PS5’s Top Feature Update Is Temporarily Removed

A feature that many PlayStation 5 owners have come to love is about to disappear tomorrow, but there’s a silver lining worth noting. We’re referring to the nostalgic UI themes and boot screen that were released last month as part of PlayStation’s 30th-anniversary celebration. Sony initially announced this feature as a temporary offering, which led to a flurry of petitions urging the gaming giant to extend its availability.

Prepare for a Return, But Manage Expectations

Sony recently took to social media platform X to share that it’s in the process of reviving those cherished PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 themes in the upcoming months. However, gamers should temper their hopes, as this doesn’t necessarily mean a broad return of themes to the PlayStation ecosystem.

Themes were a beloved part of the PS4 experience and their absence on the PS5 has been palpable for fans since the console’s 2020 debut. Aside from what’s offered in the new Welcome Hub and the recent anniversary update, Sony’s stance hasn’t shifted toward reintroducing themes more widely.

In a tweet, Sony mentioned, "While there aren’t plans to create additional themes in the future, we’re thrilled to keep celebrating legacy PlayStation hardware with you all." The reasoning behind the need to retract and later reintroduce the current feature isn’t entirely clear—after all, we can’t claim to have insider knowledge of Sony’s technical logic.

To illustrate their point, a recent PlayStation tweet read, “Thank you for the fantastic response to the classic PlayStation, PS2, PS3, and PS4 limited-time console themes, which will be leaving tomorrow. Due to the positive response on these 4 themes, we’re doing some work behind the scenes to bring these special designs back in the…” This seems to hint at more exciting updates down the line.