Rest mode was a feature that was introduced in the PS4. It allowed you to essentially power the console down but it would not shut down any apps that are running. This would allow you to boot back up and continue playing your game without having to sit through load screens. This feature has been carried over to the PS5 but unfortunately, it has come with some bugs.
There have been a large number of reports from users that the rest mode is causing their system to freeze, crash and cause general disruptions that require people to perform a hard reset in order to fix. This will bring people to the all too familiar warning screen letting you know your system was not turned off correctly.
Fixing The PS5 When It Freezes
When the PlayStation 5 freezes, the game normally continues playing. Audio and animations on the screen will continue as normal but any controller input will stop. You will not be able to interact with the game. Disconnecting and reconnecting the controller will do nothing to resolve this either. The only solution here is to perform a hard reset of the system.
Performing a hard reset can result in-game save corruption and data loss as well as in-game progress not being recorded but unfortunately, it is the only solution we have to fix the problems caused by rest mode with the PS5. To fix it, you should follow the steps below.
- Hold the power button on the front of the PS5 for 15 seconds until you hear a beep.
- Press the power button once the system turns off to restart. You will see the warning screen that you did not shut down correctly.
- Rebuild the database
- Go to the system settings and TURN OFF REST MODE!
How To Disable Rest Mode on PS5
The SSD in the PS5 has resulted in some really fast load screens. So fast that the benefits of rest mode on preserving game state are less advantageous when you consider the drawbacks. The PS5 seems to use quite a lot of power while in rest mode, so it may be best to keep this off for more reasons than the bug mentioned above.
To turn off rest mode on the PlayStation 5, follow the steps below. This should stop you hitting the bug with the system crashing. Keep in mind that this also means you will have to load the game back to the main menu from scratch next time you start the system.
- Go to Settings > System
- Select Power Saving > Set Time Until PS5 Enters Rest Mode
- Select “Don’t Put in Rest Mode” for both media playback and games.
This should prevent you hitting the bug but there is one additional setting that you must select. When turning the PS5 off, select the option “Turn Off PS5” instead of rest mode. This will fully power down the system every time and prevent you from hitting any issues with rest mode.