PlayStation has officially started rolling out a new system software update for its flagship console PS5. The studio regularly deploys new firmware patches for the base PS5 and its newer, more powerful counterpart, the PS5 Pro, to keep the consoles running smoothly and efficiently for all owners. Sometimes, PlayStation likes to roll out the odd new feature or upgrade, but the same can't be said for today's update, which is purely for stability improvements.
Despite somewhat lackluster firmware updates, PlayStation has managed to change a large number of consoles since its launch in 2020. In August of this year, the PS5 passed a major sales milestone as parent company Sony revealed in a new earnings report that the console had sold 80 million units in five years. This is a huge achievement for PlayStation, as it continues to approach PS3's lifetime sales, which were around 87.4 million units. The report also details the PS5's year-over-year hardware sales, which show a slight upward trend. In 2024, the console sold 2.4 million units, while it has already crossed 2.5 million units in 2025. Unfortunately, it's still far from beating the iconic PS2, which has a staggering 160 million lifetime units sold by 2024.
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The new PS5 update is the same
As more and more PS5 units are sold each year, PlayStation maintains the console's performance by regularly releasing new system updates, which often focus on stability. Today's update is no different, as the company has begun the gradual rollout of another new PS5 update for December 3, bringing the console to version 25.08-12.40.00. According to the patch notes, which can be found further on in this article, the update has improved messages and usability on some screens while also improving the performance and stability of the system software. Given that this is a run-of-the-mill patch, users won't notice any difference the next time they boot their console.
The good news is that it wasn't that long ago that a new PS5 update added a cool new feature to the Welcome Hub. In a substantial new update on November 19, PlayStation added a new seasonal theme to the Hub, as well as a new widget that can display information about games the user has played recently, total hours played, number of sessions, trophies earned, and more.
Welcome Hub was added to the console for free in September 2024, allowing players to customize their console experience with widgets, backgrounds and more. When players open their PS5, the Welcome Hub is now the first thing they see, so PlayStation allows users to customize it however they see fit.
Unfortunately, Welcome Hub kind of misses the mark in terms of listening to the community and giving users what they want. For years now, PS5 owners have been demanding the return of themes. While PlayStation seems willing to only add them to the Welcome Hub, it's standing firm in its stance and appears to be adding them to the rest of the console.
That being said, PlayStation made a bit of a splash when it released special 30th anniversary themes to celebrate the PS1's big birthday. However, these were initially a limited-time feature and were removed after about two months. As fans knew this was the closest they would get to the themes, the community demanded that PlayStation make them a standard feature. The studio brought them back permanently as a new update in April. Unfortunately, the nostalgic startup sounds from the PS1 didn't return.
Patch notes for PS5 update 25.08-12.40.00 December 3
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We've improved messages and usability on some screens.
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We have improved system software performance and stability.
