A new update was rolled out for PS5 today, adding voice control and bringing us one step closer to the console supporting VRR. A firmware update for a console is usually nothing but good news. Something that brings new features and addresses issues. However, hundreds of PS5 owners have taken to Twitter since applying the new update claiming they haven't been able to access online elements of most games since.
Most players appear to be getting a message informing them that they are unable to access certain features due to not having an active PS Plus subscription. The trouble is, they do, and for some reason, the console simply doesn't recognize that if the update has been applied. That means games like Destiny 2, FIFA 22, and Gran Turismo 7 have become unplayable, for the most part.
What's curious is the issue doesn't appear to be with PlayStation's servers. FIFA players, for example, are able to access online menus in-game, which means the servers must still be working. It isn't until they actually attempt to play an online match, which requires PS Plus, that they hit a wall. GTA Online has also been affected, and presumably any other game you need PS Plus to play online.
The AskPlayStation account will undoubtedly be getting flooded with tweets as you read this, but at the time of publishing, there has been no official response. Some players have reported turning the console off and then on again fixes the problem, but that doesn't appear to be accurate. As for what has caused such an outage, there's every chance it's a hiccup on the road to PlayStation finally announcing its Game Pass rival.
Known as nothing more than Project Spartacus right now, the secret subscription service is rumored to be PlayStation's answer to Xbox Game Pass. If everything reported about the tiered system turns out to be true, it will be made up of three levels, each with a different monthly cost and varying perks. Those same reports also claimed the ambitious repackaging of PS Plus and PS Now would be officially revealed in the spring, so everything lines up in terms of today's problems being linked in some way.