The PlayStation 5 (PS5) makes exiting and closing games simple with just a couple button presses. Here is a guide on the different ways to close games on your PS5.
Table of Contents
Using the PS Button to Close Games
The quickest and easiest way to close a PS5 game is to press the PS button on your DualSense wireless controller. This will suspend the game and take you back to the system’s home screen.
To fully close the suspended game, scroll down to the game card in the home screen’s Control Center and press the Options button. Then select “Close Game” from the menu that appears. This will completely quit out of the game.
Exiting Games from the In-Game Menu
Most PS5 games have an in-game menu that allows you to exit back to the home screen. Here is how to access this menu:
- Press the PS button on your controller to bring up the Control Center overlay
- Navigate to the far right tab labeled “Game Base”
- Select the icon that looks like 3 horizontal lines to open the in-game menu
- Choose the “Close Game” or “Exit Game” option
This will suspend the game and take you back to your PS5’s dashboard. Follow the steps above to fully close the game if desired.
Putting the PS5 into Rest Mode
You can also exit games by putting your PS5 into Rest Mode:
- From the home screen, navigate to the far right to the System icon (power symbol)
- Select “Enter Rest Mode”
- The PS5 will enter a low-power suspended state, exiting any game or app in the process
When you wake your console from Rest Mode, you will be taken back to the main system menu. Any suspended games will still be open in the background and can be closed using the steps outlined earlier.
Force Quitting Frozen or Unresponsive Games
If a game freezes or becomes unresponsive, you can force quit the software:
- Press and hold the PS button on your controller for at least 10 seconds
- This will force close the frozen application and take you back to the PS5 dashboard
From there, find the game card in the Control Center and select “Close Game” to fully close it.
Stopping Automatic Game Updates
One reason games may be difficult to close is because they are receiving an automatic update. Here is how to disable updates for specific games:
- From your PS5’s home screen, highlight the game icon
- Press the Options button on your controller
- Select “Game Version”
- Toggle off the “Automatic Updates” option
With auto-updates disabled, games will fully close when exited rather than staying suspended to install patches.
Managing Add-Ons and Game Modes
Some games have add-ons or special game modes that run in the background. Here is how to close these properly:
- Press the PS button to open the Control Center overlay
- Scroll down to find the game card
- Press the Options button and select “Game Modes” or “Game Add-Ons”
- Disable or close any running add-ons/modes
After disabling these extra features, you can close the base game normally from the in-game menu or Control Center.
Rebuilding the PS5 Database
In rare cases, database corruption may prevent games from closing properly on PS5. Rebuilding the database clears out these errors.
To rebuild your PS5’s database:
- Fully power down your console
- Press and hold the power button, releasing after the second beep
- Connect your controller with a USB cable and press the PS button
- Select “Rebuild Database” from the safe mode menu
Rebuilding the database takes a few minutes. Afterwards, try closing games normally. Call PlayStation Support if games still have issues exiting properly after a database rebuild.
Summary
- Press the PS button to suspend games and access the Control Center
- Use “Close Game” in the Control Center or in-game menu to fully quit games
- Put your PS5 into Rest Mode to exit all open games
- Force quit unresponsive games by long pressing the PS button
- Disable automatic updates in a game’s Options menu
- Close any running game add-ons or modes
- Rebuild database in safe mode if games won’t close
