Across Reddit and gaming forums, PlayStation 5 owners are voicing serious concerns after the latest firmware update reportedly broke compatibility with several external storage devices. Many users claim their consoles either fail to recognize USB drives or, worse, freeze entirely after connecting external hard drives.
Discussions on Reddit threads, particularly in r/PlayStation and r/PS5, show hundreds of similar reports appearing within days of the update’s rollout.
One alarming trend is that even well-known models like Western Digital Black and Seagate Expansion drives suddenly malfunction when plugged into the PS5.
Users describe encountering sluggish navigation, delayed menu responses, and game libraries disappearing. Others mention that reconnecting their drives sometimes results in a complete system crash that forces a hard reboot.
This issue has evolved beyond a minor bug report; it’s now a full-blown warning echoed across the PlayStation community. Many users have resorted to mass uninstallations, factory resets, and data backups, hoping to salvage their progress. Still, most say those methods offer little relief.
The frustration among players has reached a boiling point, prompting widespread caution against buying or using external storage until Sony issues an official patch.
The Firmware Update That Sparked Chaos
Sony rolled out a large-scale system software update for PlayStation 5 earlier this month, meant to improve performance and stability.
Yet multiple reports now link this update to the external drive recognition failure. Before this patch, storage expansion through USB drives worked relatively smoothly despite the PS5’s known limitation of supporting only one external drive at a time.
After the update, things changed dramatically. Several players found that their consoles randomly picked which drive to recognize, ignoring others entirely. In some cases, disconnecting a drive corrupted its data, leaving users unable to retrieve stored games.
For digital collectors, this is a nightmare scenario, especially considering that the PS5’s 667GB of usable internal storage fills up fast when installing large AAA games.
As one Reddit post documented, the problem occurred with external drives that previously worked flawlessly. Once the update was installed, the same drives either failed to mount or displayed error messages, such as CE-100006-7, suggesting corrupted system indexing.
PS5 Console with External Drive Connected (Credit: Reddit)
The issue resembles earlier PS5 Slim malfunctions, where hardware components clashed with new software requirements introduced by automatic updates.
Gamers find themselves caught in a trap where they cannot roll back the update manually, and Sony’s support pages only recommend basic troubleshooting, such as replugging cables or rebuilding the database. These temporary workarounds offer little hope for users who frequently experience freezes or data loss.
Sony’s Silence and Player Outrage
Frustration has been amplified by Sony’s muted response. As of now, the company has not released an official acknowledgment or ETA for a resolution. PlayStation community moderators, particularly on Reddit, have even pinned warning posts urging players not to connect external drives until a fix is confirmed.
The absence of communication from Sony contrasts sharply with the gravity of the issue. For many, this marks yet another chapter in what they view as a pattern of neglect toward player feedback.
When similar problems erupted with the PS5 Slim disc drives in 2024, it took weeks before an official statement clarified the cause. Now, with users losing access to hundreds of gigabytes of stored data, patience is thinning.
Gamers are sharing workarounds to help each other. Some recommend formatting drives through a PC before reconnecting to the console, while others suggest avoiding simultaneous use of multiple drives. Yet these are community-driven solutions, not official ones, and their effectiveness varies.
One PlayStation subreddit user wrote, “It’s ridiculous that we can’t even trust our games to stay safe on Sony-approved hardware. I spent years transferring my PS4 library, and now it’s all inaccessible.”
The Technical Side of the Problem
The core problem seems tied to the PS5’s handling of the USB 3.1 protocol during the new software revision. According to technical discussions on iFixit and gaming hardware boards, the update may have modified how the PS5 detects and authenticates connected devices, particularly external SSDs and HDDs formatted as extended storage.
Previously, the PS5 used a predictable index system to assign identifiers to each external device. With the new update, something in the assignment logic appears broken, causing conflicts when the system attempts to verify a drive already registered in memory.
This could explain why the console reports “no storage found” errors even though it recognizes the drive’s data capacity.
Unfortunately, debugging these issues outside Sony’s labs is nearly impossible. Developers and users alike speculate that the update’s changes to system encryption checks might be interfering with older drive partitions, especially those migrated from PS4 systems.
This combination of new firmware rules and legacy data structures creates an unpredictable environment where even approved hardware fails.
Technical analysts from TweakTown and GamingBible highlight another concerning possibility: firmware instability could be gradually corrupting storage tables over repeated reboots.
If true, connecting or disconnecting external drives frequently might worsen the console’s performance or even damage internal data indexing permanently.
The Fallout Across the PlayStation Community
As word spreads across Reddit and YouTube, panic has reached users who haven’t yet updated their systems. Many are disabling auto-updates and postponing any new installations to avoid bricking their devices. Others are posting lists of affected brands and device models, warning others before they buy.
Retailers, too, are beginning to notice changing consumer behavior. Several players have reported canceling orders for external storage hardware from online stores, unsure if their investment will be compatible with an unstable firmware environment.
The community’s mistrust toward official approvals is growing stronger with each passing week.
Meanwhile, tech creators have taken up the issue on social platforms, testing setups live and showcasing bugs in real time. Videos show consoles abruptly disconnecting drives mid-session or freezing at the system menu. These visuals only fuel mounting pressure on Sony to deliver updates swiftly.
The debate surrounding transparency is once again reignited. Many fans argue that large corporations should maintain open communication channels about technical risks.
Instead of vague “performance improvement” patch notes, players want detailed change logs that disclose potential hardware conflicts. Failure to provide these, they argue, erodes user trust.
What Gamers Should Do Right Now
Until Sony issues an official patch or explanation, the safest move for PS5 owners is to disconnect all external hard drives and rely temporarily on internal storage or cloud backups. Those with large game libraries should avoid formatting external drives, as doing so might erase cross-generation compatibility.
Additionally, players should ensure system data backups through PlayStation Plus cloud storage to safeguard save files. Keeping auto-update disabled is also recommended until widespread reports confirm a fix.
This frustrating episode serves as another reminder of the dependency modern consoles have on constant firmware updates and how a single error can ripple across millions of systems.
Yet amid the chaos, the gaming community’s collective effort to document, share solutions, and support each other shows resilience that corporate silence cannot suppress.
For now, the warning rings loud and clear across Reddit and beyond: PlayStation users, do not buy or connect external hard drives to your PS5 until Sony sorts this mess out.
When Reddit threads light up with warnings, it’s rarely without reason. This week, PlayStation players urged others to avoid a suspicious title called “I’m Not a Human Horror Simulator,” calling it a complete scam.
The game reportedly appeared on the PlayStation Store as an indie horror experience but was later accused of false advertising, broken gameplay, and exploitative monetization.
Players on the r/PlayStation subreddit quickly gathered evidence, sharing screenshots and poor-quality gameplay snippets. Most reports claimed the game contained near-empty environments, repetitive sound effects, and minimal interaction.
Some even reported that the game crashed after a few minutes, prompting concerns that it may have been rushed onto the store without any real quality checks.
A Reddit post titled “ATTENTION ALL PLAYSTATION USERS DO NOT BUY” quickly gained traction, reaching thousands of upvotes. Many users claimed the developer’s description misled buyers by promising a full story-driven horror experience.
Instead, what players downloaded appeared to be unfinished or deliberately misleading content sold for real money. The anger came not just from the poor game quality but from Sony’s apparent lack of curation and oversight.
While digital marketplaces like the PlayStation Store are flooded with smaller indie games, the issue here sits deeper. Players began to question how such a misleading product even passed Sony’s content verification process.
In the discussion, comparisons to mobile app store scams became a recurring theme, showing that players’ trust in PlayStation’s quality gatekeeping had begun to erode.
Sony’s New Review System Backfires
Ironically, this controversy erupted as Sony rolled out its new long-form PS Store review system. For the first time, players could write full-length reviews for PS4 and PS5 games directly on the PS Store website.
The feature was meant to empower the community, allowing players to share detailed feedback rather than just rating games with stars.
However, within just days of the rollout, issues began surfacing. PushSquare reported that the PSN front page was now showing incomplete, spammy, and low-effort user reviews
Players pointed out that Sony lacked proper filtering tools, allowing spam and irrelevant posts to surface even on major game listings.
This problem became painfully obvious when unrelated or incoherent reviews for unrelated titles appeared under trending games. What should have been a step toward community engagement turned chaotic.
Critics noted that this was a missed opportunity for Sony to improve store credibility, especially after several incidents involving deceptive indie games. Instead, the system appeared rushed and unprepared to handle large-scale user-generated content (UGC).
The lack of consistency in approval criteria made some suspect that moderation was either fully automated or handled without clear review guidelines.
Meanwhile, games like “I’m Not a Human Horror Simulator” slipped through these same gaps. It created a cycle: low-quality games flooding the store, frustrated players leaving emotional reviews, and the platform promoting these reviews without proper moderation.
For a brand long associated with polished, quality gaming experiences, this was a reputational setback.
Xbox’s Transparent Rules Expose Sony’s Blind Spots
The contrast between Sony and Microsoft could not be clearer. Microsoft has long enforced explicit guidelines for developers and user-generated content through its official Microsoft Store UGC policy. These rules clearly outline safety measures, disclosure requirements, and restrictions for sensitive or misleading content.
PS5 Storage Error Message Screenshot (Credit: Reddit)
For example, the Xbox team mandates full content review for any user-uploaded asset, along with disclosure if AI or third-party elements are involved.
It also limits deceptive advertising by ensuring titles and screenshots accurately represent gameplay. This active verification system prevents fake or poor-quality games from making it to the front page.
By comparison, Sony’s content policies remain opaque. Developers can publish digital titles on PSN through minimal checks as long as technical submission tests pass. The platform’s main focus appears to be whether the game runs on hardware, not whether it delivers an authentic experience or misleads customers.
Others pointed out that the lack of accountability not only damages player trust but also hurts genuine indie creators trying to release legitimate projects.
With modern gaming relying heavily on digital marketplaces, store integrity is becoming as important as console performance. Xbox’s curated environment has built noticeable player confidence, while Sony’s more relaxed approach seems to invite repeated controversy.
Players Demand Accountability and Refund Choices
Following the backlash, more users began calling for better refund support from Sony. The company’s existing refund rules require that the game not be downloaded or streamed, which makes it nearly impossible to claim a refund once installed.
This policy sparked fresh anger from players who felt trapped after purchasing fraudulent titles.
Some suggested a reform similar to Steam’s two-hour playtime refund rule, which allows players to test and return games within a limited timeframe.
For many, that would be a fair safety net against low-effort or scam projects. Others proposed that Sony should temporarily suspend developers proven to mislead buyers until further internal review.
So far, Sony has not issued an official statement regarding the ongoing “I’m Not a Human Horror Simulator” incident. However, the public reaction suggests that the pressure is mounting. Several influencers and gaming journalists are now amplifying the issue, linking it to Sony’s lack of enforcement and transparency.
The outrage shows how digital distribution has transformed not only how players access games but also how fast they can expose platform weaknesses. While Sony faces growing criticism, players continue demanding better consumer protection, clearer guidelines, and faster responses to scam reports.
The introduction of long-form reviews might have been intended as a trust-building measure, but it now highlights deep cracks in Sony’s store infrastructure.
What’s Next for Sony
The controversy serves as a warning: unchecked curation gaps can quickly destroy platform confidence. If Sony does not address the influx of misleading titles and unmoderated reviews, players might seek safer alternatives or call for regulatory intervention.
With Microsoft already leading in transparency and player protection, Sony can no longer rely on brand loyalty alone to maintain user trust.
A sustainable fix would involve a multi-step plan, stronger pre-release content checks, verified UGC review teams, and clear refund mechanisms. These measures would not just restore trust but also protect genuine indie developers from being overshadowed by scams.
At the heart of this issue lies one simple demand from the community: accountability. Players don’t expect perfection, but they do expect honesty, clarity, and fair treatment. As digital marketplaces keep expanding, the companies that prioritize these values will likely be the ones who keep their gamers’ loyalty for years to come.
