PlayStation Reveals How Many Gamers Turn Off Their PS5 Compared to Putting It in Rest Mode

Half of PlayStation 5 users bypass rest mode, opting for a complete system shutdown instead, according to Sony. This surprising statistic, revealed by Cory Gasaway (Sony Interactive Entertainment's VP of game, product, and player experiences) in an interview with Stephen Totilo, highlights a significant user preference divergence. The revelation emerged during a discussion about the design of the PS5's Welcome Hub, introduced in 2024.

The Welcome Hub, born from a PlayStation hackathon, aimed to create a unified user experience despite varied preferences, particularly regarding rest mode. Gasaway noted a 50/50 split in US users between viewing the PS5 Explore page and the last-played game page upon startup, illustrating the need for a customizable, universally accessible home screen.

While the reasons behind rest mode avoidance remain varied and anecdotal, some users report internet connectivity issues associated with the feature, preferring to keep their consoles fully powered on for downloads. Others experience no such problems and utilize rest mode as intended – to conserve energy while enabling background downloads and updates. This data underscores the complexity of UI/UX design and the importance of accommodating diverse user behaviors, even in seemingly straightforward features like rest mode. The 50% figure, therefore, provides valuable insight into PlayStation 5 user habits and informs future console interface development.