The PlayStation 5 has essentially been cracked, just in time for 2026, and it doesn’t seem like there’s much Sony can do about it short of releasing a new hardware revision. This is because PlayStation 5 hackers have found the BootROM keys (Level 0) for the PlayStation 5, which allows the bootloader to be decrypted and from there hackers can control what software can run on the machine.
This doesn’t mean much in the short term, but soon custom firmware and unlicensed backups will likely be available for current PlayStation 5 hardware. TheCyberSecGuru expects that “we will see more advanced game backups and loaders released in 2026,” and that “this leak significantly shortens the timeline for mass piracy.” The route to emulation (legitimate and illegitimate) has also become a lot shorter, as leaked PS5 BootROM keys will make it easier for emulators to replicate the booting and decoding of game loaders.
The CyberSecGuru notes that this should lead to a faster timeline at 60 FPS Bloodbornebut this is a somewhat outdated concept, as 60 FPS Bloodborne is already possible on a hacked PS5 or PS4 Pro and unlocked framerate Bloodborne already feasible on ShadPS4. This leak should hit the ground running PlayStation 5 emulation yes.
The long-term implications of this move mean that permanently jailbroken PlayStation 5 consoles are on the way, and while that bodes well for personal backups and homebrew development, it will undoubtedly lead to more piracy and other shenanigans on the PlayStation 5. Sony will likely resort to legal action against leaking BootROM keys and hacking developers, and ban cracked consoles/accounts from the PlayStation Network. Finally, this makes another PlayStation 5 hardware revision in 2026 a strong possibility, and if the PlayStation 5 Pro shares BootROM keys with the base PS5, we may see a revision for that console as well.
Fortunately, this isn’t an apocalyptic scenario for Sony by any means. The PlayStation 5 is still one of the most successful consoles of this generation, and the number of legitimate users will always outweigh the number of pirates.
