Hackers have discovered a new jailbreak method for the PlayStation 5. Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal. Various console takeover exploits have been circulating for quite some time now. Unfortunately for Sony, the new “Relapse” jailbreak exploit works on all PS5 firmware versions except one: version 14.00.00, which is less than two weeks old. That means the company has to deal with a much greater vulnerability that could have significant implications for piracy on the platform. There are two factors that contribute to the importance of this development. The first is that those who have recently purchased the PlayStation 5 but have not updated to the latest firmware will still be able to access the new exploit. Basically, that means that any retail PS5, including the PS5 Pro, that has been on shelves for more than a couple of weeks will be vulnerable to the “Relapse” jailbreak method. The second reason is a much bigger problem for Sony. Modern PS5 games often require users to run an updated version of the system firmware in order to boot. This means that if you want to update a pirated game, whether for quality of life reasons or to take advantage of DLC releases, you’ll usually also need to install the latest firmware. The new PlayStation 5 jailbreak has just been released. All PS5 consoles can now be jailbroken, except those that were updated last week. Enormous. pic.twitter.com/6FXb4SAcPv — Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) September 29, 2026 As the “Relapse” jailbreak method works on PS5 systems with v26.05-13.60.00, which was released in late July, all games that were released before update 14.00.00, which was released on September 16, 2026, could be compromised by pirates Marvel’s Wolverine, for example, was released on September 15. To make matters worse, the “Relapse” jailbreak method can be implemented in less than a minute. Of course, Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t the only recent game affected here. Users on the r/PS5_Jailbreak subreddit are reporting that The Witcher 3 Remastered, which just came out today, can also somehow run using the Relapse jailbreak. Expect a new firmware update to reduce the longevity of this exploit in the immediate future, but for now it’s unclear how Sony can put the genie back in the bottle for all PS5 games and updates already released.
