Nearly two years after launch, the PlayStation 5 has been jailbroken, opening up doors to vast modding and debug opportunities. For the layman, this means that you can now install games for free on the console, without the need to buy them or be connected online.
The news was dropped by Lance McDonald on Twitter, the same hacker who is also behind the unofficial 60 FPS patch for Bloodborne.
How it Works
The exploit uses PS5’s Webkit vulnerability, and it only works if the console is running on firmware version 4.03. This is because the vulnerability has already been patched in later firmware versions.
Hence, it goes without saying that the jailbreak is very limited for now as it only grants access to PlayStation 5’s debug settings other than giving you root access. It is quite unstable for now, and it may take a few attempts before it works successfully. It does not involve any code execution, so you cannot run any homebrew software yet.
It's… beautiful.
The PlayStation 5 has been jailbroken. pic.twitter.com/54fvBGoQGw
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) October 3, 2022
The hacker was able to install Silent Hill P.T on the console, a game that was banished from the PlayStation Store back in 2015. So even if the exploit is quite limited, it should enable interesting developments in the future.
Limitations
Sony will definitely keep an eye on this jailbreak, but it is unlikely to see widespread use due to its current limitations. Even if you manage to install games that are not officially available for PlayStation, you will not be able to run them.
The jailbreak may work with different firmware versions in the future, but it will need to be tweaked before that happens.
The latest PlayStation 5 firmware version is 6.00, and it introduced a number of new changes such as native 1440p support. It also lets you organize games better than before and find them easily in your library. It improves on social features too, such as the ability to request Share Screen from party members.
Its not jail broken yet. No one should try atleast now. Its just for devs use.