It seems PS5s are continuing to suffer from a liquid metal issue that kills the console after a few years. This is especially true of launch consoles and for consoles that are set up vertically.

PS5 liquid metal issue is more apparent with more demanding games, claims game dev

On a recent episode of the Moore Law Is Dead Broken Silicon podcast, Matthew Cassells, Alderon Games founder, discusses the previously reported PS5 liquid metal issue. Specifically, he found that when the console is placed vertically, the liquid metal that is set between the processor and heatsink that is used for cooling might leak down. In turn, this can cause dry spots on the Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), and cause overheating.

Cassells looked into the issue when Alderon Games began getting feedback from its community for its MMO Path of Titans, where players reported the console would unexpectedly shut down while playing the game. He found that more demanding games had a higher chance of causing the issue.

This has been an ongoing issue for years now. Back in 2023, repair shops started shedding some light on the console’s liquid metal issue. Then, at the tail end of 2024, it seemed Sony potentially fixed the issue by adding ridges to the heatsink block to help keep the liquid metal evenly distributed. This was confirmed in Sony’s own teardown video for the PS5 Pro where they mentioned adding grooves to where the liquid metal is applied.

Although this may not be an issue for every single PS5 owner, it seems the potential is there, especially for those who have owned the console since its launch in 2020. Anyone worried this issue might occur with their console should probably just set it horizontally if they have the means.

Let us know your thoughts about the PS5’s liquid metal issue in the comments below.