Updated October 3, 2026.
Four checks, then Safe Mode
Go in order. Turn the console off fully before you unplug anything.
1. Look at the HDMI port
Shine a light into the HDMI port, the TV cable socket on the back of the PS5. Bent, loose or missing pins? Stop plugging cables in. Do not poke inside it. A bent pin can be fixed. A torn port is a port replacement.
2. Check both cable ends and the TV input
Push the cable in fully at both ends. Then pick the matching input on the TV, like HDMI 2. A wrong input looks the same as a dead console.
3. Swap the cable and the TV port
Try a cable you know works. Try another HDMI port on the TV. Plug the PS5 straight into the TV. Skip the soundbar, the receiver and any capture box for now.
4. Try Safe Mode
Hold the power button until you hear a second beep. Pick Change Video Output. This resets the picture settings. Skip the reset and reinstall options. Those can erase your games.
Sony's steps: picture and sound and Safe Mode.
5. Still no signal? Let us test it
White light, no picture? It is usually the HDMI port, or the board behind it. We test the console on our own TV and cable. Then we tell you the price. You decide before we start.
If we cannot fix it, you pay nothing. Read the 60-day warranty and no fix, no charge.
Reviewed September 2026. Steps apply to PS5 and PS5 Slim.