New PS5 System Update Released for March 17, Here’s Everything That Changed

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A new update is now available for PlayStation 5 consoles worldwide, bringing several improvements. Sony announced this week that the update will enhance 11 games on the upcoming PS5 Pro thanks to advancements in its PSSR technology. But the update isn’t just for Pro owners – the standard PS5 is also getting a number of changes and improvements.

A major new PS5 update, version 26.02-13.00.00, is available now and represents the largest update of 2026 so far. The highlight of this release is an upgrade specifically for PS5 Pro consoles. Additionally, Sony has added a long-requested feature called “Showcase Mode” to the PS5’s Welcome Hub. This allows users to fully see their background when the console is idle, bringing back a similar experience to the themes available on the PS4.

Beyond the significant changes to the PS5, Sony has also improved the console’s overall performance and stability with a standard update. While the exact details of these improvements haven’t been released, the PS5 should now be more reliable and user-friendly.

You can find the complete list of changes in this new PS5 update in the patch notes provided by Sony below.

PS5 System Update Version 26.02-13.00.00 Patch Notes

  • We’ve enhanced PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) on PS5 Pro. Enjoy sharper and clearer visuals in supported games.
    • To turn on the enhanced PSSR model for your PSSR compatible games that aren’t using the enhanced model, go to Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > Enhance PSSR Image Quality.
    • This feature is available only on PS5 Pro.
  • Unicode 17.0 emojis are now supported. You can use them in your messages.
  • New features are now available for your Welcome hub.
    • You can now use Showcase Mode to display a full view of your Welcome hub background when your PS5 console is idle. When turned on, your Welcome hub automatically enters Showcase mode when idle.
    • Slideshow mode allows you to set an album as your background and rotate between images.
      • You can turn on Showcase mode and Slideshow mode in your Welcome hub settings. You can also set the idle time to enter Showcase mode according to your preference.
    • You can now set your Welcome hub background from within your Media Gallery.
    • A new background is available for your Welcome hub.
  • We’ve improved the messages and usability on some screens.
  • We’ve improved system software performance and stability.

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2026-03-17 16:41