PlayStation 5 liquid metal problems can kill the console in a few years, more issues for gamers

Sony used liquid metal on its PlayStation 5 console and it is causing issues for gamers, where your PS5 console can die in a matter of years... right when it's out of warranty.

In the latest episode of Moore's Law is Dead's Broken Silicon podcast, Alderon Games founder Matthew Cassells was the guest star, pointing out how the PS5's critical flaw is causing liquid metal that's used for cooling to drop down to the bottom of the console when placed vertically, causing dry spots on the semi-custom APU.

Once the liquid metal on the APU drips down, it'll cause dry spots on the APU that compromise its functionality and can even force your PS5 to shut down in particular conditions. There were stories from a while ago from the developer that had received reports that the latest update of their dinosaur-themed MMO, Path of Titans, was causing PS5 consoles to shut down all of a sudden.

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The developer provided the usual basic troubleshooting advice including cleaning the PS5 console, but the issue didn't go away. He pinned the related discussion thread on his Discord server, with more and more people reporting the same issue, so Alderon Games pinned a general message that asked gamers to report if their PS5 consoles were shutting down out of nowhere while playing any game, with even more gamers reporting issues with their PS5 consoles.

Alderon Games spoke with Sony about the issue, discovering that the more intensive the game, the higher the chances that the PS5 will shut down due to the issues with liquid metal. The latest update to Path of Titans saw the percentage of gamers affected by the issue rising to 2-3%, while the developer said that attempting to find the exact issue with the PS5 was hard, but the Alderon Games founder said it comes down to a combination of issues where the dry spots were and what component of the APU is being stressed the most (CPU or GPU).

Because you can't track the specific CPU and GPU temps of your PS5 console, trying to find the issue is almost impossible without pulling the console apart (and you shouldn't have to do that). However, not all PlayStation 5 consoles have these liquid metal-related issues, as Sony attempted to fix these issues with the slim version of the PS5 Pro by adding ridges to the APU and heatsink, which will prevent the liquid metal from dripping to the bottom of the console (but we don't know if that has fixed it just yet, as the PS5 Pro is a newer console than the standard PS5).

Cassells spoke with Sony about the issue, suggesting a free repair program but I don't see that happening, as it would be mighty costy for the company. However, the issues are big enough that the Alderon Games founder believes that we'll see a lot of PS5 consoles dying in the years ahead.