Sony Releases Another PS5 Firmware Update as Jailbreak Battle Rages Before GTA 6 Launch

Sony has rolled out yet another PS5 firmware update as it continues its cat-and-mouse game with the homebrew community, which is actively trying to jailbreak the console ahead of GTA 6's release. The new update, version 26.07-14.22.00, launched today, November 2, and according to the patch notes, it's security-related. This comes just 11 days after the previous update, 14.20, which was released on October 21. Although its patch notes didn't mention security, it was widely interpreted as a response to recent developments.

The PlayStation homebrew scene has been making headlines recently by releasing jailbreaks for older firmware versions. For instance, in late September, a jailbreak compatible with all PS5 consoles running firmware 7.00-13.60 sent shockwaves through the community. At the time, it meant that any PS5, including the PS5 Pro, that hadn't been updated in the past week could be jailbroken. This was a major concern for Sony and the PS5's security, as a jailbroken console can be modified, potentially enabling video game piracy.

However, it was later discovered that some PS5 games required the newer 14.00 firmware to download updates, prompting a renewed effort to create a jailbreak for the updated system software. So, a game of Whac-A-Mole has emerged: the homebrew scene works to release a new jailbreak for the latest PS5 firmware, and then repeats the process when Sony releases another security update.

This has raised concerns that if a PS5 jailbreak becomes available for the firmware required by GTA 6—which launches in less than a month—it could lead to piracy of Rockstar's game on PS5 and possibly even make it available on PC. A prominent member of the PlayStation homebrew community recently demonstrated evidence of a jailbreak for firmware 14.10, but follow-up comments suggested that dumping game executables wasn't possible. Some believe GTA 6 will require at least firmware 14.20—or now potentially 14.22—and Sony may release further security updates before November 19.

The question for Sony is whether it can do enough to eventually win this Whac-A-Mole game with the homebrew scene. This is somewhat of an existential crisis for Sony, as publishers and developers rely on the security of their PlayStation releases. But with the rise of powerful AI models, the stakes have risen significantly. IGN reported on a hacker who caused an uproar in the PS5 homebrew scene by privately reporting an exploit to Sony and claiming a $50,000 reward, rather than keeping it confidential for the community.