PlayStation has officially started rolling out a new system software update for its flagship console PS5. The studio regularly deploys new firmware patches for the base PS5 and its newer, more powerful counterpart, the PS5 Pro, to keep the consoles running smoothly and efficiently for all owners. PlayStation likes to throw in the odd new feature or upgrade every now and then, but the same can't be said for today's update, which is again just for stability improvements.
Despite some lackluster firmware updates, PlayStation has still managed to move a huge number of consoles since its launch in 2020. In August of this year, the PS5 passed a huge sales milestone as parent company Sony revealed in a new earnings report that the console had sold over 80 million units in five years. This is a huge achievement for PlayStation as it continues to approach the PS3's lifetime sales of approximately 87.4 million units. The report also details year-over-year PS5 hardware sales, which appear to be on a slightly upward trend. In 2024, the console sold 2.4 million units, while it has already surpassed that with 2.5 million units in 2025. Unfortunately, it's still a ways to go to surpass the iconic PS2, which has an amazing 160 million units sold by 2024.
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The new PS5 update is more of the same
As more and more PS5 units are sold each year, PlayStation regularly maintains the console's performance by releasing new system updates, often focused on stability. Today's update is no different, as the company has started rolling out another new PS5 update on December 3rd, bringing the console to version 25.08-12.40.00. According to the patch notes, which can be found later in this article, the update improved messages and usability on some screens, while also improving the performance and stability of the system software. Since this is a common fix, users will likely not see any differences the next time they launch the console.
The good news is that not too long ago, a new PS5 update added a great new feature to the Welcome Hub. In a major new update on November 19, PlayStation added a new seasonal theme to the Hub, as well as a brand new widget that can display information about a user's most recently played games, including total hours played, sessions, trophies earned, and more.
The Welcome Hub was added to the console for free back in September 2024, allowing players to customize their console with widgets, backgrounds and more. When gamers turn on their PS5, the Welcome Center is now the first thing they see, and so PlayStation allows users to customize it as they see fit.
Sadly, Welcome Hub has missed the mark a bit when it comes to listening to the community and giving users what they want. PS5 owners have been clamoring for the return of themes for years. While PlayStation seems only willing to add them to the Welcome Hub, it remains firm in its stance and doesn't appear to be adding them to the rest of the console.
With that being said, PlayStation moved slightly when they released special 30th anniversary themes to celebrate the PS1's big birthday. However, these features were initially time-limited and were removed after about two months. Knowing that this was the closest fans would ever get to themes, the community demanded that PlayStation make them a standard feature. The studio then brought them back permanently as part of a new update in April. Unfortunately, the nostalgic startup sounds from the PS1 have not returned.
PS5 Update 25.08-12.40.00 Patch Notes for December 3rd
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We've improved messages and usability on some screens.
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We have improved the performance and stability of the system software.
