returning even very old items.
Lastly, if you purchased your PS5 with certain credit cards from Amex, Visa, or Citi, doing so may already have provided you with an extended 2-year manufacturer’s warranty. If you weren’t aware of this upon buying the console, you’ll want to dig deeper into the fine print and possibly reach out to your credit card company to see if you snagged this often overlooked benefit.
Are there any exceptions?
There’s some good news for buyers in Europe, as the warranty there is good for a total of two years. If you purchased your PS5 on the U.K. release date of November 19, you’ve still got almost a full year left before needing to begin worrying about any of this.
This goes for other countries as well, so if you picked up your console outside of the U.S., it’s worth looking to see if your country has required Sony to protect your purchase for 2+ years.
Consumer protection laws in some countries may even extend this significantly further.
Tips for avoiding PS5 problems
Now that your warranty will be up, it’s more important than ever that you take great care when dealing with your PS5 and its surroundings. Here are a few tips to follow to reduce your chances of having problems:
Keep it in a well-ventilated area. Sony’s newest console is quite a powerhouse, but all of that power means that it also puts off a lot of heat. Never keep your PS5 somewhere that doesn’t provide ample room for it to expel heat.
Connect your electronics to a surge protector. Random electrical surges are a common way for electronics to go kaput. We’d recommend connecting your PS5 to a universal power supply (UPS) which, not only will keep it safe from surges, but has a built-in battery to keep your devices on and running, giving you time to safely turn off your device and unplug it. If a UPS is too costly, we’d recommend taking a look at our best surge protectors list for some solid and reliable units.
Be careful with children and cords. It’s best that you don’t leave your PS5 in a place where children (or even adults) could potentially knock it over and cause damage. A particularly good rule of thumb is to always avoid leaving cords stretched across areas with foot traffic so as to avoid this kind of unwanted outcome.
Don’t leave it on all the time. Every electronic device has a lifespan, so it’s best if you turn your PS5 when it’s not in use so as not to speed up that process.
Keep drinks and other moisture away. Moisture and electronics don’t get along too well, so never keep drinks near your PS5 or controllers. Even a little bit of water or soda could damage internal components. It’s also never a good idea to keep your console anywhere near other types of moisture, either, including fish tanks, kitchen appliances, air conditioners and so forth.
Clean it once in a while. One thing many people assume is that they can leave their console sitting unattended essentially forever without any issues. In reality, you should periodically remove your console from wherever you keep it, clean the surrounding area, and blow out the dust that has gathered anywhere it intakes or exhausts air. Usually a can of compressed air does the trick. If you live in a very dusty climate, then it might be necessary to open up your console to clean the vents and fans of dust.
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