PS5 Owners Beware: Horizon Forbidden West Could Brick Your Console - Here’s The Only Fix You Need!

The release of Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most-anticipated gaming events of 2022. However, it’s also causing concern among PlayStation 5 (PS5) owners, who could end up with a bricked console if they try to play the game. Sony has confirmed that this is a possibility, and warned all PS5 owners to be careful when playing Horizon Forbidden West. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix you need that could help you avoid this nightmare scenario.

What is Horizon Forbidden West, and Why is it Causing Concern?

Horizon Forbidden West is an action role-playing game that follows the story of Aloy, a young hunter and archer, who is searching for answers about her past in a lush and vibrant post-apocalyptic world. The game is set to be released in February 2022 on both PS5 and PS4 consoles.

The concern among PS5 owners arises from reports that the game could cause their console to be bricked. Essentially, ‘bricking’ occurs when a device, such as a console, loses its software capabilities and becomes unusable, rendering it a brick.

Sony has not yet provided a detailed explanation of what exactly is causing this problem. Although, it has acknowledged the issue and warned gamers to be careful when playing the game. This has understandably left many PS5 owners worried about what could happen if they decide to go ahead and play Horizon Forbidden West.

What is the Only Fix You Need to Avoid Console Bricking?

Fortunately, at the moment, there’s only one fix you need to avoid potential console bricking caused by playing Horizon Forbidden West. This is to ensure that you shut down and restart your PS5 after every gaming session.

While this may seem simple, it’s important to follow this rule to the letter. If you don’t restart your console after playing the game, it’s more likely that your console will be bricked. Therefore, it’s vital to make a habit of shutting down your console after you finish playing Horizon Forbidden West every time.

It’s unclear how long you need to leave your console shut down before restarting it. Some experts have suggested it could be between ten and fifteen minutes, while others have suggested letting it cool down completely for an hour. However, it’s best to check with Sony for further clarification and guidance, as leaving your console for too long could cause other issues with your PS5.

Conclusion

Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most anticipated games of 2022. However, the possibility of bricking your PS5 has understandably raised concerns among gamers. Luckily, there is one easy fix you need to avoid this problem: always remember to shut down and restart your console after playing the game.

While this may seem like a minor inconvenience, it’s a small price to pay to ensure that your console remains in perfect working order. So, don’t let the potential threat of bricking keep you from playing one of the most exciting games of the year. Just remember to shut down your console after each gaming session, and you’ll be good to go!

Ever since the release of Horizon Forbidden West, it has been well received by not only critics but also a fair share of audiences. It introduces the return of Aloy and her hunting tactics in a new open world. While players won’t run out of exploring different mechanics, there are some issues reported by a few of the players. One of the critical issues encountered while grinding on it is that it bricks the PS5. So, here’s our guide on how to solve the Horizon Forbidden West bricking PS5 issue.

Is Horizon Forbidden West Bricking PS5?

The answer to that question is unsure as there is no word from Guerrilla Games or Sony. While players have been tweeting their bitter-sweet experiences of the Horizon sequel, one of the players tweeted that their PS5 turned off and bricked randomly. For some players, their console bricked as soon as they inserted the disk and some had to factory reset their console. Here is a compilation of different tweets of some of the players that encountered the bricking issue.

Thus, here are some fixes to solve the Horizon Forbidden West bricking PS5 issue.

Fixes to Solve Horizon Forbidden West Bricking PS5

Here’s a potential fix for the players who cannot turn on their PS5 console. Follow these steps:

  • Unplug all the wires of your PS5 and plug it back in.
  • Then, hold and press the power button for about 15 seconds or more.
  • This will reboot your console’s hardware completely.
  • It should hopefully do the needful and reboot your PS5 into functioning.

Once you have managed to successfully boot your PS5, follow the below steps to avoid such problems in the future.

Clearing Cache and Rebuilding Database

  • Turn off your PS5 console, then press and hold the power button until you hear two beeping sounds.
  • Now that you are in safe mode, connect your controller with USB and press the PS button on the controller.
  • Head over to Clear cache and Rebuild database (option 5).
  • You will get two options when you select it.
  • One will be to rebuild the database option and the other will be to clear the system software cache option.
  • Select Rebuilt database option.
  • To clear the downloaded cache, follow the above steps and select the Clear system software cache option.

We also suggest reinstalling the game and updating your PS5 console after you have successfully booted it.

That’s all on how to resolve the Horizon Forbidden West bricking PS5 issue. If you liked this guide, you can check our other guides on performance vs quality modes and how to use the co-pilot mode in Horizon Forbidden West right now here on Gamer Tweak.