PS5 Circuit Breaker Tripping (Here’s Why & How to STOP It!)

If your PS5 circuit breaker is tripping, then you are not alone. In this guide, I am going to show you 6 ways to fix the issue and stop your PlayStation 5 console from tripping your circuit breaker. I will also make these tips as straight-to-the-point as possible, while also helping you understand why it’s happening. 

Circuit breakers protect wires from getting heated up from too much electrical current passing through them which might start a fire. When too much electricity is passing through the circuit at once, the circuit breaker trips causing an open circuit (that is, electricity cannot pass through anymore).

So, does that mean your PlayStation 5 console is drawing too much power causing the circuit breaker to trip? Well, not exactly. If you are asking if your PlayStation 5 can cause the circuit breaker to trip, the answer is yes, in certain cases (more on this later). But, is it because it is drawing too much power? No.

Let’s get started.

PS5 Circuit Breaker Tripping

So, you turned on your PlayStation 5 and everything is running fine until you open a game (especially CPU intensive games like Call of Duty) and then your circuit breaker trips. In some cases, the game might even load up until you reach specific locations or stages in the game that have even high CPU demand before the circuit breaks.

Sometimes, this happens just minutes into the game while other times, it happens after playing for hours. Eventually, you may even get to the stage where you can’t even turn on your PS5 without the circuit breaker tripping. The whole thing can become really random, and can even happen when you are using surge protectors.

However, one thing is for sure, and that’s the fact that the 6 tips I will show you in this guide will help you stop your PS5 from tripping your circuit breaking. Without any further ado, let’s dive right in!

How to Stop PS5 from Tripping Breaker

A number of things can be responsible for tripping the circuit breaker with your PlayStation 5 console, either when you try to turn it on or only when you play games. This can range from faulty power bar, faulty power surge protector, circuit overload, faulty breaker to wiring problems. 

1. Do a Check to Know Where the Issue is Really From

Correlation does not mean causation. The fact that the breaker trips when you are using your PlayStation 5 for gaming does not immediately confirm that your PlayStation 5 console is solely responsible for it. Since you most likely have other electrical loads on the circuit at the same time you are using your PlayStation 5, it could be coming from any of them.

However, if you are already certain the issue is coming from your PS5, then skip to the next point where I show you how to stop PS5 from tripping breaker. 

Now, here’s are some quick check list for a final check.

• Locate the circuit where you PS5 is located on the circuit and unplug everything on the same circuit – TV, gaming consoles, sound system e.t.c
• Secondly, plug in your TV and console one at a time, then at the same time and try to see if you can recreate the issue. If it trips again, proceed to the next step.
• Now, repeat step 2, but this time use a different power outlet on that circuit and see if the same issue occurs. If your breaker did trip in step 2, but it’s not tripping in a different power outlet, the old power outlet is probably the issue.
• Now, plug in the other appliances or devices one at a time. If the breaker trips, you have found the faulty device causing the breaker to trip.
• Plug your console and TV with and without a power surge protector and see if the issue occurs in either or both scenarios
• If PS5 or any other device did not cause the breaker to trip alone but the issue happens when a combination of devices are plugged in, you are probably looking an an overload

Once done, you have probably narrowed down the issue at this point and you know where the issue is really from. Irrespective, even if you couldn’t infer anything from the quick checks, the next few steps will not only help you narrow it down, you will also be able to stop your circuit breaker from tripping.

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2. Check for Faulty Power Bar

Of course, I’m not talking about the edible energy bars. I’m talking about the extended power outlets.

Your breaker can trip from a circuit short caused by a faulty power bar, extension or outlet. The short in circuit happens when a hot or active electrical wire and a neutral wire touch, causing a large amount of current to flow and overload the circuit.

In other words, you might have noticed your breaker tripping when you turn on your PS5, not because of the console itself, but rather because the power bar or extension is already set to cause the issue. Now, here’s what you need to do:

Unplug everything from the extended power bar. Then, plug your TV and console directly into 2 different power receptacles (wall outlets) and check if you can recreate the issue. If the issue is fixed after plugging directly into the wallet outlets, then you need to change your power bar to a better one.

You can also confirm that the issue is coming from your power bar by plugging back into it and see if the circuit breaker trips again.

In addition, try to ensure that the power outlet is not controlled by any switch in another room or location in the house.

A user on Reddit who had a similar issue (despite using a UPS) said the issue was fixed as soon as the UPS was switched to an outlet that wasn’t controller by the light switch in the living room.

On the other hand, if the issue still persists after switching to different wall outlets, then move to the next tip.

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3. Replace the Surge Protector or Get a UPS

You may be thinking, “Aren’t power surge protectors supposed to prevent an overload that can cause the circuit breaker to trip in the first place?” Well, that’s what they are supposed to do, unless/until they don’t.

By “unless they don’t”, I mean if you are using a low quality power surge protector on a circuit with so much electrical load on it, it may end up doing a poor job. When I said “until they don’t”, surge protectors only work for a certain amount of time before they stop doing a good job, and this can be months or years depending on the quality.

Most common surge protectors are made with MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors), and by absorbing multiple smaller voltage spikes, they lose their characteristics overtime. In such cases, either of two things can happen:

1. Fail open – The surge protector will stop providing any form of protection and just starts acting as a power strip causing every and any form of current to pass through it. Therefore, when there an an overload, it goes straight to the circuit break, causing it to trip. This one is more common.
2. Fail close – In this case, the surge protector will literally cause your breaker to trip immediately regardless of what load is passing through it (high or low). Remember earlier when I said your PlayStation 5 console may cause your circuit breaker to trip, but not necessarily because it’s drawing too much power?

Whichever case it may be, you need to replace the surge protector causing the tripping to occur with a good quality one. A lot of users who had the same experience were able to fix it by simply getting the Belkin Power Strip Surge Protector.

Even better, you can get a UPS instead (although, it’s more expensive). However, other than doing a better job protecting your equipment, it will also provide a battery backup.

Any of these should fix the PS5 tripping circuit breaker issue immediately. However, if the issue persists, you may have even a bigger problem than the PlayStation console.

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4. Move PS5 to Another Circuit

Again, your PS5 may be causing your circuit breaker to trip, but it’s definitely not drawing too much power no matter how CPU-intensive the game you are playing is. Instead, you may already have so much load on the circuit which also carries your console.

In that case, you may be drawing too much power on a single circuit, and you PlayStation 5 is just adding to it, enough to cause the circuit breaker to trip. Since each circuit has a maximum draw limit, you need to try to reduce the load on that circuit.

To do a quick check, remove all the load on that circuit with your PS5 and plug in just your console and TV. If the circuit breaker does not trip, then that’s prove that your console and TV are not the cause of the circuit breaker tripping. Instead, it only happens when you have every other load on it, which means an overload. 

In that case, you need to move your PS5 to another circuit with less load on it. Even better, you can move it and other things (probably your entertainment unit) to a dedicated circuit so you don’t load up another circuit (unless you are absolutely sure the load on the circuit is low enough).

On the other hand, if the circuit breaker still trips with just your TV and console as the load on it, then you need to check the break.

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5. Change the Breaker for the Tripping Circuit

Whether you are using the standard breaker (single-pole or double-pole), Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) breaker, Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) breaker or the AFCI/GFCI dual-function breaker, the breaker itself might just be faulty and unable to handle a load that’s far lower than the maximum load limit for it.

While the standard breakers serve their purpose and are less likely to trip, they are not as safe as the AFCI and GFCI breakers. On the other hand, the AFCI breakers are known to be more prone to nuisance tripping (when breakers trip for no apparent reason).

All you need to get a like-for-like replacement breaker for the one tripping in your electrical panel and the issue will be fixed. However, if multiple breakers are tripping, then it’s definitely not your PS5 and even more, you have bigger issues and there’s only one thing left to do.

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6. Call an Electrician

At this point, you’ve probably tried different power bars, plugged directly into the wallet outlet, tried with and without a surge protector, used a new surge protector, moved PS5 to another circuit and changed the breaker for the tripping circuit with your PS5 on it.

If you couldn’t do the last 2 steps yourself, you can call an electrician to help you with it. More importantly, if multiple breakers are tripping, then it’s definitely not your PS5 that’s causing the issue.

If the house is old and the wiring has not been redone in a really long time, then it’s probably a wiring issue.

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Bottom Line

You may notice your circuit breaker tripping when you open a game on your  PlayStation 5 or even immediately you try to turn it on. This is not because your PS5 is drawing too much power. Rather, it’s probably from a faulty power bar or wall socket, faulty surge protector, circuit overload from a combination of electrical appliances and devices, faulty breaker or in some cases, general wiring problem.

To fix the PS5 circuit breaker tripping issue, do the following:

• Run a quick check to confirm if the issue is really coming from your console
• Check for faulty power bar
• Replace the power surge protector with a high quality replacement, or even better, get a UPS
• Move PS5 to another circuit
• Change the breaker for a tripping circuit
• Request the service of an electrician

I hope you found the guide helpful. If you have any question, feedback or suggestion, feel free to use the comment section. Also, kindly share the content with others.