The PlayStation 5 is an absolute beast of a machine. Between the 4K fidelity and those lightning-fast load times, it’s easy to see why it’s the centerpiece of many home entertainment setups. But there’s a trade-off for all that power: PS5 power consumption is significantly higher than most people realize.
If you’ve noticed a spike in your electric bill or you’re trying to calculate how much juice you’d need from a gaming backup power source during an outage, you need to know what’s happening behind that glowing white plastic shell.
Here is a breakdown of why your console is hungrier than it looks and how you can reel it in.
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The Real Cost of Next-Gen Performance
When you’re playing a graphically intensive title like God of War: Ragnarök, your PS5 is pushing its custom AMD hardware to the limit. In these peak moments, the console can pull between 180W and 220W. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly double the draw of a PS4 Slim.
However, the "hidden" cost often comes from when you aren't even playing.
The "Rest Mode" Trap
Most of us use Rest Mode because it’s convenient. It downloads updates while we sleep and keeps our controllers charged. But if you have every feature enabled, your console could be drawing up to 15W to 20W just sitting there. Over a year, that "convenience" can add up to dozens of kilowatt-hours of wasted energy.
Background Peripherals
Do you have an external SSD plugged in? A wireless headset dongle? A cooling fan? Every USB device attached to the console siphons a bit more power. Even a disc left spinning in the drive can cause a slight tick upward in energy use.
How to Fix Your PS5 Power Drain
You don't have to give up your gaming marathons to save money. By tweaking a few settings, you can drastically reduce your console's footprint.
1. Optimize Your Rest Mode
Navigate to Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode.
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Supply Power to USB Ports: Change this to "3 Hours." This gives your controllers enough time to charge and then cuts the power entirely.
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Stay Connected to the Internet: If you don't care about Remote Play, turn this off. Your PS5 will stop "pinging" the servers constantly while it sleeps.
2. Use the "Auto-Off" Timers
We’ve all fallen asleep on the couch while a game menu is running. Under the Power Saving menu, set your PS5 to turn off after 20 minutes of inactivity for media and 1 hour for games.
3. Disable HDMI Link
HDMI Device Link (CEC) is great for turning on your TV when you start your console, but it can also cause "phantom starts" where your console wakes up just because you turned on your TV to watch Netflix. Disable this in Settings > System > HDMI.
Planning for the Unexpected: Gaming Backup Power
For many gamers, the concern isn't just the monthly bill—it's what happens when the lights go out. If you’re in the middle of a ranked match or an unsaved boss fight, a sudden power failure is a nightmare.
This is where a Nature's Generator system becomes a lifesaver. Unlike loud, gas-guzzling generators, these portable power stations are silent and safe to keep right in your living room.
Finding the Best Generator for Gaming
When looking for the best generator for gaming, you need to look at "Continuous Wattage." Since a PS5 and a high-end OLED TV together can pull around 350W-400W, you want a unit that can handle that load for several hours.
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Portability: You want something you can move from the closet to the media center easily.
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Pure Sine Wave: This is critical. Sensitive electronics like the PS5 require "clean" power to prevent hardware damage.
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Solar Expandability: A Nature's Generator unit allows you to hook up solar panels, meaning you can keep gaming even during extended grid failures without hunting for gasoline.
Your PS5 is a power-hungry device, but it doesn't have to be a drain on your lifestyle or your wallet. By trimming your Rest Mode settings and being mindful of your idle time, you can cut your consumption significantly.
And for those who want to ensure the game never ends, even when the grid fails, investing in a solid gaming backup power solution ensures your save files (and your win streak) stay safe.
