Sony Issues New PS5 Firmware Update as Jailbreak Race Heats Up Ahead of GTA 6 Release

Sony has issued a new PlayStation 5 firmware update amid the homebrew community's ongoing effort to jailbreak the console.

PS5 system software update 26.07-14.20.00 is available now and weighs in at 1.2 GB. While Sony’s official patch notes suggest its only function is to improve “the messages and usability on some screens,” some believe it may perform other functions under the hood.

PS5 firmware update 26.07-14.20.00 patch notes:

• We've improved the messages and usability on some screens.

The PlayStation homebrew scene hit the headlines in recent weeks for releasing PS5 jailbreaks for prior firmwares. For example, late last month, a jailbreak that supported all PS5 consoles running firmware 7.00-13.60 sent shockwaves through the homebrew community. At the time, it meant that all PS5s, including the PS5 Pro, that hadn't been updated within the previous week, were compatible with the jailbreak.

This is of huge significance for Sony and the security of the PS5, as people with a jailbroken PS5 can modify their console, potentially opening the door to video game piracy. However, it was found that some PS5 games subsequently required the latest 14.00 firmware in order to download updates, sparking a renewed effort to release a new jailbreak for the updated system software.

So, there is a game of Whac-A-Mole at play where the homebrew scene is working to release a new jailbreak for the latest PS5 firmware, then do it all over again when Sony releases a new firmware update designed to beef up security. It’s worth pointing out that Sony makes no mention of security in today’s patch notes.

This in turn has sparked concern that if a PS5 jailbreak is made available for the firmware that is required by GTA 6, which comes out in less than a month, then it may be possible for Rockstar’s game to be pirated on PS5 and maybe even made available on PC.

One prominent member of the PlayStation homebrew community recently showed evidence of a jailbreak for the 14.10 firmware, but follow up comments suggest that dumping game executables isn't possible. There is no evidence to suggest that today’s 14.20 update is a response to that. However, some believe GTA 6 will require at least 14.20 to run, now it’s out in the wild. Sony may even release a further security update before November 19.

The question for Sony is whether it can do enough to eventually win this game of Whac-A-Mole with the homebrew scene. This is something of an existential crisis for Sony, which publishers and developers rely upon for the security of their PlayStation releases. But with the emergence of powerful AI models, the stakes have risen significantly.