PS5 Drops New Cosy Freebie, No PlayStation Plus Required

Sony just released a very cosy freebie for the PS5 that’s sure to keep your home feeling extra toasty this Christmas– and you don’t even need a PlayStation Plus subscription to claim it.

It would seem that Sony is feeling extra festive this year, because they’ve just rolled out a new update for the PlayStation 5 that’s free for all users.

In case you missed it, the PS5 received a relatively big update last month that added a bunch of features that players have been requesting for years.

The coolest new addition (to me, at least) was the “Recently Played” stat tracking feature, which displays a bunch of info about your latest game, including stuff like hours played and your total completion percentage.

However, the new feature that got most folks excited is the addition of a dynamic seasonal wallpaper for the Welcome Hub, which changes depending on the time of year.

It’s a far cry from the quality of the PlayStation 4’s themes, but hey, at least it’s something.

The previously released seasonal wallpapers for the PS5, Sony

As spotted by Push Square’s Sammy Barker, Sony has just stealthily added a new dynamic theme to the PlayStation 5 that’s free for everyone (regardless of whether you have an active PlayStation Plus subscription or not).

Much like the previously released seasonal theme, the new fireplace theme has a unique little quirk. As you’ll be able to see for yourself when you try it out, this one has something that no other theme on the PlayStation 5 has: audio.

If you use this one as your PS5’s theme, you’ll be able to hear crackling and burning sound effects whenever you nip back to the Welcome Hub.

As Barker notes in their article, this unique addition may actually be a teaser for a new feature that Sony is planning to roll out in the near future.

Sony is currently toying with an upcoming screensaver feature for the PlayStation 5, which will assumedly have some kind of synergy with its recently added Low Power mode.

The crackling fireplace theme is probably intended to work with this new screensaver feature, as having a dynamic, moving theme will help to (ironically) reduce screen burn.

No exact word on when the upcoming screensaver feature is going to roll out, but I’d wager, based on the addition of this new theme, that it’s not too far off.

Hopefully they add the PlayStation 4’s folder support along with it, but I won’t hold my breath.