If you’re one of the blessed 8 million people who can own a PlayStation 5, you’ve probably gone through the controller update process at some point. I got mine on launch day (November 12, 2020) and have had to update the DualSense controller several times since I got the new red variant.
Easy, right? Maybe not that much.
Here’s how to automatically update your PS5 controller
- wake PS5 from sleep
- Look for onscreen text alerting you to an available controller update, which includes the “Notify in 24 Hours” and “Update Now” options.
- Plug in a USB cable (for some reason you can’t do this wirelessly)
- Highlight the “Update Now button” and press the X button on the remote to update.
However. if you do not do that press X at this point – if you press O, let’s say, like me, because as a long-time Japan resident I’m still getting over the fact that this is no longer a confirmation button – you’ll open the PS5’s account login screen and the update prompt will disappear. How do you get it back?
Well, basically, if you’re not willing to engage in some needlessly devious gimmick, you don’t. True. There is no option in the PS5’s settings that will allow you to manually update the PS5 controller. Waking the console back from sleep doesn’t bring back the prompt and doesn’t completely cut the power.
As far as we can tell (and judging from the “Notify After 24 Hours” option), the update prompt is on a 24-hour cycle, so you’ll probably have to wait a day and try again. BoundaryBut Tom Warren says he’s managed to push the update several times on his PS5.
Here’s how to manually update your PS5 controller
- Disconnect from the internet by selecting Settings > Network > Settings
- Skip the internal clock forward 24 hours by going to Settings > System > Date & Time
DualSense firmware updates may not be particularly exciting or even necessary, but I’m on the side of anyone who finds this whole process to be a surprising element of PS5’s software. It’s very confusing to be told that you need to update something at boot time and then see that there’s no obvious way to do it on your own, for example when you actually have a USB-C cable at hand.
I hope you didn’t miss something on the menus – or information that you might be busy animal crossing-style time skip as a last resort — it gives you peace of mind the next time you press the wrong button.
