Is your PS5 making strange noises? What you need to know

The PlayStation 5 has successfully completed the second part of its launch, arriving in Europe on Thursday, though its not been without its problems. And if you’re one of the buyers irritated by strange noises emitted by the console, the problem might not be serious.

Frank Keienburg, a developer at Supercell and PS5 buyer in Finland, was plagued by an unhealthy sounding noise whenever the PS5 was turned on. Unsurprisingly, he suspected a busted fan, as most people would after playing the clip:

@PlayStation Fan noise sounds broken upon first start-up and stays like this. Disc version. Can be heard in the whole apartment. Fan bricked? Should I return to retailer and how long will I have to wait for a replacement? Other solutions?#ps5 #fan #noise pic.twitter.com/ynVZSGWq38November 20, 2020

But knowing that sending it back to Sony would likely see a massively long delay given the short supply of the console, Keienburg decided to look into the problem himself.

After ruling out coil whining, noting the sound wasn’t coming from the bearings, and reproducing a similar noise with air, he decided it was worth risking Sony’s warranty to look at the problem himself. Sure enough, the problem turned out to be a sticker that had come loose: once removed, the PS5 was quiet as a mouse.

Update Fixed it! ✅ Ruled out coil whining ✅ Reproduced sound with air (unplugged)✅ Sound not from the bearings (side)➡️ Object in the way?Used Security Torx to open fan case and found that a sticky label got lose and in the way. Removed label. Issue fixed. 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/blqHuER44LNovember 20, 2020

It’s not clear what the sticker is for – Keienburg noted it was completely blank with no text or identifying features. Though another user has identified what it might be, thanks to a PS5 teardown video:

That’s pretty much how it looked. Great find!November 20, 2020

Your noisy PS5 might have a whole different cause, so we’d urge you not to follow Keienburg’s example unless you’re very comfortable with electronic repair and/or are relaxed about risking Sony’s willingness to offer support at a later date (though he did note there was no warranty sticker in the way).

That said, we can also understand the temptation. The PlayStation 5 launch has been an incredible success for Sony, with pre-order stock selling out almost immediately whenever its been online. It has been less of a success for consumers, however, with plenty missing chances to buy and sky-high prices for those forced to turn to Ebay.

Knowing that a replacement unit will likely take several months to show up, is it any wonder that people would be tempted to take repairs into their own hands?

For those still searching for a PS5 ahead of Christmas, we’re keeping tabs on where stock pops up with our where to buy PS5 guide. The word is that Best Buy, Gamestop and Walmart will all have Black Friday PS5 stock as well, so worth having your credit card at the ready after Thanksgiving.