Has your monitor stopped working when connected to your PS5? That’s not likely, especially if you get the black screen suddenly while playing a game. Unfortunately, there is no single fixed reason why you may encounter a black screen while trying to use your PS5.
There are multiple possible causes behind a black screen while playing on your PS5, but most have to do with hardware, including damage, a bad signal cable, and a new monitor. These issues are not hard to fix if you follow proper instructions.
It is not as if you always need to spend money to fix the black screen. On the contrary, many of the possible fixes cost nothing at all! However, it is natural to panic and feel helpless when faced with such a situation. Hence, it is essential to understand why the black screen occurs in the first place.
Why Is Your PS5 Stuck on a Black Screen?
If your screen simply isn’t working with your PS5, don’t rush to file a warranty claim just yet. As we discuss in our Ultimate PS5 Owner’s Guide, there are a handful of issues you can run into the console, and the black screen of death is typically something people can fix within about ten minutes of troubleshooting. What can cause this?
Monitor was Replaced
Whether you are using a TV screen or a computer monitor with your PS5, it will be seen as a new output device by your PS5 if you have recently replaced it.
The black screen problem is especially likely to occur if the new device has a lower maximum resolution than that supported by the older one.
Bad Signal Cable
Your PS5 sends signals to the monitor over an HDMI cable. If the cable has gone bad (due to various reasons), the monitor won’t receive the correct output even though the PS5 may not be at fault.
Power Cables are not Connected Properly.
This applies to both the monitor as well as the PS5. If either of them has a faulty power cable or the power switch hasn’t been turned on, they won’t get sufficient power, and a black screen is likely as there will be nothing to display.
How Do You Fix the Black Screen On PS5?
Hopefully this is the only major issue you’ve had with your PS5. Over time, it may start to beep for attention, or it may start to make buzzing noises and/or overheat depending on your placement, but when it comes to a totally black screen, you have a few options:
Lower the Resolution
The PS5 has a handy “safe mode,” which helps diagnose such issues. This mode allows us to change the resolution of the video signal to a value compatible with your monitor.
- Step 1: Power Off your PS5
If your PS5 is already shut down, you can ignore this step. A running PS5 displays a yellow light if it is resting or a green light if it is running. A powered-off PS5 displays no light at all.
If it is resting, you will need to boot it up before switching it off. After it is powered on, you need to press and hold the power button until you hear two beeps, which may take a few seconds. Release the hold after the second beep is heard.
- Step 2: Boot into Safe Mode
After making sure that the PS5 has powered down, press and hold the power button again until you hear two beeps, do not release the hold till the second beep is heard, or else the PS5 will start usually, and you will need to repeat this process from step 1 again.
- Step 3: Connect the Controller
PS5’s safe mode does not support connecting controllers wirelessly (while booting). So you will need to connect the controller using a USB cable for now and press the “PS” button on the same.
- Step 4: Change the Resolution
When you have booted into safe mode and see the Safe mode menu, select “Change video output” and then “Change resolution.” This will cause a prompt to appear, asking for your confirmation to restart the PS5 in a low-resolution mode.
Note that the PS5 does not support 1440p, so you will need to select a lower resolution (such as 1080p) if 1440p is the maximum resolution that your monitor supports.
Replace the Cable
There are too many knock-off HDMI cables in the market that don’t make the cut (pun not intended!) in terms of signal quality and durability. While it is ideal that you use the HDMI cable supplied with the PS5, even that can become worn out over time.
The best way to confirm whether it is indeed a faulty HDMI cable causing the black screen is to use it between two devices that are otherwise known to work correctly.
If those devices do not work properly when using the HDMI cable you have been using so far with the PS5, you will likely need to replace the cable.
New versions of HDMI keep coming out regularly, so make sure you buy a cable that supports the features you want, such as the screen resolution, ARC support, CEC support, etc.
You will not get good support for high-resolution video with HDMI cables that are too old but otherwise might seem to work pretty well.
The chances of signal degradation (and hence, of a black screen) increase if you use some adapter (such as an HDMI-to-VGA converter) between the PS5 and your monitor.
The conversion process sometimes results in a drop in signal quality. Instead, try directly connecting the PS5’s signal cable to any HDMI input port of your monitor.
Consider trading it in for an HDMI-compatible monitor if your monitor doesn’t have one.
Disconnect External Drives
This seems like a less obvious issue, but it can still be the cause behind a black screen. If your PS5 is connected to any external storage device, try disconnecting them.
Now restart your PS5. If you get a normal display on your monitor, you have isolated the storage device(s) in question as to the cause of the black screen.
Disable HDR, HDCP, and Deep Color Temp
Advanced gaming consoles like the PS5 use many technologies to make the graphics appear more life-like and immersive. HDR, deep color temp and HDCP are a few such technologies used by the PS5.
Disabling these settings can be done using Safe mode as well by following this procedure:
- Go to Settings > Screen and video
- Turn off 4K HDR and deep color temp.
Try to restart the PS5 normally. Then, if you still don’t get a normal display, restart in safe mode and, this time, disable HDCP as well.
Check HDMI Ports
HDMI cables usually have the same type of connector at both ends, which applies to both the ports on the monitor and the PS5.
If your monitor has an alternative HDMI port, try plugging in the cable to that port and if needed, configure the monitor to switch to that port for use as an input source. Most monitors will auto-detect the change in the source of the signal.
HDMI ports often accumulate dirt and dust over time. Therefore, cleaning them regularly will also help lengthen their usable life span.
This cleaning can be done simply by blowing into them or using compressed air if you want to do it more comprehensively.
You will also need to check for signs of rust, especially if you are in a humid environment. The rust can cause the monitor to receive a malformed signal, resulting in a black screen. This rust may be caused even by the metal used inside the cables themselves.
If not addressed in time, the rust can spread to the internals of the PS5, so it is important to check for early signs and minimize the chances of damage.
Swap the Disc
If you own the digital edition of the PS5, then this does not apply to you. However, if your PS5 has an optical drive, the disc inside it might have become corrupted. As a result, the PS5 might not be able to function correctly.
You can verify this by putting another disc in place of the current one. If that is not possible, you can even try starting the PS5 without any disc. In either case, you will know whether it was the disc at fault.