PS5 user shocked at what they found after overheating warnings made them open up the console

It seems they don't make 'em like they used to, and while we could drop old Nokia phones from the top of buildings and they'd likely survive, it sometimes feels like even looking at an iPhone screen can make it crack these days. The same can be said for gaming consoles, and while the old Game Boy was a robust piece of kit or it was as simple as blowing on an N64 cartridge to get it to work, things have become a lot more fiddly in 2025.

We get it because the likes of the PS5 and Xbox Series have a lot more parts than the consoles of yesteryear, and it's this that gives them the next-gen capabilities to play something like Elden Ring. We imagine a PS3 would melt even looking at FromSoftware's Soulslike.

Gamers are warned to look after their PS5s (Sony)

Speaking of 'melting', one PlayStation user has gone viral for showing off the inside of their PS5 after they were reportedly warned it was overheating.

Posting on the r/playstation subreddit, the OP wrote: "PS5 kept telling me it was too hot. This is what I found when I opened it up 🤣."

They add, "That’s not dust, those are burn marks from the heat. 🤣," suggesting that their PS5 has been cooked from the inside out. They don't reveal what made them open up the console and whether it was still working before they delved inside, but either way, it doesn't look the best.

Responding to the viral post, one gamer wrote: "Homie absolutely has the console tucked into a cubby in an entertainment center with no airflow. I’d assume the fans are bogged down with dust as well if it’s this bad."

Another added: "Holy smokes... Give your PlayStation a break every now and again. Also take a duster can to the fans and sh*t every so often. Something is causing your PS5 to work overtime and that's not a good thing."

A third concluded: "My PS3's thermal paste finally gave out like 3 months ago. First time it's ever been opened since 2008, and it was spotless inside.

“Pretty wild how dusty some folks' machines are, imagine they're breathing that stuff in too."

Ultimately, one moderator on the thread remains unconvinced and added: "Hi all, The dispersal patterns on that image look more like staining from airflow than actual burning.

“I would suggest this is more likely to be environmental as a cause. This is a note to say there is no evidence at all your PS5s will ‘burn’ if you treat them correctly."

We're already warned that we could be destroying our games by leaving them inside our consoles, but again, others maintain that won't actually damage them.

Console maintenance is no laughing matter, and with some thinking we could be paying $800 for the PS6, they're getting increasingly expensive. We previously showed off the inside of one overheating PS5, with its owner shocked to learn it was some pretty gross debris blocking the vents. Elsewhere, gamers are warned NOT to place their PS5 vertically (despite it almost always being vertical in Sony's marketing) due to a potential issue with the liquid metal inside.

The moral of the story is to look after your consoles, they're not exactly cheap pieces of kit.