PS4 Turns Off Randomly By Itself | Fixed by Experts
A PS4 console shutting down suddenly is usually a sign of a power problem and can be extremely frustrating. This can lead you to lose whatever you’re working on, but it may also be a sign of damage to the console itself. Generally, when a game console like PS4 powers down on its own, it’s due to the power supply, malware, overheating or system issues.
Below we lay out the most common reasons that cause the PS4 to turn off randomly by itself.
Power Connection & Overheating
The very first two things you have to make sure of before diving into deeper levels are the power connection and the functionality of the PS4 fan.
1. Check the PS4’s Power Connection
- Make sure the PS4 is powered up properly by checking the electrical connections.
- Make sure you are using a working electrical outlet. You can test another electric device, such as a lamp, with the same outlet. Bypass any power strips for troubleshooting purposes.
- Examine all cables and connectors for visible damage. If they are damaged, they may need to be replaced.
- Make sure one end of the cable is firmly plugged into an electrical outlet.
- Make sure the other end is firmly plugged into the power socket on the rear side of the PS4 case.
2. Overheating
Game consoles, just like computers, heat up while they’re running and their internal parts need to be cooled down and kept at a certain temperature to perform optimally. PS4 game consoles are designed to turn off automatically if any of their inner components overheat. Often, heat-related issues occur when the PS4 is working hard, e.g., playing a graphically intense game.
A PS4 console comes with a heat sink and a fan to keep the Central Processing Unit (CPU) cool. But if the CPU overheats, the PS4 will shut down so that it isn’t damaged any further. In worst cases, the components may also melt or get fried if the PS4 is kept running at a high temperature. Adding thermal paste between the CPU and its heat sink can help prevent overheating.
Dust and pet hair can get sucked into the PS4 case and clog up air flow as well, causing the CPU to overheat. Keep the insides of the PS4 clean using compressed air to blow out any foreign objects.
Heat-related problems usually stem from:
- careless PS4 usage;
- fan issues;
- dust, dirt, hair, and other debris;
Careless PS4 Usage
To begin with, heat and your PS4 are a pretty bad combination. Therefore, ALWAYS keep your PS4 cool: every time you neglect this rule, you put your PS4 in a dicey situation. As a result, your motherboard shuts everything down to save your console.
To avoid PS4 overheating, follow these tips:
- keep your PS4 out of hot places/zones;
- get air circulating around your PS4;
- never place your console close against the wall;
- do not expose your console to direct sunlight;
- do not use your console in humid conditions;
- use a cooling stand;
- if your PS4 seems alarmingly hot, change the thermal paste.
Fan Issues
If your PS4 fan malfunctions, that will cause overheating. Examine it closely to find out whether it’s well or not.
If the PS4 fan keeps squealing, that’s a bad sign—it must be broken;
if the PS4 fan is dirty or dusty, take a moment to clean it—this noble deed may fix the shutdown issue.
Checking the Fan
To check whether your PS4 still has a working fan, try the following:
- Look for the vent your PS4 have: It’s placed on the side of the console.
- With the PS4 turned on, place your hand in front of the vent and feel if there is any air blowing. Note that the longer the PS4 is turned on and the more complex the tasks it needs to perform, the warmer and stronger the air flow should be.
- Depending on your results, you will have three options:
- There is no air blowing – This could mean the fan is not working and the PS4 has no cooling.
- The air flow feels weak – The PS4’s fan may have dirt built up on and inside them which is causing it to slow down and not blow enough air to properly cool down the internal components. This can be fixed by cleaning up the outside and inside of the PS4, and oiling up the fan.
- The air flow feels normal – This could mean the issue the PS4 is having is system software related. You’ll need either to rebuild the PS4 database or just initialize the PS4.
Dirt and Dust
The truth is, dusty PS4’s tend to bite the dust first. Dust, dirt, food remnants, hair, and other stuff can overheat your game console by preventing proper air circulation. Besides, trapped debris provides a hospitable environment for germs. Urgh!
You should keep your PS4 neat and tidy to avoid its overheating and consequent shutdowns: clean your PC regularly and give up your ‘eating around the computer’ habits.
Notes
- Unless you’re a well-versed savvy, we do not suggest opening the PS4 case. Instead, verify the fan on the side of the PS4 is working and blowing out hot air. Also, you may want to invest in a cooling stand to help lower its running temperature.
- Working on the interior of your machine provides an opportune time to clean the inside. Dust, dirt, hair, and other trapped debris can prevent proper air flow, leading to overheating.
PS4 System Software Problems
In many cases, the real problem is within the PS4 system itself. This sometimes happens after updating the system software to a newer version, then when you restart the PS4 it turns off suddenly without a warning. You may have already got the PS4 Update File Error (CE-34788-0) before the PS4 turned off suddenly.
It can happen also when you play a particular game, the PS4 suddenly turns itself off without a warning.
Whatever happens to you, the software-related issues can be easily resolved either by rebuilding the PS4 database or initialize the PS4.
Hardware-Related Issues
When the PS4 turns off suddenly without a warning, it might be a result of a hardware failure. Usually this failure happens in the PS4 storage device. There might be bad sectors affecting the hard drive from functioning properly as it should do. It can be also the power supply that causes this problem. In rare cases, the RAM memory or the CPU can make this happen as well.
Check the PS4 Hard Drive
If you are still using the old stock PS4 hard drive and haven’t yet upgraded it to a newer drive, it might be the cause of this issue. When the PS4 hard drive fails to deliver the requested data due to the existence of bad sectors, the PS4 might freeze or just suddenly turns off by itself.
Here, before you consider upgrading the PS4 internal hard drive to resolve this problem, try first to repair it.
Repairing a partly-defective PS4 hard drive is easy as long as the defect is not critical. Otherwise, you may want to replace the PS4 internal hard drive with a better drive. You can read more on PS4 internal hard drive failure to make a better decision in this regard.
On the other hand, the PS4 hard drive might be just full and you need to free up space to get it working as before. Read more on what happens when the PS4 hard drive is full.
It Might Be the Power Supply
There are many issues related to a PS4 defective power supply. Most users are now aware of the correlation between the power supply and the console’s performance—In fact, it’s very strong. A defective PS4 power supply might be the reason for the problem you’re encountering. But since it’s somewhat difficult to discover, you have to make checking the PS4 power supply one of your last options, as once confirmed defective, you have either to replace it or take it to a technician.
Faulty Graphics Card
A faulty PS4 graphics card may cause some electrical shorts within the motherboard circuits that lead the PS4 system eventually to shut down (read more). The only solution here is to take your PS4 to a technician to either replace/fix it.
Conclusion
When any problem occurs with your PS4, you have to try all possible solutions to fix it. Once you do that and nothing worked, it’s time to visit the nearest technician to have a look on it.
PS4 would turn off suddenly and without a warning for several reasons. Some are easy to fix, and the other some really need a professional.
