PS5 Tips: Hidden Features and Settings - PlayStation 5 Guide - IGN (2024)

Got your hands on a new PlayStation 5? Our handy tech guide has 15 useful tips and tricks you may not have known about your console. So, here's how to take advantage of these PS5 Hidden Settings and Features.

15 Hidden Features and Settings You Probably Didn't Know Existed

Looking for a particular feature or setting? Click the links below to jump to...

• PS5 Controller Tips and Tricks
• PS5 Menu and Settings Tips and Tricks
• PS5 Hidden Apps and Features

Use these important tips to get the most out of your Dualsense controller!

Quickly Visit Your Most Recent Card

Double tapping the PS Button will bring up your most recently viewed card, depending on where you are. By default it will bring up recent news, but in games you can also reference trophies or even quickly bring up Spotify or your Party if you've been accessing it recently.

Hold the PlayStation Button to Go Home

Pressing the PS Button pulls up the Control Center as an overlay on the bottom of your screen, but holding it down will take you to directly home.

Turn Off Your Controller Manually

While pressing the PS button will send you to the control center, holding the PS Button down for at least 10 seconds will turn off the controller completely, allowing you to save battery if you plan to step awhile from the console for awhile and don't want to wait for the idle timer.

Put Your Controller on an Idle Timer to Save Battery

By default your controller is set to never turn off, even when idle, but you can change this:

1) Select Settings from the Home Screen

2) Go to System > Power Saving

3) Change the Controller idle time 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or 60 minutes - whichever you prefer.

Mute Your Audio With the Microphone Button

While pressing the microphone button at the bottom of your controller once will mute your controller's microphone, you can also Hold Down the Mic Button to mute all audio entirely.

Hold the Create Button to Execute Capture Shortcuts

You can change what the Create Button does when you hold it down to take screenshots or videos:

1) Select Settings from the Home Screen

2) Go to Captures and Broadcasts, and customize the shortcuts for taking screenshots and videos, as well as how long the recent gameplay clips last (which goes up to a full hour!)

Don't Use the Built-In Mic to Chat With Friends

If you're using the mic on your controller the vibration intensity and adaptive triggers are automatically less pronounced (set to weak). Since this is one of the biggest features of the DualSense it may be worth using a different mic so you can get the full experience of the DualSense.

Turn Off Your Controller Mic By Default

You might notice when turning on your PS5 that the controller's built-in mic will always be on by default, but you can change this:

1) Select Settings from the Home Screen

2) Go to Sound > Microphone

3) Change the status of the Microphone When Logged In option to make sure it is always off first when your start up.

The PlayStation 5's Settings are full of neat tricks and secrets you may not know about, like these important tips!

Automatically Set Game Difficulty, Graphics Mode, and Camera Movement for All Games

If you’re tired of having to set the same difficulty, graphical modes, and camera movement in every game - you can use special Game Presets to set up preferred options for every game you play:

1) Select Settings from the Home Screen

2) Select Saved Data and Game/App Settings

3) Pick your preferred game mode settings (fidelity or performance), default difficulty, and inverted or non-inverted camera controls.

View Your Playtime Stats

You can view your hours played, percentage completed, and much more in the stats section. You can even tab over to see your friends' stats (depending on their privacy settings):

1)Select your avatar icon on the Home Screen

2) Select Profile

3) Select Games and then you'll see the Stats option

Adjust Notifications

By default notifications such as wishlist updates are off during games, videos, and broadcasts. Adjust this, and other notifications in the Settings menu, to match your preferences.

Avoid Spoilers From Friends

Adjust spoiler warnings to stop yourself from seeing anything you haven’t seen yet in a game - in case your PSN friends can’t help but send you an incredible spoiler filled screenshot. Likewise, if you’re trying to live in spoiler city you can toggle these warnings off:

1) Select Settings from the Home Screen

2) Select Saved Data and Game/App Settings to toggle all of your privacy settings regarding spoilers.

Disable Automatic Trophy Clips

While it can be fun to relive the moment you nabbed an elusive trophy, you may find that the 15 second clips that are made each time you earn a trophy can start eating away at your storage.

1) Select Settings from the Home Screen

2) Select Captures and Broadcasts, and then disabling videos or screenshots under the Trophies tab - or even change the duration of the videos in question.

Certain features that the PlayStation 5 is hiding can't be accessed easily, but can provide some fun ways to get more out of your system.

Access Web Browsing (While Linking Accounts)

Currently the PS5 doesn't have a native web-broswing application, but there is still a way to access internet websites - through Twitter.

1) Select Settings from the Home Screen

2) Select Users and Accounts, and then Link with Other Services

3) Select Link your account to Twitter. Normally this would just involve you entering credentials and then it would end, but if you hit the twitter icon at the top of the page, the browser will load the Twitter Login main page, and take you to the browser version of Twitter in the process. You still can't actively input urls, but you can click on a link in Twitter to be taken to other websites - but what you can do is fairly limited (you can't enter full screen or play most videos).

Control Your PS5 Remotely via Your Mobile Device

If this is your first PlayStation console, you might not know about the PlayStation app that has undergone some pretty big changes. With it, you can not only manage your profile and chat with friends, but you can also remotely interact with your PS5 by purchasing and downloading or updating games, manage your storage - and even launch games if your PS5 is in standby mode.