Rest Mode Or Shutdown? Here's What PlayStation 5 Owners Actually Do

The Sony PlayStation 5 can only be powered on, shutdown completely, or in rest mode. When you shutdown your PS5, you put it in a no power state, where nothing works until you power it on again. Rest mode, on the other hand, puts the PS5 in a sleep or low-power state with some functions running, including background tasks, USB ports, and network adapters. Also, the PS5's side LEDs will have an orange glow while in rest mode instead of a white glow like when it's powered on. So, between these two states, which one do people leave their PS5s in the most?

In an interview with Game File (via IGN), Cory Gasaway, the Vice President of Product Management at Sony Interactive Entertainment, said there's a 50/50 split. Initially, his team thought that more people would be putting the console into rest mode. When you dig into the forums and social media, you will find that it's indeed an even split. People champion rest mode because it's highly convenient for resuming play sessions, downloading and installing updates, and playing remotely. People who prefer shutting off their PS5s cite problems that can occur when the power goes out or the fear that it will cause their power bill to go up.

When a Reddit user asked in the PlayStation community what people recommended between rest mode and full shutdown in between sessions, the comments leaned more toward rest mode. Comments championing rest mode were the most upvoted, with others pointing out that shutting down the PS5 is better if you'll be away for a long time. One comment with 38 upvotes summed up one of the biggest benefits of rest mode beyond just quickly resuming a paused game. If you set up your PS5 to auto-update in rest mode, it will keep your system and games updated when you're not actively using the console.

For instance, one of the biggest frustrations for many online players is that when an update for the firmware or a game drops, PlayStation Network (PSN) features or online multiplayer don't work. Rest mode would update those items while you're away so that you can quickly jump into a match when you finally sit down to play. Another user pointed out that they even use the PlayStation app to start game downloads while the console is in rest mode.

People also mentioned that Remote Play works while the console is in rest mode. This is highly convenient for people who want to play PS5 games during their lunch break at work or while traveling (this requires a minimum internet speed of 5Mbps). Remote Play works on phones, tablets, and the PlayStation Portal.

Another Reddit user posted a poll in the PlayStation community asking if people turn off their PS5s or put them in rest mode after a gaming session. After 510 votes, 308 people said they shut their consoles off, while 202 said they use rest mode. People seem to think it's a good idea to power off the console, unless they're charging their DualSense controller or downloading something. One commenter pointed out that they power off every night out of fear of sudden power outages. Another said that they turn off the console because they've been fooled one too many times into switching off the power strip while it was in rest mode.

One thing that might be preventing others from putting their PS5s in rest mode is the belief that it will cause their power bill to go up. But the PS5 uses 0.30W when idling in rest mode, with the highest it can consume in rest mode being 4.71W. So, it might not have a huge impact on your electric bill.