7 Ways to Fix PS4 (PlayStation 4) Freezing and Lagging

PlayStation 4 or PS4 is an eighth-generation home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Its first version was released in 2013 and its latest version, PS4 Pro, is capable of handling the latest games in the 4K resolution at faster frame rates. Nowadays, the PS4 is trending and competing with Microsoft’s Xbox One.

Although PS4 is a strong and smart device, some issues can occur which can be annoying especially when they occur in the middle of a game. Out of the many issues, freezing and lagging are the common ones. This involves console freezing and shutting down during the gameplay, console freezing during the installation, game lagging, etc.

There can be various reasons behind this, some of these being given below.

• The faulty hard-disk drives,
• No space in the hard-disk,
• A slow internet connection,
• Faulty hardware or an out-dated firmware,
• Firmware bugs and issues,
• Poor ventilation,
• A crowded or clogged cache,
• A cluttered or malfunctioned database,
• Overheating, and
• A software glitch.

Whatever be the reason(s) behind the freezing or lagging of the PlayStation 4, there is always a way to fix any issue. If you are looking for such solutions, then keep reading this article. In this article, several methods are provided using which you can easily fix your PS4’s lagging and freezing problem.

Contents

• 7 Ways to Fix PS4’s freezing and lagging problem
• 1. Checking the hard drive
• 2. Update the PS4 applications and the PS4 itself
• 3. Free up the disk space
• 4. Rebuild the PS4 database
• 5. Check the internet connection
• 6. Initialize the PS4
• 7. Call the customer support of the PS4

7 Ways to Fix PS4’s freezing and lagging problem

Freezing and Lagging of the PlayStation 4 can be caused by any hardware or software issue. Before trying any method, first of all, restart your PS4 console to refresh it. To restart the PS4, follow these steps.

1. On your PS4 controller, press and hold the power button. The following screen will appear.

2. Click on Turn Off PS4.

3. Unplug the power cable of the PS4 when the light goes off on the console.

4. Wait for around 10 seconds.

5. Plug the power cable back in the PS4 and click on the PS button on your controller to turn on PS4.

6. Now, try to play games. It may run smoothly without any freezing and lagging issues.

If the above method does not work, follow the below methods to fix your issue.

1. Checking the hard drive

You may be facing the freezing and lagging issue in your PS4 due to a faulty hard drive as a faulty drive can slow down the system. So, it is always advised to check your hard drive. The hard drive may be facing problems if you hear any unusual noise or face any unusual behavior in or around the hard drive bay. It is also possible that the hard drive is not securely attached to your PS4. If you face any such unusual behavior, it is advised to change your hard drive.

To check if the hard drive is securely attached to the PS4 or there is any physical damage to it and to change the hard drive, follow these steps.

1. Turn off the PS4 completely by pressing the power button and holding for at least 7 seconds till you hear two beep sounds which will confirm that the PS4 is turned off completely.

2. Disconnect the power cable and all the other cables, if there is any, attached to the console.

3. Pull the hard drive out and away, towards the left of the system, in order to remove it.

4. Check if the hard disk is properly set on its bay cover and properly screwed to the board.

5. If you find any physical damage to the hard disk and you need to change it, take off the screw from the board and replace the old hard disk with a new one.

Note: Removing the hard disk bay or changing the hard disk involves taking apart the device. So, you need to be cautious. Also, after changing the hard disk, you need to install new system software to this new hard disk.

After completing the above steps, check if the PS4 is freezing or lagging.

2. Update the PS4 applications and the PS4 itself

The PS4 may be freezing and lagging because of not being updated to the latest version. So, by updating the PS4 applications and installing the latest version of PS4, the problem may be fixed.

To update the PS4 applications, follow these steps:

1. On the PS4 home screen, highlight the application that needs to be updated.

2. Press the Options button on your controller.

3. Click on Check for Updates from the menu that appears.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the updates available for that application.

5. Once all the updates are installed, restart your PS4.

6. Similarly, update the other PS4 applications.

To update the PS4 to its latest version, follow these steps:

1. Take a USB stick having at least 400MB of free space and should be properly

2. Inside the USB, create a folder with the name PS4 and then a subfolder with the name UPDATE.

3. Download the latest PS4 update from the given link: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/system-updates/ps4/

4. Once the updates are downloaded, copy the downloaded update in the UPDATE folder just created in the USB.

5. Shutdown the console.

6. Now, insert the USB stick into one of the PS4’s forward-facing USB ports.

7. Press the power button and hold it for at least 7 seconds to enter into the safe m

8. In the safe mode, you will see a screen with 8 options.

9. Click on the Update System Software.

10. Complete the further process by following the on-screen instructions. Once the process is completed, restart the PS4.

After completing the above steps, check if the PS4 is lagging and freezing or not.

3. Free up the disk space

It is possible that your PS4 is facing the freezing and lagging issues because of no or very little space left in the hard disk. Little or no space creates small or no room for the system to operate properly and cause it to slow down. By freeing up some space in your hard disk, the speed of the system will improve, and thus, the PS4 will not face any freezing and lagging issues again.

To free up some space in your hard disk, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Settings from the main screen of the PS4.

2. Under the settings, click on System Storage Management.

3. A screen with four categories: Applications, Capture Gallery, Application Saved Data, Themes along with space these categories have occupied in your hard disk will appear.

4. Select the category you want to delete.

5. Once the category is selected, press the Options button on your controller.

6. Click on the Delete option from the menu that appears.

Note: It is advised to delete the Application Saved Data as well as it may contain some corrupted data.

After completing the above steps, you may have some space in your system, and the freezing and lagging issue of PS4 may be fixed.

Also Read: 7 Ways to Fix PUBG Crashes on Computer

4. Rebuild the PS4 database

The PS4 database gets clogged over time which makes it inefficient and slow. Also, with time, when the data storage increases, the database gets corrupted. In that case, you may need to rebuild the PS4 database as this will significantly increase the console’s performance and will definitely reduce the lagging and freezing issue.

Note: Rebuilding the database may take a long time depending on the PS4 type and data storage.

To rebuild the PS4 database, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the PS4 completely by pressing and holding the power button for at least 7 seconds until you hear two beep sounds.

2. Boot the PS4 in the safe mode by pressing and holding the power button for about 7 seconds until you hear the second beep.

3. Connect your DualShock 4 controller via a USB cable to the PS4 since the Bluetooth remains inactive in the safe m

4. Press the PS button on the controller.

5. Now, you will enter into the safe mode a screen with 8 options will appear.

6. Click on the Rebuild Database option.

7. A rebuilt database will scan the drive and will create a database for all the contents of the drive.

8. Wait for the rebuilding process to complete.

After the rebuilding process is completed, try to use the PS4 again and check if the freezing and lagging issues are fixed or not.

5. Check the internet connection

PS4 is an online game. So, if you have a slow internet connection, it will definitely freeze and lag. In order to run the PS4 smoothly with the best gaming experience, you need to have a very good internet connection. So, by checking the internet connection, you may get to know if the internet is the reason behind the freezing and lagging of your PS4.

To check the internet connection, perform these steps.

1. If you are using a Wi-Fi, restart your Wi-Fi router and the modem and check if it is working now.

2. To increase the performance of the Wi-Fi, buy a Wi-Fi signal booster and move the PS4 console towards the router.

3. Connect your PS4 to the ethernet instead of the Wi-Fi to have a better network speed. To connect the PS4 to the ethernet, follow these steps:

a. Connect your PS4 to the LAN cable.

b. Navigate to the Settings from the main screen of PS4.

c. Under the settings, click on Network.

d. Under the network, click on Set Up Internet Connection.

e. Under it, you will find two options to connect to the internet. Select the Use a LAN Cable.

f. After that, a new screen will appear. Select Custom and enter the network information from your ISP.

g. Click on the Next.

h. Under the proxy server, select the Do Not Use.

i. Wait for the changes to update.

When you see that the internet settings are updated on your screen, again try to use the PS4 and check if it is now working fine.

4. Set up port forwarding on your modem router to have a better internet connection. You can set up port forwarding by following these steps:

a. First of all, check the IP address, username, and password of your wireless router.

b. Open any browser and type the wireless router IP address in it and hit the enter button.

c. The below screen will appear. Type the username and password and click on the Login

d. Look for the port forwarding settings in the forward port section.

e. Once you enter into the port forwarding settings, enter the IP address of your PS4 which you can get by navigating to the below path on your PS4:

Settings -> Network -> View Connection status

f. Add UDP and TCP custom forwarding ports for the following numbers: 80, 443, 1935, 3478, 3479, 3480.

g. Use NAT Type 2 instead of 1.

h. Apply the changes.

Now, try to use the PS4 and see if its performance has improved now and your freezing and lagging issue is fixed.

6. Initialize the PS4

To initialize the PS4, follow these steps.

1. Navigate to the Settings from the main screen of the PS4.

2. Under the settings, click on Initialization.

3. Under the initialization, click on Initialize PS4.

4. You will see two options: Quick and Full. Select the Full.

5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

6. After the initialization process, restore all your backup data and reinstall all the games and applications.

After completing the above steps, use the PS4 again and check if the freezing and lagging issues are fixed or not.

7. Call the customer support of the PS4

After trying all the above methods, if the freezing and lagging issue of your PS4 still persists, there are chances that the problem is with the hardware and you may need to change or repair it. To do so, you have to contact the customer support of the PS4. They will help you in replacing or repairing the faulty PS4 so that your issue will be fixed.

Note: Here are a few additional measures you can look into to ensure your PS4 doesn’t freeze or lag.

1. If you are facing the freezing issue with the game disc, contact the retailer you bought it from.

2. Provide enough ventilation for the system.

3. Just rebooting the system often works.

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Hopefully, using any of the above methods, the freezing and lagging issues of your PS4 will be fixed.