Sony Fixes PS5 Advertisement Bug After Player Backlash: Here’s What Happened

Sony has confirmed that a recent technical error is responsible for PlayStation 5 home screens suddenly displaying advertisements to players, clarifying that no changes have been made to how game news is shown. After many users initially thought the sudden appearance of ads was an intentional new feature, PS5 owners criticized Sony for the unexpected change. However, the company has now fixed the issue and reassured players.

Following the release of a recent PlayStation firmware update, some users noticed that game tiles were showing related advertisements instead of their usual key art. For instance, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales displayed a full-screen ad for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, despite the movie being over a year old. Although this glitch didn’t affect every game on the platform, it was widespread enough to frustrate many in the PS5 community.

Sony has since addressed the issue, stating that the ads were not an intended feature, but rather a result of a "tech error." In a statement on the official Ask PlayStation Twitter account, the company explained that the news feature on the PS5 had experienced a bug, which has now been resolved. Sony also reassured users that no changes have been made to how news is displayed on the console.

Sony Fixes Controversial PS5 Advertisement Bug

This unexpected bug came just a few weeks after the launch of PlayStation 5's new welcome hub feature, which introduced a customizable tab on the home screen. The welcome hub allows users to personalize their experience with widgets, wallpapers, and key console information. While the hub includes some advertisement widgets by default, users can remove them if they choose. Fans initially enjoyed the new customization options, but frustrations grew when it appeared Sony had made ads more prominent across the console. Fortunately, Sony clarified that it was simply a mistake.

Though players were relieved to learn the ad issue was a technical glitch, PS5 users had another concern as PSN experienced a global outage on October 1. While Sony addressed the advertisement bug, it didn’t comment on the network downtime, leaving users frustrated. The outage even impacted those trying to access single-player digital games, preventing them from playing.