How To Downgrade PS4 Firmware: A Simple Guide

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Many people are looking for ways to downgrade PS4 firmware. And you can’t blame them.

However, PS4 firmware downgrade isn’t something one should toy with. It’s a risky activity, and you must be extremely careful to avoid making a regrettable mistake.

This post provides insight on how to downgrade PS4 firmware. We urge you to read from start to finish for in-depth understanding and to make an informed decision.

Is It Possible To Downgrade PS4 Firmware?

Yes, you can. But before you start the process, know this; PS4 firmware downgrade is a risky adventure. It’s not like Windows or Android devices that have factory reset or restore.

If anything goes wrong while downgrading PS4 firmware, you’re on your own. You will have nothing but an expensive paperweight.

Another thing that makes it riskier is the operating system you’re installing. If you use one that’s corrupt or incompatible, then you have destroyed your video game.

Again, you dare not use the internet once you downgrade your PS4 firmware. The minute you come online, it will update itself.

Sony frowns at these moves. So they won’t fix your PS4 if anything goes wrong while downgrading it.

That’s why users seeking to downgrade their PS4 are advised to have a backup PS4. It will ensure they have something to fall back on if anything goes wrong.

A Guide On How To Downgrade PS4 Firmware

PS4 software downgrade may seem like an easy task, but it’s not. It involves diverse complex processes. On top of that, it’s a risky process to try out.

We’ll try to simplify the processes for easy understanding. Keep on reading!

Method#1: Initialize PlayStation 4 from BIOS

Here’s one way to downgrade PS4 firmware. But it isn’t the simplest. Alright, firstly, initialize your PlayStation 4 from the BIOS.

To initialize the PS4, you need to start it in safe mode. Here’s how to achieve this.

Step 1: Completely turn off your PS4: To achieve this, locate and press the PS4 power button. It will blink a couple of times before the console shuts down finally.

Step 2: Hold the power button: When you do this, you’ll hear a beep, and then another one will come up about seven seconds after. The moment you hear the second beep, let go of the power button.

Step 3: You would have booted up your PlayStation in safe mode at this point. All one needs to do now is to have the controller plugged into the PS4 and hit the console’s button.

You need to connect a DualShock controller to the console via USB if you want to control it from this point.

A Handy Tip: You can turn off your PlayStation 4 and have it turned back on to exit the safe mode. It will even reboot normally.

Now, let’s continue how to downgrade PS4 firmware by initializing from BIOS.

Now that you’re in BIOS download version 4.55 and have it installed via a USB drive. But remember, you need to save the data in another PlayStation 4. Otherwise, you might lose everything.

Method#2: Using PlayStation Recovery Mode:

Get the PlayStation 4 in recovery mode. We have explained that in the previous tip.

Furthermore, once you succeed in getting your PS4 to recovery mode, download version 5.05 into a thumb drive.

Install the program. You’ll find a list of options to choose from, with the thumb drive being one of them. Select the thumb drive and install the new software on your PS4.

But please keep in mind that you cannot use the internet whenever you turn on your PlayStation 4. The moment you go online, PlayStation would update, and you surely wouldn’t want that.

Method#3: Use illegal software:

Several off-market websites offer software for downgrading PS4 firmware. Firstly, visit the website and check out the proposed software. Ensure it’s a reputable platform. You can check for reviews from other users to have a clue.

Now, download the software to a thumb or external USB drive. Then use it to flash your operating system.

All software comes with instructions on how to use them. So check for the instructions on how to flash your PS4’s operating system with the illegal software you’re using.

But before you start downgrading your PlayStation 4, keep in mind that what you’re doing is highly risky.

How’s it risky?

Chances are, the software could have been corrupted or is incompatible. Once you start downgrading, there’s no going back. So, if the software doesn’t work, you cannot restore or factory-reset your PlayStation 4.

What’s more, Sony won’t even listen to your pleas to fix such a PS4. And no techie can help you with this.

So, be careful and be ready for the worst. Be careful of the off-market site you obtain your software from. Chances are, you could be downloading a corrupt file to use on your PS4.

Is Downgrading PS4 Firmware Difficult?

Yes, it isn’t easy. And the sooner you realize, the better. Sonny didn’t design PS4 firmware for downgrading. Once the PS4 updates to new software, it no longer accepts the old one. That’s how the Sonny console works.

Sonny wants your PS4 firmware to be up-to-date for security reasons. They know that making it easier for PS4 users to downgrade their machines will leave a back door where hackers can come in.

Here’s why downgrading PS4 firmware is difficult.

Sonny has included extra protection on their consoles with private keys.
If you eventually break SAMU, downgrading would be the least of all your worries. You have to get SAMU keys.
Multiple parts of the console would get flashed and updated. So, chances are you may not be able to downgrade x64/syscon/samu properly. It may not even boot.
Sonny has encrypted the HDD. Therefore, it won’t pop up on your computer system by default.
The moment you delete the partition, you’ll lose the data. This implies that you won’t have clues or look for anything in the data again. It’s all gone.
PlayStation 4 firmware upgrade is synonymous with writing a new program on HDD and making changes to the motherboard’s ROM. The data in the HDD is used to change the system.

So, when you upgrade your firmware, your motherboard’s ROM will upgrade too. If you eventually decide to format HDD or flash FW with a lower version, there could be a problem. It may likely not pass the security check or match the ROM’s instructions.

Conclusion

We have explained how to downgrade PS4 firmware. Now it’s left for you to decide whether you want to get it done or not. But ask yourself this question before you proceed. Are the benefits of downgrading worth risking my PS4 for?

There’s a lot at stake when you downgrade your PS4 firmware. You could lose your game forever.

Sincerely, if you weigh up the risk and benefits, you have good reasons not to downgrade.