PS5 firmware 14.22 is out now, and Sony’s patch notes for system software 26.07-14.22.00 say exactly one thing, that security fixes have been applied, which is the console equivalent of a teacher saying “I’m not angry, just disappointed”.
It lands just 11 days after firmware 14.20, with GTA 6 due on 19 November and the PS5 jailbreak scene busier than it’s been in years, so what is Sony actually patching, and should you hit that update button? Let me explain.
What’s Actually in PS5 Firmware 14.22?
Officially, nothing you’ll notice, because there are no new features, no DualSense tweaks and no new settings, just security fixes, and MP1st notes it doesn’t appear to be a mandatory update for now.
Sony hasn’t said which holes it has plugged, but the timing is very hard to ignore, because the homebrew community has been chipping away at every new firmware Sony puts out, and the company seems determined to keep closing doors before anyone can walk through them!
Here’s the quick recap of how we got here:
- Late September: The public “Relapse” exploit chain lands, covering firmware up to 13.60
- 21 October: Firmware 14.20 arrives, and within hours researcher kuzi shows a userland exploit running custom code via Remote Lua Loader
- Also on 14.20: A separate flaw found by hacker Ark Sama, which let fake PKG files run, was reportedly patched after being reported to Sony
- 1-2 November: Firmware 14.22 drops with unspecified “security fixes”
- 19 November: GTA 6 launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
Quick NoteA userland exploit is not a full jailbreak, because it runs in a restricted sandbox with no kernel access, so as VGTimes points out, nobody has published a complete chain for 14.20 yet.
Is This Really All About GTA 6?
Officially, no, there’s no confirmed link at all, and PlayStationInfo is careful to say the timing on its own isn’t evidence, but come on, the biggest game of the decade is three weeks away and Sony is patching its console like it’s bailing out a leaky boat!
Back in October, PlayStation Store backend data suggested GTA 6 may require firmware 14.10 or newer, which hasn’t been confirmed by Sony or Rockstar, but if it’s true, anyone sitting on an older firmware to keep their jailbreak alive will be stuck choosing between homebrew and Vice City.
Who Actually Loses in the Jailbreak Whac-a-Mole?
Here’s the bit that bugs me, because most jailbreak users aren’t trying to pirate GTA 6, a lot of them, some people, definitely not me, just want to run emulators and homebrew on hardware they paid for, and we’ve already seen how cool that can be with things like RPCS3 running natively on jailbroken PS5s.
Sony is well within its rights to protect its platform, of course, but every firmware bump also means new games and disc updates quietly demanding the latest version, so the people who “legally” just wanted a PS3 emulator end up being the ones caught in the crossfire, don’t they?
InterestinglyThe scene got a little spicy recently after a hacker reportedly pocketed a $50,000 bounty from Sony for privately reporting a PS5 exploit, which annoyed homebrew fans who’d hoped it would be released publicly.
Should You Install PS5 Firmware 14.22?
For the vast majority of players, yes, just install it, because security updates protect your account and your console, it takes a couple of minutes, and you’ll need recent firmware anyway when GTA 6 and the rest of the holiday line-up start arriving.
If you’re deliberately running an older firmware for homebrew, then you already know the drill, turn off automatic updates, don’t insert new discs without checking, and accept that you’ll be locked out of some new releases until the scene catches up… and make no mistake, it’s not a question of “if” only “when”.
FAQs
What does PS5 firmware 14.22 change?
PS5 firmware 14.22 (26.07-14.22.00) only lists security fixes for the system software, with no new features or settings.
Is PS5 firmware 14.22 mandatory?
It doesn’t currently appear to be mandatory, but newer games and updates may require recent firmware to install or launch.
Does GTA 6 require PS5 firmware 14.22?
There’s no official confirmation, but earlier store data suggested GTA 6 may need at least firmware 14.10 on PS5.
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