Why Does My PS5 Take So Long To Resume Games And Can It Be Fixed

Gaming should be seamless. You press a button, your game resumes instantly, and you're back in the action. But if your PS5 is taking an unusually long time to resume games—sometimes even longer than booting from scratch—it’s not just frustrating; it defeats one of the console’s core promises: speed. The PS5 was designed with a high-speed SSD and advanced suspend/resume functionality, yet many users report delays that feel more like relics of the last generation. So what's really happening? And more importantly, can it be fixed?

The truth is, several factors influence how quickly your PS5 can resume a suspended game. Some are technical limitations inherent to certain titles, while others stem from user settings, storage conditions, or network dependencies. Understanding these causes—and knowing which ones you can actually control—is key to restoring the smooth, near-instant experience Sony promised.

How PS5 Resume Works: The Technology Behind It

The PS5’s ability to “resume” games rather than restart them relies on its Activity Cards and Suspend Mode. When you pause a game and switch to another app or title, the system doesn’t fully close the game. Instead, it saves the entire state of the game—memory allocation, textures loaded, audio buffers, controller input states—into a special standby mode using the ultra-fast NVMe SSD as temporary storage.

This feature leverages the console’s custom I/O architecture, which bypasses traditional bottlenecks by decompressing data on the fly and prioritizing critical assets. In theory, resuming should take only a few seconds because the system isn’t reloading everything from scratch—it’s reactivating a paused session.

However, this process depends heavily on:

• Available SSD bandwidth
• Game optimization for Activity Cards
• System memory (RAM) load
• Firmware efficiency
• Storage health and fragmentation (even minimal)

When any of these components underperform, the resume function slows down significantly—or fails entirely, forcing a full reload.

Tip: Not all games support true suspension. Some developers disable fast resume due to technical complexity or bugs.

Common Causes of Slow Game Resumption

Before jumping into fixes, it’s important to diagnose whether the delay is due to hardware limits, software inefficiencies, or user configuration. Here are the most frequent culprits:

1. Poorly Optimized Games

Not every developer implements the PS5’s fast resume feature effectively. Some games save their state inefficiently or fail to leverage the SSD properly during wake-up sequences. Titles with large open worlds—like Horizon Forbidden West or Ghost of Tsushima—often require extensive texture reloading even after resuming, leading to multi-second waits.

2. Full or Fragmented Storage

While SSDs don’t fragment like HDDs, they do slow down when nearing capacity. The PS5’s internal 825GB SSD performs best when at least 15–20% free space remains. Once usage exceeds 85%, write speeds drop, garbage collection interferes, and background processes become sluggish—including resume operations.

3. Background System Updates

If the console is downloading patches, syncing trophies, or updating system services in the background, available resources for game resumption shrink. This is especially noticeable after waking from rest mode when multiple tasks queue simultaneously.

4. Rest Mode vs. Power Off Confusion

Many users assume putting the PS5 in rest mode preserves instant resume indefinitely. But if power-saving settings are too aggressive (e.g., turning off USB ports or disabling internet), the system may partially unload game states to conserve energy, defeating the purpose of suspend mode.

5. Outdated System Software

Sony regularly releases firmware updates that improve SSD management, reduce latency, and fix known issues with specific games. Running an outdated version of the PS5 OS can mean missing crucial performance patches.

“Even with a fast SSD, poor memory management or unoptimized game code can bottleneck resume times. It’s not always the hardware.” — Mark Rivera, Console Performance Analyst at GameTech Insights

Step-by-Step Guide to Fix Slow Resume Times

You don’t have to live with sluggish resumption. Follow this structured approach to identify and resolve the root cause.

1. Check Available Storage Space
   Navigate to Settings > Storage > Console Storage. If your drive is above 80% full, consider deleting unused games or moving them to an external USB drive. Always keep at least 100GB free for optimal SSD performance.
2. Enable High-Speed Rest Mode
   Go to Settings > System > Power Saving > Rest Mode. Ensure both options are enabled:
   • Stay Connected to the Internet
   • Supply Power to USB Ports
   This ensures background data isn’t purged during rest and allows faster wake-up.
3. Update Your System and Games
   Check for updates via Settings > System > System Software. Also, highlight each game and press Options > Check for Update. Patches often include performance improvements.
4. Rebuild the Database (Safe Mode)
   This clears corrupted cache files that may interfere with fast resume:
   1. Turn off the PS5 completely.
   2. Hold the power button until you hear two beeps (about 7 seconds).
   3. Select “Clear Cache and Rebuild Database” from the menu.
   4. Choose “Rebuild Database” — this scans your drive and refreshes file indexing without deleting anything.
   Note: This can take 30–60 minutes depending on storage load.
5. Use M.2 SSD Expansion (If Applicable)
   If you’ve added a compatible PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD, ensure it meets Sony’s minimum 5,500 MB/s read speed requirement. Slower drives will degrade overall system responsiveness, including resume performance.
6. Limit Background Apps
   Close unnecessary applications like web browsers, media apps, or Discord before suspending your game. These consume RAM and CPU cycles that could otherwise support smooth resumption.

Do’s and Don’ts: Quick Reference Table

Do	Don’t
Maintain at least 15% free SSD space	Fill your drive beyond 90% capacity
Keep system and game software updated	Ignore pending updates for weeks
Use high-speed M.2 SSDs (5,500+ MB/s)	Install cheap, slow NVMe drives
Enable internet connection in rest mode	Disable USB power or Wi-Fi in rest mode
Rebuild database monthly if experiencing lag	Perform factory resets unnecessarily

Real Example: A Gamer’s Experience

James, a competitive Call of Duty: Warzone player from Toronto, noticed his PS5 was taking over 20 seconds to resume matches after switching to check messages. Frustrated, he assumed the console was defective. After researching, he discovered his SSD was 93% full. He moved three large games to an external drive, rebuilt the database, and updated his firmware. The next day, resume time dropped to under 6 seconds.

“I didn’t realize how much clutter affects performance,” James said. “It wasn’t the game or the console—it was me letting junk pile up.”

This case illustrates how easily user behavior impacts perceived system speed. Often, the hardware is capable; it’s the environment around it that drags performance down.

Expert Tips for Long-Term Optimization

Beyond immediate fixes, adopting smart habits ensures your PS5 stays responsive over time:

Tip: Schedule a monthly maintenance routine: delete old screenshots/videos, update all games, and rebuild the database if needed.

• Organize your library: Use folders to group games and prioritize frequently played titles on internal storage.
• Monitor temperatures: Overheating can throttle SSD performance. Ensure proper ventilation and clean dust from vents every few months.
• Prefer internal SSD for active games: Even fast external drives don’t support suspend/resume. Only games on internal or approved M.2 SSDs can be suspended.
• Limit auto-download sizes: Set automatic updates to pause when download exceeds 10GB, preventing surprise bandwidth and disk usage spikes.

FAQ: Common Questions About PS5 Resume Delays

Why does some games resume instantly while others take forever?

Differences come down to game design and optimization. Smaller, linear games with fewer assets (e.g., platformers or indie titles) tend to resume faster. Open-world games with dynamic environments often need to reload terrain, lighting, and AI states, causing delays—even on the PS5.

Can a factory reset fix slow resume times?

Possibly, but it’s overkill in most cases. A factory reset erases everything and reinstalls the OS, which can clear deep-seated glitches. However, start with rebuilding the database and freeing up space first. Reserve factory resets for persistent, unexplained issues.

Does using an external hard drive affect resume speed?

Yes—games stored on external USB drives cannot use suspend/resume at all. You must install them on the internal SSD or a compatible M.2 expansion drive to benefit from fast resumption.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your PS5’s Performance

The PS5’s promise of near-instant gameplay resumption isn’t broken—it’s just sensitive to real-world conditions. While some delays are unavoidable due to game-specific limitations, most slowdowns stem from fixable issues: bloated storage, outdated software, misconfigured settings, or subpar expansion hardware.

By applying regular maintenance, understanding how suspend mode works, and making informed choices about where and how you store your games, you can reclaim the speed and fluidity the console was built for. Don’t accept sluggishness as normal. With a few deliberate actions, your PS5 can deliver the seamless experience it was designed to provide.

💬 Experiencing slow resume times? Try the steps above and share your results in the comments. What worked for you?