PS5 system software updates arrive quietly, install themselves, and tell you almost nothing. The notes that matter are published — just not anywhere you see them while the console reboots.
The most recent round includes something worth knowing if you own a PS5 Pro: Sony switched a picture-quality setting on for you, automatically, and it stays on unless you go and change it.
Quick answer
- Current version: 26.06-14.10.00 — security fixes, plus performance and stability.
- ? PS5 Pro owners: Enhance PSSR Image Quality was turned on by default in the update before it.
- You can turn it off — Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output.
- New: a speaker indicator in voice chat, and a Community Activity widget on the Welcome Hub.
- Careful with “Turn Off Bluetooth” — Sony says it breaks rest mode and HDMI Device Link.
What Is Actually in the Latest Update
The current release is a maintenance one. Sony’s note is short: “Version: 26.06-14.10.00 We’ve made some security fixes to the system software.” alongside the standard line that “We’ve improved system software performance and stability.”
That phrase appears on a lot of PS5 releases. It is Sony’s wording for a update with nothing user-facing in it, and it is worth recognising so you do not go hunting for a new feature that is not there.
The substantial changes came in the release immediately before it.
? The PS5 Pro Setting Sony Turned On For You
This is the part most owners will not realise happened.
Sony’s note is explicit: “We’ve turned on Enhance PSSR Image Quality as a default setting.” And it is not opt-in — “When you update the system software, this setting automatically turns on.”
What it does is widen the reach of the newer upscaler: “When you enable this feature, enhanced PSSR is used even for games that support the previous version of PSSR, so you can enjoy a sharper and clearer visual experience.”
In practice that means games built against the older PSSR model now get the newer one whether or not their developers updated them. For most people that is an improvement. If a particular game looks wrong to you after updating, this is the first thing to check, because the console’s behaviour in that game genuinely changed.
Sony gives the path to reverse it: “To turn off this setting, go to Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > Enhance PSSR Image Quality”.
One important limit: “This feature is available only on PS5 Pro.” On a standard PS5 the setting does not exist, and nothing about your picture changed in this update. If you are unclear which machine you have or what PSSR is doing, our PS5 Pro versus PS5 comparison covers the difference.
Two Genuinely New Features
You can see who is talking. Sony added a speaker indicator to voice chat — “You can now see who’s speaking while you’re in a voice chat.” It is off until you enable it, through the voice chat card in the control center, and you can choose where on screen it sits. If a synthetic voice in voice chat is the problem rather than the solution, our guide to turning off the voices on PS5 covers chat transcription and the Screen Reader.
The Welcome Hub gained a widget. “We’ve added the Community Activity widget to your Welcome Hub.” It has two views, and they answer different questions:
- Trending Now — “Trending Now displays ten multiplayer games or multiplayer modes that are surging in popularity.” Sony frames this as where to spot new releases and major content updates.
- Top 10 — “Top 10 displays the ten most popular games in the last week for your country or region.” This one is about finding a game with enough players to matter.
⚠️ The Bluetooth Option With a Warning Attached
Buried in the same release is a change to a feature that sounds harmless and is not.
If you use the Turn Off Bluetooth option under Settings > Accessories > General > Advanced Settings, Sony states that “your console does not enter rest mode and HDMI Device Link does not function”.
That is two things most people rely on daily — rest mode for downloads and quick resume, and HDMI Device Link for turning the TV on with the console. Sony is also unusually direct about who the feature is for: “The Turn Off Bluetooth function is for managing controller connections at esports venues and similar locations.” followed by “Do not use this feature for any other purpose.”
It is rare for Sony to tell you plainly not to use something. Take it at face value.
What Came Before, Briefly
If you have skipped a few updates, the recent run looks like this.
The release before the current one was cosmetic: “We’ve improved the messages and usability on some screens.” Before that, messaging picked up more reactions — “We’ve added more emojis that you can use for message reactions.”
The genuinely notable earlier one introduced the upscaler work that the latest release then switched on by default: “We’ve enhanced PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) on PS5 Pro. Enjoy sharper and clearer visuals in supported games.” The same update added “Unicode 17.0 emojis are now supported.”
So the PSSR story runs across two releases: the model arrived in one, and became the default in the next.
If an Update Causes Problems
Updates occasionally leave a console worse than they found it. If yours started misbehaving afterwards, the symptom tells you where to look: for stutter and frame drops, our guide to why a PS5 lags and what Sony documents about it; for hard lock-ups, why a PS5 keeps freezing; and if it will not boot properly at all, PS5 Safe Mode is the route back.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the latest PS5 system software version?
26.06-14.10.00 as of 5 October 2026, carrying security fixes plus performance and stability work.
Did my picture quality change without me agreeing?
On a PS5 Pro, yes. Sony turned Enhance PSSR Image Quality on as a default, and states it turns on automatically when you update.
How do I turn enhanced PSSR off?
Settings > Screen and Video > Video Output > Enhance PSSR Image Quality.
Does any of this affect a standard PS5?
The PSSR setting does not — Sony says the feature is available only on PS5 Pro. The voice chat indicator and Welcome Hub widget are not Pro-only.
Should I use Turn Off Bluetooth?
Not unless you are running an esports venue. Sony says it stops rest mode and HDMI Device Link working, and tells you not to use it for any other purpose.
What does “performance and stability” actually mean?
In Sony’s wording it means there is nothing user-facing in the release. It is the standard note for a maintenance update.
Accurate as of 5 October 2026. Sony updates this page with every release, so version numbers here will age — check the source below for the current one. Everything attributed to Sony is quoted from that page.
Sources
