Turn your PS5 into a Steam console: this is Bazzite in Steam Deck mode, adapted for the PlayStation 5. It boots straight into Steam Gaming Mode (the Steam Deck interface), and a full KDE desktop is one click away.

It runs from a USB drive, started by rmux's PS5 Linux loader. Your PS5 itself is not modified: unplug the drive and it's a normal PS5 again.

Download: Releases · Help & testing: Discord · Support the project: Ko-fi

• Steam Gaming Mode, with Switch to Desktop / Return to Gaming Mode
• 4K60 over HDMI, with audio
• Hardware video decoding
• Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Bluetooth (DualSense works over Bluetooth)
• Consoles with MediaTek Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi works

• A PS5 on a firmware rmux's PS5 Linux loader supports (see its releases). Tested on firmware 13.60.
• A USB drive of 32 GB or more, ideally an external SSD (much faster than a stick).
• A PC to download and flash the image.
• Optional but handy for the first setup: a USB keyboard.

In the normal PS5 menu:

• Very important: Settings → System → Power Saving → Features Available in Rest Mode → set Supply Power to USB Ports to Always.
• Very important: Settings → HDMI → turn off Enable HDMI Device Link. (If it's on, you'll typically get a black screen.)

If you reset the PS5 settings, set these again.

1. Download all ps5-bazzite-deck-vX.Y.Z.img.7z.00* files from the latest release into one folder.

2. Extract the .001 file with 7-Zip (Windows), Keka (macOS) or 7z x (Linux). You get ps5-bazzite-deck.img.

3. Flash it to the USB drive with Rufus: select the drive, select the .img, click Start. This erases the drive.

4. Plug the drive into a fast USB port. Every PS5 has fast ports (SuperSpeed, 10 Gbit/s) and one slow port (Hi-Speed, the older USB 2.0 speed of 480 Mbit/s). A slow port works, but booting, loading and installing games become much slower.

   • Original PS5: the two rear USB-A ports or the front USB-C port. The front USB-A port is the slow one.
   • PS5 Slim: the two rear USB-A ports. One of the two front USB-C ports is the slow one, so the rear ports are the safe choice.

   Use the slow port for a controller or keyboard.

5. Run the jailbreak and the loader as described in the loader's instructions. The PS5 goes into rest mode; wait until the orange light stops blinking, then press the power button. A white light means Linux is booting.

6. First boot is slow. The screen can stay black for a few minutes. Let it be.

• The default password is ps5 (asked for anything that needs admin rights). SSH is on from v1.0.7: ssh ps5@<your PS5's IP>. Change the password with passwd, since anyone on your network can try ps5.
• Important: set RGB range to Full, in both Gaming Mode and desktop mode.
• The first start is at 1080p60. Pick your resolution in the display settings (Game Mode: Settings → Display); it's remembered.
• Connect to Wi-Fi during the setup. If Wi-Fi doesn't work after that, reboot once.

From v1.0.3 or newer you can update without reflashing; your games and settings stay. On the PS5 (in a terminal or over SSH, password ps5):

bash <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/VivaLaVent/ps5-bazzite-deck/main/tools/update-latest.sh)

Then reboot and run the loader. Details: docs/updating.md. Reflashing always works too (back up anything you want to keep from the drive first).

The USB drive stays required: the PS5 loader always starts the kernel from its small FAT32 partition. The M.2 holds the system. Install the same version on the M.2 as on the USB. If a step doesn't work for you, tell us in Discord.

All steps run on the PS5, booted from the USB, in a terminal (password ps5).

1. Get the tools (ps5-linux-tools; Bazzite has everything needed to build them). If the M.2 isn't prepared for Linux yet, follow their README (m2_init) first.

   git clone https://github.com/ps5-linux/ps5-linux-tools ~/ps5-linux-tools && make -C ~/ps5-linux-tools
   

2. Install. m2_install.sh looks for the boot partition at /boot/efi; Bazzite has it at /efi, so mount it there too:

   sudo mkdir -p /boot/efi && (mountpoint -q /boot/efi || sudo mount LABEL=boot /boot/efi)
   cd ~/ps5-linux-tools && sudo ./m2_install.sh --install /path/to/ps5-bazzite-deck.img
   

   • Use the extracted .img, not the .7z files.
   • Keep the .img on the USB system (e.g. in ~/Downloads), not on the M.2: the M.2 is wiped during the install.
   • Tip: type the command up to --install (with the space), then drag the .img from the file manager into the terminal to insert its path.
   • What you'll see: Formatting /dev/nvme0n1p1 …, then Copying files to M.2..., and then nothing for 10–30 minutes while it copies the system (there's no progress bar). Wait until it prints Installation complete.
   • It asks for the password and then ends without printing anything: /boot/efi isn't mounted, or it's mounted several times (from running a plain mount line more than once). Reset it to one mount, then run the install again: while mountpoint -q /boot/efi; do sudo umount /boot/efi; done; sudo mount LABEL=boot /boot/efi
   • /dev/nvme0n1p1 not found: the M.2 isn't prepared for Linux yet, see step 1 (m2_init).

3. Boot from the M.2 from now on: point cmdline.txt at the M.2:

   sudo sed -i 's/root=LABEL=bazzite-deck /root=LABEL=bazzite-deck-m2 /' /efi/cmdline.txt && sudo cat /efi/cmdline.txt
   

4. Start it: reboot (sudo reboot) and run the loader as usual; it now starts the system on the M.2. (Optional: cd ~/ps5-linux-tools && sudo ./m2_exec.sh switches right away without a reboot. If it says kexec isn't found, just reboot instead.)

To go back to the USB system, change bazzite-deck-m2 back to bazzite-deck in cmdline.txt.

Notes:

• The first start from the M.2 can show a grey or black screen: reboot once and run the loader again.
• The USB drive afterwards: keep its small FAT32 partition (label boot): the loader always starts Linux from there, and updates put the new kernel there. The big Linux partition on the USB is only a fallback now. You can reformat that one for storage (only that partition, not the whole drive), but then you can no longer switch back to the USB system via cmdline.txt.
• Updating: run the in-place update while booted from the M.2, with the USB drive plugged in. The update script finds the USB drive's boot partition by itself: on an M.2 install it is often mounted at /boot/efi instead of /efi, or not at all.
• Commands in this README that edit /efi/cmdline.txt: on an M.2 install use /boot/efi/cmdline.txt if that's where it is mounted, or edit cmdline.txt from your PC.
• Stuck in emergency mode when booting the M.2: its /etc/fstab may contain a boot-partition line with an empty UUID=. Replace that line with LABEL=boot /efi vfat defaults,nofail 0 2 (mount the M.2 from the USB system with sudo mount LABEL=bazzite-deck-m2 /mnt to edit it).

The PS5's GPU has 40 compute units (CUs); Sony ships it with 36 active. The other 4 were switched off at the factory, partly because on some chips one of them is faulty. That's the silicon lottery: on many consoles all 40 work and you get more GPU power, on others the extra units cause green dots and other artifacts, a purple tint, or crashes. Try it, and switch it back off if you see any of that.

Switch on (in a terminal or over SSH), then reboot and run the loader:

sudo sed -i -e 's/amdgpu\.ps5_cu_unlock=[0-9]*/amdgpu.ps5_cu_unlock=3/' -e '/ps5_cu_unlock/!s/[[:space:]]*$/ amdgpu.ps5_cu_unlock=3/' /efi/cmdline.txt && sudo cat /efi/cmdline.txt

Check: dmesg | grep active_cu_number shows 40 (36 without it).

Switch off again:

sudo sed -i 's/ *amdgpu\.ps5_cu_unlock=[0-9]*//' /efi/cmdline.txt && sudo cat /efi/cmdline.txt

Your setting stays as it is across in-place updates (from v1.1.1). On an M.2 install, use /boot/efi/cmdline.txt instead of /efi/cmdline.txt if that's where the boot partition is mounted.

If something doesn't work, go through these three first.

Check the settings from PS5 settings: HDMI Device Link off and Supply Power to USB Ports: Always. A reset or a firmware update of the PS5 can change them back.

Use the latest version of rmux's PS5 Linux loader for your firmware. An older version, or one for a different firmware, typically ends up back in the PS5 menu or with no white light at all.

cmdline.txt is on the USB drive's small FAT32 partition and must stay one single line: add an option at the end with a space in front of it, or delete it again to undo.

Leave the entries that are already in cmdline.txt as they are, especially lsm=… (Game Mode needs it).

HDMI log for black-screen reports (when asked for it): add dyndbg="file drivers/ps5/hdmi.c +p" to cmdline.txt; after a black boot, sudo dmesg | grep -e notify -e setup shows what the HDMI chip reported.

White light but black screen

• Check HDMI Device Link is off (see PS5 settings).
• Wait a few minutes on the first boot.
• Try another TV/monitor or HDMI port, and try HDCP on and off in the PS5 settings.
• Last resort: on the USB drive's small FAT32 partition, open cmdline.txt and add amdgpu.force_1080p=1 at the end of the line.

Black screen, but the PS5 is running (sound works, or SSH works): with a USB keyboard press Ctrl+Alt+F2, wait 2–3 seconds, then Ctrl+Alt+F1: that sets the picture up again. Switching the TV input away and back can also help. Over SSH: sudo chvt 2; sleep 3; sudo chvt 1.

Controller connects once, then doesn't reconnect by itself: fixed in v1.4 (the Bluetooth adapter now accepts incoming connections). On older versions: sudo btmgmt connectable on (until the next reboot).

Games crash, freeze, or show green dots, artifacts or a purple tint: if you switched on the 40-CU unlock, switch it off again (see 40 GPU compute units) and reboot.

Boots back into the PS5 menu: you pressed the power button too early, or the USB power setting isn't set to Always.

Wi-Fi gone after a reboot (v1.0.4 and older): open a terminal (Konsole, SSH, or Ctrl+Alt+F2 if your TV keeps the picture) and run, then reboot:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/system/ps5-stage-firmware.service.d && printf '[Unit]\nDefaultDependencies=no\nConflicts=shutdown.target\nBefore=shutdown.target\n' | sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/ps5-stage-firmware.service.d/10-no-default-deps.conf >/dev/null && sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo reboot

Display or HDMI problems: run this on the PS5 (terminal or SSH) while the problem is visible, and send the file it names in Discord:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/VivaLaVent/ps5-bazzite-deck/main/tools/diag.sh | bash

Sending logs (we can't help without them): in a terminal run journalctl -b --no-pager > /tmp/log.txt; sudo cp /tmp/log.txt /efi/, shut down, plug the drive into your PC and send log.txt from the small FAT32 partition in Discord.

• One DualSense for the PS5 and Linux? Yes, if the DualSense has pairing profiles (PS + a face button). Keep the PS5 pairing on one profile, and pair Linux on a different profile, for example PS + Square. You don't need a USB cable when you switch systems. From v1.4 (the service log shows changing Bluetooth address). See docs/dualsense-profiles.md.

• Pairing a DualSense: in Bluetooth settings, start the search, then hold PS + Create until the light flashes quickly. A controller that's still connected can't enter pairing mode: switch it off first (hold PS for 10 seconds). After pairing it may disconnect once after a second; that's normal, press PS and it reconnects. To reconnect later, just press PS: the controller connects to the PS5, not the other way round.

• Bluetooth gone after a restart: from v1.4 the system revives the adapter by itself after ~30 seconds. If it stays gone, power the PS5 off completely and run the loader again.

• DualSense over Bluetooth: the speaker and headphone jack only work over USB. Don't plug in the USB cable while it's connected over Bluetooth; disconnect Bluetooth first.

• Video: the PS5's GPU has no AV1 decoder. For YouTube in a browser, an extension like enhanced-h264ify gives hardware-decoded H.264 instead.

• Does this touch my PS5's games or system? No. Everything is on the USB drive.

• Can I dual-boot? No. You run the jailbreak + loader each time you want Linux.

• TV remote (HDMI CEC): from v1.4, the TV remote's arrows, OK and back work in Game Mode and on the desktop, and at boot the PS5 turns the TV on and switches it to its input. To stop the latter, add ps5-cec.one_touch_play=0 to cmdline.txt. Thanks to Slip (ps5-linux-patches #53).

• Restart straight back into Linux (optional): from v1.4, ps5-warm-reboot on makes every restart (Steam's, the desktop's, sudo reboot) go straight back into Linux in about 20 seconds, without the PS5 system and the loader; ps5-warm-reboot off turns it off again. Off by default: on some consoles the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip doesn't come back after a warm restart. If that happens to you, power off and run the loader.

• Sleep: from v1.4, a short press of the power button (or Steam's Sleep) puts the PS5 to sleep: screen off, orange light, the game paused. A short press wakes it (one beep) and the game, network and Bluetooth continue. The GPU stays on, so it saves little power. Thanks to Dasloh (ps5-linux-patches PR #4).

• VRR? Not yet. The PS5's HDMI chip has its own VRR mode (found by hsgodd in the stock system), but TVs still drop the signal with it; work continues in separate test builds.

• Which resolutions? 1080p60, 1080p120, 1440p60, 1440p120 and 4K60, whenever your TV/monitor can do them. Other resolutions and refresh rates aren't possible through the PS5's HDMI chip.

• HDR? Works on most consoles at 1080p60 and 4K60 (Game Mode → Settings → Display). If the picture looks wrong with HDR on, your console doesn't support it: switch it off.

• "Your PS5 wasn't turned off properly" after using Linux? Normal and harmless.

• Can I install apps? Yes: use the Discover store / Flatpak. dnf5 install works for system packages; rpm-ostree and ujust update don't (this image isn't an ostree install).

This is a hobby project, built and tested in my free time. If it's useful to you, you can support it on Ko-fi. Thank you!

• ps5-linux (theflow, c0w, resulknad, rmuxnet and contributors) – the PS5 Linux loader, kernel patches and image builder this is built on.
• rmuxnet – 7.3 PS5 kernel patches, video decoding, the PS5 Linux Guide.
• soniciso1 – loader with firmware 13.60 support.
• ps5-linux-mwifiex contributors – PS5 Wi-Fi driver patches.
• WizGery – MediaTek Bluetooth patches.
• etawen – PS5 package repo and documentation.
• Universal Blue / Bazzite – Bazzite itself.
• Gilles (@VivaLaVent) – made Game Mode work on the PS5, the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and boot fixes, and this build.

Not affiliated with Sony, Valve or Universal Blue. Use at your own risk. Scripts and docs: MIT; patches: GPL-2.0.