ps5-linux: Turning a PS5 Into a Linux Desktop on 3.00 to 13.60

By Indie Kings | October 29, 2026

Updated October 29, 2026: ps5-linux-loader shipped its newest commit today, a documentation change that updates the supported firmware list, and the project now covers PS5 Phat, Slim and Pro consoles from firmware 3.00 through 13.60. The repository has 474 stars, 99 forks and 18 contributors, is GPL-3.0 licensed, and turns the console into a Linux desktop with eight cores, sixteen threads, a 3.5 GHz CPU clock and a 4K60 HDMI output.

Image: a PlayStation 5 with its DualSense controller, via Wikimedia Commons.

A boot chain, not an exploit

The name undersells what the repository contains. ps5-linux-loader is the payload that hands the console over to a Linux kernel, but the project around it is a boot chain: an image you flash to USB, a hypervisor level handoff, kernel patches for several firmware generations, and a set of user space tools for the M.2 drive, the fan curve and the wireless hardware. The repository layout reflects that, with separate shellcode directories for firmware 06.07, for breaking the hypervisor, for the hypervisor itself, and for kernels on 1.160 and the 13.xx line, plus the source and documentation folders.

The payload is small and unglamorous by design. You send an ELF to the console over port 9021 with socat, and if it works the console drops into rest mode. Wait for the orange LED to stop blinking and become solid, then press power, and the console boots Linux instead of the PlayStation system. If the LED turns white, the handoff succeeded. If it boots back to the PlayStation system, the power button was pressed too early or the rest mode USB setting was not enabled. The troubleshooting table reads like field notes from a lot of failed attempts, which is exactly what a project at this stage should publish.

Getting to that point requires a kernel exploit, and the README is explicit that it depends on patched hypervisor vulnerabilities. Different firmware ranges use different entry points, and the guide points at community tools for each: one path for 3.00 to 5.50, another for 6.00 to 7.61, and a WebKit autoloader for 7.61 to 13.60. The loader does not include those exploits. It expects the console to already be in a state where a payload can run, which keeps the project's own code focused on the handoff and makes the legal and technical boundary between the two layers visible.

The firmware matrix

The support table is the most important page in the repository, because firmware determines whether any of this is possible. PS5 Phat and Slim consoles are supported from 3.00 through 13.60, with M.2 support arriving at 4.00 and present for every later version. The PS5 Pro is supported from 11.00, which makes sense given its release timing, and it follows the same pattern through 13.60. Firmware 3.00 to 3.21 works without M.2 support, and 1.xx and 2.xx are named as possible future work that the team will not prioritize.

Two constraints follow from that table. First, you cannot downgrade a console, so a console on a firmware newer than 13.60 is not a candidate, and the README says so plainly. Second, if you are on an in between version and want a supported one, the documented route is to download the correct PUP file and use Sony's official reinstall flow in safe mode, which updates rather than downgrades. That is a strange position for a homebrew project to recommend, but it is the only honest one: firmware selection happens before the exploit, and there is no way around the one way ratchet.

The hardware requirements are modest and specific. A USB drive of at least 64 gigabytes is required, ideally an external SSD, along with a USB keyboard and mouse. Optional items include an M.2 SSD, a USB WLAN adapter, and a Bluetooth dongle for a DualSense. The README also lists two settings that are easy to miss and cause most of the failures: rest mode must be configured to supply power to USB ports always, and HDMI device link must be disabled. Disabling automatic updates and automatic error reporting is recommended, for reasons that are obvious once you think about a console that might reboot into a different operating system.

What Linux actually gets

The payoff is a credible desktop machine. The console's eight cores and sixteen threads run at 3.5 GHz, the GPU at 2.23 GHz, and the HDMI output supports 4K at 60 Hz with audio. The M.2 drive can be dedicated to Linux, which means it can no longer be used for PlayStation games, and the README walks through reformatting it on the console first and then initializing it with the project's tools. The Blu ray drive works through a custom AHCI driver, Bluetooth through a custom xHCI driver, Ethernet through a gbe driver, and hardware video decode, encode and transcode through VAAPI on the VCN block.

That last item is what makes the machine useful for more than a proof of concept. Hardware video acceleration turns a console into a capable media box and a reasonable workstation for light editing, and the 4K60 output means it can drive a living room display without an adapter. The README claims enough performance to run Steam games and emulators with impressive fluidity, which is a claim rather than a benchmark, but the underlying hardware is a Zen 2 class CPU and an RDNA 2 class GPU, so the order of magnitude is plausible.

The first boot instructions are where the project shows its age. You are told to disable the screen saver because it is buggy, to toggle the network connection if it does not come up, and to hold the kernel packages so an apt upgrade does not replace the patched kernel and break the boot. Mesa is installed from a PPA and refreshed from the edge channel, and the project's own tools package supplies the M.2 scripts and the fan control utility that can push the CPU to 3500 MHz and the GPU to 2230 MHz or adjust the fan curve. None of this is hidden behind an installer, which is appropriate: anyone running Linux on a console should understand which parts are load bearing.

One caution belongs here. This is not an endorsed configuration. It relies on vulnerabilities, it likely affects warranty and the platform terms of service, and a mistake can leave a console in a state that requires recovery. The project's documentation is good, and good documentation is not the same as a low risk procedure. If the console matters to you as a console, do not start.

Project card

FAQ

What is ps5-linux-loader?
The payload that hands a PlayStation 5 over to a Linux kernel, plus the images and tools needed to install and boot it.

Which consoles and firmware work?
PS5 Phat, Slim and Pro from firmware 3.00 to 13.60, with the Pro starting at 11.00. Consoles on newer firmware cannot be downgraded.

Does it void the warranty?
Almost certainly yes, and it likely conflicts with Sony's terms of service. The project depends on patched hypervisor vulnerabilities.

What do I need to try it?
A 64 GB or larger USB drive, ideally an external SSD, a USB keyboard and mouse, and optionally an M.2 drive, WLAN adapter and Bluetooth dongle.

Can I still play PS5 games?
Yes, when you boot the PlayStation system. Linux runs from USB or a dedicated M.2 partition, and an M.2 used for Linux cannot hold PS5 games.

Why does the console need rest mode?
The handoff uses rest mode to park the console before booting Linux. USB power must be set to always in rest mode, or the boot fails.

Bottom Line

This is one of the more complete console Linux projects in recent years, and the reason is boring: the documentation covers the failure modes. The firmware matrix is precise, the settings that break the boot are called out, the blackscreen checklist is specific, and the post install steps acknowledge that a kernel update will break everything. The cost is real, since the procedure depends on vulnerabilities and the console stops being a console while Linux runs. For someone with a supported console and a spare SSD, it is a genuinely capable Linux machine for the price of hardware already owned. For everyone else, it is a good read about how much work a boot chain takes.

Sources

• GitHub ps5-linux/ps5-linux-loader README, firmware table, requirements, install and first boot steps, accessed October 29, 2026
• GitHub API metadata and releases for ps5-linux/ps5-linux-loader, stars, forks, contributors, v2.5 date, accessed October 29, 2026
• Repository file tree showing the per firmware shellcode directories and tools, accessed October 29, 2026

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