PlayStation 5 launch Digital Edition overheats, shuts down or the fan is loud

The original PS5 Digital Edition, released in 2020, is the larger console with a bigger fan, and its heat problems after a few years are about dust and placement. The console draws air in at the sides and exhausts it at the back, so a closed cabinet, a tight shelf or a console lying down on a soft surface raises the temperature, and years of dust on the fan make it louder and hotter. A temperature warning, a loud fan or a shutdown during a game is the console protecting itself. The fixes in Sony's guidance and repair guides are to give the console space, ideally ten centimetres or more at the back and sides, keep it upright or flat on a hard surface as designed, and clean the vents.

The original has removable side panels, and you can lift the side cover to vacuum the dust gently, with the console off and unplugged. Lower the game's graphics mode if the heat appears only in performance mode. If the fan is loud when idle, update the system software and rebuild the database. Compare how the console sounds on the home screen and in a game: the original's fan ramps up with the game's load, so a loud fan only in demanding games is expected, and a loud fan at the home screen after cleaning needs attention. The original also sits flat or on its stand, and which side faces up changes how well the air flows past the fan.