The PS5 is one of the most powerful consoles ever made — and one of the most heat-sensitive. Sony's engineers designed the PS5 with a specific airflow system that works beautifully when conditions are right. When they're not, you get overheating, throttled performance, loud fans, and eventually hardware failure.
Two things cause most PS5 overheating problems: wrong positioning and dust buildup. Both are preventable.
Flat vs Vertical — Does It Matter?
The PS5 was designed to work in both vertical and horizontal positions — Sony sells a stand for both. However, there's an important thermal consideration that most people don't know about.
The PS5 uses liquid metal thermal compound on the APU (the main chip). Liquid metal is an exceptional thermal conductor — far better than standard paste — but it's also a liquid. Over time, in the vertical position, gravity can cause the liquid metal to slowly migrate away from the center of the chip, reducing thermal efficiency and eventually causing overheating.
⚠️ Sony's own guidance: Sony recommended that users keep the PS5 horizontal after reports of liquid metal migration issues emerged. While both positions are technically supported, horizontal is the safer long-term choice for the health of your console.
The Bigger Problem: Dust Buildup
Regardless of orientation, dust accumulation is inevitable. The PS5 pulls air in through vents on the sides, pushes it over the heatsink, and expels it through the rear. Over months of use, dust collects on the heatsink fins, blocking airflow.
When airflow is restricted, the APU temperature rises. The PS5 responds by spinning the fan faster (that's the jet-engine sound you hear). Eventually it hits thermal limits and throttles the CPU/GPU to reduce heat — which means lower performance. In severe cases it will shut down entirely to prevent damage.
Warning Signs Your PS5 Needs Cleaning
- Fan is noticeably louder than it used to be
- Console feels very hot to the touch on the top vents
- Games stutter or drop frames that didn't before
- Console shuts off mid-game with an overheating warning
- It's been more than 12 months since the last cleaning
Can You Clean It Yourself?
You can do a basic external cleaning yourself — use a can of compressed air to blow through the vents (do this outside or it goes everywhere). This removes surface dust but doesn't address buildup deep in the heatsink fins.
A proper internal cleaning requires disassembly. On the PS5, this means removing the faceplates, accessing the fan and heatsink, and cleaning the fins with compressed air and a brush. It's doable for a careful person, but one wrong move can damage the liquid metal application or dislodge cables.
💡 Our recommendation: External air blast every 3 months. Professional internal cleaning every 12 months, or sooner if you notice any of the warning signs above. A cleaning at our shop costs $40–60 and takes about an hour.
Best Practices for PS5 Setup
- Keep it horizontal for long-term health
- Never put it in a closed cabinet — it needs 10–15cm of clearance on all sides
- Keep it off carpet — carpet fibres clog vents fast
- Don't stack anything on top of it
- Keep pets away — pet hair is a major culprit for heatsink clogs
- Clean externally every 3 months with compressed air
What Happens If You Ignore It?
Prolonged overheating degrades the APU and other components. In worst-case scenarios the liquid metal can corrode the chip substrate, causing permanent damage. We've repaired PS5s at our shop where severe dust buildup had throttled performance to a fraction of what it should be. After cleaning, owners are always amazed at the difference — quieter, cooler, and noticeably faster.
PS5 Running Hot or Loud?
Book a professional cleaning at 876 Danforth Ave. We'll open it up, clean the heatsink, check the thermal compound, and have it running cool and quiet again.