This PS5 beta program will let you test new console features before anyone else

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Sony has announced it will soon be holding its first ever PS5 system software beta program, which will allow participating players to test out new console features - and provide feedback - before they’re publicly available in an update coming later this year.

Announced on the official PlayStation blog, you can sign up for an opportunity to participate in the first PS5 system software beta program via the official signup page. There are some conditions, though. You must be over 18 and living in the US, Canada, UK, Japan, Germany or France in order to be eligible to take part.

Once you’ve signed up, look out for an email from Sony in the future that will confirm your place by showing you how to download the beta version of the upcoming PS5 system software. As an added bonus, you may also be added to a potential participant pool of future beta programs beyond this first test, too.

Power to the players?

Sony has made no mention of what features will specifically be available in the upcoming system software beta. However, the phrase “major system update” mentioned in the blog post, tied with the fact that Sony is debuting a beta program for it, could hint that the update will have big things in store that improve the user experience on PS5.

Microsoft has done something similar for a while now. The Xbox Insider Program is a service that’s free to sign up to, and allows Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One owners to test out features ahead of time, as well as occasionally register interest in closed betas and other preview programs.

The PS5’s momentum shows no signs of halting, then, with the last major update in April adding requested features like cross-generation Share Play, support for USB extended storage and improvements to PS5’s Game Base social feature. Now that Sony is getting the players involved, perhaps that old slogan of “for the players” is coming to fruition in a more literal sense.

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Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.