The PS5 is a monumentally powerful games console. If you’ve got one, you might be wondering if it has a web browser? Turns out it does – but Sony wanted to keep it a secret

The PS4 had a dedicated web browser, so too did the PS4 Pro. But with the PS5, at least initially, there doesn’t appear to be a web browser per se. You can look around the main menu, open settings, and you’ll find no trace of a web browser.

And this is kind of odd. Although, to be frank, we didn’t even think about this when we reviewed the PS5 back in 2022.

Does The Ps5 Have A Web Browser?

Officially, the PS5 does not have a web browser. But if you dig a little deeper into its settings, you will find a secret web browser buried inside the system. To access the PS5’s secret web browser, open System Settings > User’s Guide. This will open up a basic-looking web browser. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the PS5’s oft-discussed secret web browser in all its glory.

The PS5’s web browser is supremely limited, though.

You cannot enter text into the URL bar, for instance, so if you want to explore more of the wider web, you’ll need to go into Users and Accounts (in Settings), then select the option to set up your Twitter account on the PS5.

In this section, click the Twitter icon and you’ll be taken to a full version of the Twitter website which you can use as a conduit to the wider web.

Web-based games were also pretty spotty in our PS5 browser tests. Games and/or emulators that are coded in pure HTML and Javascript seem to load, though controls were an issue unless they’re designed to work with just a keyboard. Games that require WebGL, Flash, or other fancier Web-based libraries seemed to fail, though. That includes the Internet Archive’s massive library of emulated software; the site’s Web-based implementations of DOSBox and MESS/MAME seemed to freeze immediately after loading assets on the PS5.
Ars Technica

So, to answer the question: does the PS5 have a web browser? The answer is, yes, the PS5 does have a web browser but it is about as useful as a pair of running shoes made out of glass.

Wider Reading:

It lacks even the most basic functionality, you cannot enter text into its URL bar, and sites like Spotify or anything beyond a basic web page will not load and/or work. Ironically, YouTube seems to work fine though, so that’s something.

Why Does The PS5’s Web Browser Suck So Bad?

If you owned a PS4, you’ll know that it came with a pretty decent web browser. A web browser you could use like any other web browser. The PS4’s web browser allowed to you access any site on the internet, type on website addresses and queries, and basically do whatever you want. So why didn’t Sony use this web browser on the PS5?

According to Sony, it isn’t really convinced that a gaming console like the PS5 actually needs a web browser anymore. During the development of the PS5, Sony likely conducted A LOT of market research on how its users were interacting with the PS4 and PS4 Pro. And one of the things it probably noted, given the PS5’s missing web browser, is that hardly anyone used their PS4 to browser the web.

Or, at least, that’s my speculation as to why the PS5 doesn’t have a functional web browser front and center, unlike the PS4 and the Xbox.

Another possible reason, as noted by Ars Technica, is that a web browser acts as a very easy way for hackers to access a system, especially if it isn’t regularly maintained and updated. If hardly any PS4 users were using the web browser inside that system, it stands to reason that including a fully maintained and updated browser in the PS5 was a waste of resources.

Either way, the PS5 does have a web browser but it sucks so bad you’ll never want to use it.

Does it matter? Not really. The PS5 is still the best gaming console you can buy right now, regardless of whether it has a browser or not.